Resume Writing
This guide provides comprehensive information on how to write an effective resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
The Purpose of a Resume
A resume is a concise document that summarizes your skills, experience, and education. Its primary purpose is to grab the attention of a potential employer and secure an interview. Think of it as your marketing tool.
Different Resume Formats
There are several resume formats to choose from, depending on your experience and career goals:
- Chronological: This is the most common format. It lists your work history in reverse chronological order (most recent job first). It’s ideal for candidates with a steady work history.
- Functional: This format focuses on your skills and abilities rather than chronological work history. It’s often used by people who are changing careers, have gaps in their employment history, or have limited work experience.
- Combination: This format combines elements of both chronological and functional resumes. It highlights your skills and abilities while also providing a chronological work history.
Key Sections of a Resume
A standard resume typically includes the following sections:
- Contact Information: Your full name, phone number, email address, and optionally, your LinkedIn profile URL or portfolio website.
- Summary/Objective:
- Summary: A brief (2-3 sentences) overview of your key qualifications, experience, and career goals. Best for experienced professionals.
- Objective: A concise statement (1-2 sentences) of your career goals and the type of position you are seeking. More common for entry-level candidates or those changing careers.
- Education: List your degrees in reverse chronological order, including the institution name, degree obtained, major/minor, and graduation date (or expected graduation date). You can also include relevant coursework, academic honors, or GPA if it’s strong.
- Experience: Detail your work history in reverse chronological order. For each position, include:
- Company name and location
- Job title
- Dates of employment
- Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Skills: List relevant hard skills (e.g., programming languages, software proficiency, foreign languages) and soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, problem-solving).
Tips for Writing Effective Bullet Points
Bullet points are crucial for showcasing your accomplishments.
- Start each bullet point with a strong action verb.
- Focus on quantifiable achievements whenever possible (e.g., “Increased sales by 15%”).
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to frame your accomplishments.
- Tailor your bullet points to the specific job description.
The Importance of Tailoring Resumes
Generic resumes are rarely effective. Always tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for. This means:
- Carefully reading the job description and identifying key requirements and keywords.
- Highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to that particular role.
- Using the same language and keywords found in the job posting.
ATS Optimization: Getting Past the Bots
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software applications that many employers use to scan and rank resumes. To ensure your resume gets seen by a human, consider these optimization strategies:
- Keyword Optimization:
- Mirror Job Description Keywords: Identify and incorporate keywords and phrases directly from the job description (e.g., specific skills, software, qualifications).
- Use LSI Keywords: Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are conceptually related terms that search engines (and ATS) use to understand context. For example, if the job is for a “software developer,” LSI keywords might include “coding,” “debugging,” “agile,” “source control,” etc. Include a mix of exact match and LSI keywords.
- ATS-Friendly Formatting and Design:
- Simplicity is Key: Avoid complex formatting like tables, columns, images, headers/footers with text, and unusual fonts. While your resume should also appeal to human readers, intricate designs can confuse ATS.
- Standard Fonts: Stick to common, readable fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman.
- Clear Headings: Use standard section headings like “Education,” “Experience,” “Skills.”
- File Type: Submit your resume as a .docx or PDF, unless otherwise specified. PDFs generally preserve formatting but ensure the text is selectable (not an image scan). Some older ATS might prefer .docx.
- Tailoring for Specific ATS (If Known):
- Some large companies are known to use specific ATS platforms (e.g., Taleo, Workday, iCIMS, Greenhouse). If you can identify the system (sometimes mentioned in job forums or by recruiters), you can do a quick search for specific formatting tips related to that ATS. However, general best practices usually suffice.
- Researching the company’s application process or looking for insights from current/former employees can sometimes provide clues.
Addressing Career Gaps & Changes
Career gaps or transitions are common. Here’s how to address them positively:
- Positive Framing:
- Skills from Breaks: If you took time off for personal development, travel, family care, or freelance work, highlight transferable skills gained. Examples include project management (from organizing a community event), new software proficiency (from online courses), or cross-cultural communication (from travel).
- Volunteering & Coursework: Emphasize skills gained from volunteer roles or relevant courses taken during the gap.
- Focus on Recent & Relevant: Emphasize your most recent and relevant experiences.
- Strategic Resume Formats for Career Changers:
- Functional Resume: This format can be useful if you’re making a significant career change and want to emphasize transferable skills over a direct chronological work history. However, some recruiters are wary of purely functional resumes.
- Combination Resume: Often the best choice for career changers. It starts by highlighting key skills and accomplishments relevant to the new field (like a functional resume) and then includes a brief chronological work history. This provides context while still emphasizing transferable abilities.
- Targeted Summary/Objective: Clearly state your new career goal and briefly explain your transition in your summary or objective.
The Psychology of Resume Design
Beyond just listing facts, how your resume is designed visually can significantly impact a recruiter’s first impression. Understanding basic psychological principles can help.
- Reading Patterns (F-Pattern and E-Pattern): Research shows that recruiters often scan resumes quickly in an “F” or “E” pattern. They typically look at the top, then scan down the left side for keywords and job titles, and may read across if something catches their eye. This means your most critical information (name, contact, compelling summary, recent job titles, key skills) should be easily visible in these zones.
- Visual Hierarchy: Guide the reader’s eye by creating a clear visual hierarchy.
- Headings and Subheadings: Use clear, consistent headings (e.g., H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections) to break up text and make sections easy to find.
- Bolding: Use bold text strategically for job titles, company names, or specific achievements you want to emphasize. Don’t overdo it, as too much bolding loses its impact.
- Bullet Points: Use bullet points for lists of responsibilities and achievements to make them easy to scan and digest.
- White Space (Negative Space): Adequate white space (margins, space between sections and lines) is crucial. It prevents a cluttered look, improves readability, and makes the document feel less overwhelming. Don’t be tempted to shrink margins or line spacing too much to fit more on a page.
- Font Choice:
- Readability: Choose a clean, professional font that is easy to read.
- Professionalism: Standard serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond) or sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana) are generally safe bets.
- Consistency: Use the same font family throughout the resume. Aim for a font size of 10-12 points for body text and slightly larger (14-16 points) for main headings.
- Professionalism vs. Clutter:
- For most industries, a clean, conservative, and professional design is most effective. The focus should be on the content, not on flashy graphics or unusual layouts.
- Avoid using tables, columns that are too close, text boxes, images, or distracting colors unless you are in a creative field (like graphic design) where such elements might be expected as part of showcasing your skills. Even then, clarity and readability should be paramount.
- An overly creative or cluttered resume can be perceived as unprofessional and may also be difficult for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to parse correctly.
Using a Master Resume
A “Master Resume” is a comprehensive, private document that serves as your complete historical record of all your professional experiences.
- Concept: This document is for your eyes only. It should include every job you’ve held, detailed responsibilities and accomplishments for each, all projects (academic, professional, personal), every skill you’ve acquired, all educational qualifications, certifications, awards, volunteer work, etc. Don’t worry about length for this document.
- Benefits:
- Saves Time: While it takes time to create initially, it saves immense time in the long run when applying for multiple jobs.
- Prevents Forgetting: It ensures you don’t forget important details, accomplishments, or dates over time.
- Efficient Tailoring: It makes tailoring your resume for specific job applications much easier and faster. You have all the raw material in one place.
- Process:
- Create Comprehensively: Dedicate time to brainstorm and list everything. Use old job descriptions, performance reviews, and project notes to help.
- Update Regularly: Get in the habit of adding new experiences, skills, projects, and accomplishments to your master resume as they happen or shortly thereafter.
- Tailor for Applications:
- When you find a job you want to apply for, make a copy of your master resume.
- Carefully analyze the job description, highlighting keywords and required qualifications.
- Delete all information from the copied master resume that is not relevant to this specific job.
- Refine the remaining content, especially your summary/objective, bullet points under experience, and skills section, to directly target the language and requirements of the job posting. Quantify achievements and use strong action verbs.
- Ensure the tailored resume is concise (typically 1-2 pages) and perfectly polished.
Online Resume Creation Tools
Several online tools can help you create professional-looking resumes:
- Overleaf: While primarily a LaTeX editor, Overleaf offers many resume templates that can be customized. It’s excellent for creating well-formatted, professional documents.
CV Templates - Other popular options include Canva, Zety, and Resume.io. Many word processing software like Microsoft Word and Google Docs also offer resume templates.
Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid
- Typos and Grammatical Errors: Proofread meticulously! These errors make you look unprofessional.
- Generic Resume: Not tailoring your resume to the specific job.
- Too Long or Too Short: Aim for one page if you have less than 10 years of experience. Two pages are acceptable for more experienced professionals.
- Unprofessional Email Address: Use a simple, professional-sounding email (e.g., firstname.lastname@email.com).
- Including Irrelevant Information: Don’t include hobbies or personal information unless it’s directly relevant to the job.
- Using Passive Language: Opt for strong action verbs.
- Inconsistent Formatting: Maintain consistent font, spacing, and style throughout the resume.
- Lying or Exaggerating: Always be truthful. Background checks can reveal inconsistencies.