The key to writing a winning but simple resume is to create a resume that strikes the perfect balance. You don’t want to create something so short that it fails to address everything, but you also do not want to create a resume that takes too long to read. In case you may want to know what to include, here are a few ideas.

Creating a Resume Tip #1 – Personal Information

Your resume should start off with your contact information. Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, and email address. You would be surprised at the number of people that leave off one of these elements, which can easily be the most important part since you want to make it as easy as possible for employers to contact you, right?

Creating a Resume Tip #2 – Objective

The objective section is pretty important too. It explains your career goals and should always be tailor-made for the position that you are applying for. Your objective should clearly explain the goals that you will make for yourself at the company and what you have to offer to a potential employer.

Creating a Resume Tip #3 – Experience

The experience section is where you will list your work history. You should list all of the relevant jobs that you have had along with job descriptions, years worked, and positions held. This section allows you to highlight all of your strengths as a candidate and show how past job duties relate to the job you are applying for.

Creating a Resume Tip #4 – Accomplishments and Special Skills

You should emphasize any accomplishments or special skills that you have that will help with the position that you are applying for. For example, if you will be working in an office environment, you will want to mention being skilled in Microsoft Office or other software systems. It is also important to include any training programs completed, certifications earned, and special acknowledgements received that relate.

Creating a Resume Tip #5 – Education

This is simply your academic history. I would suggest listing your most recent schools attended such as colleges, associate courses, or graduate school institutions. Include the years attended, degrees received, and any honors earned while there. I also include the clubs on which I was an officer of any sort.

Creating a Resume Tip #6 – References

As nice as the phrase “references available upon request” may sound, if you have a references section, make sure it has references listed. This will include career contacts, like supervisors and coworkers that can vouch for your work ethic and talents. Avoid including family members and friends unless they are professional references as well.

My Resume

Before I decided to pursue blogging full time, I kept a resume in the market in case a better position popped up. It included all of the sections mentioned above except references, which I included on a separate page. I even included a section about hobbies since my volunteer experience was one of the ways I made sure to stand out. I only landed one real job, the one I have had since graduating college, but my supervisors still comment that my resume was grammatically excellent and was interesting as well.

What other information would you suggest including when creating a resume? Have I missed something obvious?

Crystal

Crystal

Crystal Stemberger uses Budgeting in the Fun Stuff to write about finding the balance between paying your bills, saving for your future, and budgeting in the fun stuff along the way.