Preparing your Resume
Resume should include following points:
1. Contact section: Who are you and how can you be reached?
Make sure you include your name, email address and a contact phone number on your resume. Begin your resume with your name by capitalizing or using bold type. Include street address, city, state, and zip code.
2. Objective statement: What do you want to do?
The purpose of the objective statement is to inform the reader of your career goals and qualifications. The statement should be written specifically enough to let the reader know that you have a focus to your job search.
3. Education section: What have you learned?
This section is most effective when you have experiences from your education that are impressive and/or directly relate to your objective. Adding this section is useful when you have developed skills and specific knowledge through your education rather than work experience. This section can be used to highlight coursework, research, or special knowledge that complements your objective.
4. Experience/Employment section: What can you do? What have you done?
Begin with your current/most recent position and work backward, chronologically. Devote more space to recent employment. Follow job title and organizational information with the organization’s city and state.Use the first and last month and year to describe dates of employment.
5. Professional activities and accomplishments: How have you been recognized?
This part of your resume offers you the opportunity to provide insight into your career development. You should be selective and complete, listing such items as memberships in professional associations and offices held, professional registrations, honours received, and major articles or publications you have written. Do not list every article or every speech you may have given or every conference you have attended. Emphasize quality – this section of the resume should help you to demonstrate you are current and active in your profession.
6. Miscellaneous: What else do they want to know about you?
Some applicants include a listing of their hobbies, membership in service or charitable organizations, community service, marital status and similar information. This information can be helpful in giving the reader a more personal view of you.
Difference between resume and CV
1. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages.
2. The resume will be tailored to each position whereas the CV will stay put and any changes will be in the cover letter.
3. A CV has a clear chronological order listing the whole career of the individual whereas a resume’s information can be shuffled around to best suit the applicant.
