Tips to Format Your Resume
Over the past few weeks we have been blessed with the submittal of many resumes/CV’s. Unfortunately, many cannot be passed along to potential clients for review due to their format.
Here are some useful tips for formatting your resume prior to submitting to us at info@stss-i.com
1. Format Wisely
- Remember your resume is usually reviewed for 25 seconds.
- Use a logical format and wide margins, clean type and clear headings.
- Selectively apply bold and italic typeface that help guide the reader’s eye.
- Use bullets to call attention to important points (i.e. accomplishments).
2. Identify Accomplishments
- Focus on what you did in the job, NOT what your job was.
- Include a one or two top line job description first, then list your accomplishments.
- For each point ask yourself, What was the benefit of having done what I did?
- Accomplishments should be unique to you, not just a list of what someone else did.
- Avoid using the generic descriptions of the jobs you originally applied for or held.
3. Quantify
- Include and highlight specific achievements that present a comprehensive picture of your marketability.
- Quantify your achievements to ensure greater confidence and thereby generate interest percentages, dollars, number of employees, etc.
- Work backwards to quantify your accomplishments by asking, If I had not done X, what could have happened?
4. Create Your Resume for the Industry
- Err on the side of being conservative stylistically.
- Your accomplishments, error-free writing, grammatically-correct, clean, crisp type and paper will make the impression.
5. Replace “Objective” with a “Career Summary”
- Grab attention right from the beginning, remembering you have only 25 seconds to make a great impression.
- Spend time developing a summary that immediately gets attention, and accurately and powerfully describes you as a solution.
There are several resume sample sites online. Formatting might include the following order:
- Personal Data
- Name
- Address
- Telephone
- Nationality
- Education
- List the degree(s) and major area of study, the name of the institution and location where the degree was obtained.
- Summary of Professional skills and/or Career Summary
- Field of expertise as specific as possible (i.e., Deepwater Offshore Safety Specialist, Onshore Safety Technician, Shelf Offshore Safety Manager)
- Credentials or professional training
- Computer skills
- Summary of relevant work experience
- Overview of work history in reverse chronological order with dates, titles, employer, type of business, location, area of work, major accomplishments and salary history
- Indicate any management experience and include specific achievements
- Specify any international work
- Languages
- Mother tongue
- Other languages and indicate written and verbal proficiency
- Other
- References
- Publications or speaking events