Resume Writing-Tips to get you ahead

Are you having serious doubts about the potential your job holds for the future? Are you planning to spread your wings and soar higher in your career? If that is the case, you need to avail of some good resume writing tips that show you how to write a resume that gets results. The idea is to make your resume more attractive to present or future employers. Many employees end up feeling that their current employers cannot offer you what they are looking for and proceed to scan the market. Having a dynamic resume on the Internet is a definite advantage.

Here are some time-tested resume writing tips. They will guide you in how to enumerate your personal details clearly, succinctly and in the correct order:

* State your full name, phone number, temporary and permanent address, and e-mail address
* State you educational qualifications, along with appropriate dates for each completed school, college and post-graduate course
* State you actual work experience, which should include internships, extracurricular activities, and significant volunteer work
* State your skills intelligently. Do not mention skills that have no bearing on the job for which you are applying and give relevant details for those that do
* State any academic and professional recognitions and awards conferred on you

Long, rambling resumes are no longer in favor and the single-page format gets the best results with employers. The accent is on short, pithy accounts of a prospective employee’s career to date. The details can appear either in chronological or functional format. In the chronological format, you start with your earliest job and work up to the latest you have held. In the functional format, you group your qualifications and experience under appropriate headings.

Your resume should not mention your personal hobbies, unless these have direct bearing on your chosen career path. Details of your extra-curricular activities should profile:

* Any value-adding skills that increase your profile and on-the-job value
* Any experience and qualifications you have gained in a job-relevant area that you excel in

Today’s employers give preference to candidates who have a wide range of professional experience. If you have any experience certificates, mention these in your resume and include copies of these as separate attachments. If you have held temporary jobs that are in keeping with the job you are applying for, mention these briefly. Having ‘temped’ gives you an extra edge in interviews. It proves that you have had exposure to different work cultures.

Employers also value any evidence of higher social awareness in prospective employees. If you have had a chance to work for a charitable organization, mention the fact in your resume. This value-adds to by it enormously. Mention details of all charitable work you have done. If you have feedback and commendation letters in this context, include those too as separate attachments.

Your resume must not only have all the relevant information - it also needs to look attractive. It is often not possible to format online resumes for better appearance. However, in an actual face-to-face interview with a prospective employer, the candidate with a properly composed, well-presented resume has a clear advantage. Get a person experienced in page layouts to format your resume if you lack the necessary skills. Then have it printed out on good quality paper, fold it neatly and enclose it in a right-sized envelope that bear you name and the position for which you are applying.