Career Advice

Components of a Professional Resume

1. Contact information:

   Make it easy to contact you either by phone, mail or e-mail. Don't make the recruiter track you down. Note: make sure your voicemail message is professional. You don't want a recruiter to get the wrong impression from a silly message on the recording.

   Do not include personal information, such as marital status, here or anywhere else on your resume.

2. Objective/Title:

   Some experts believe that including an objective may limit your chances of obtaining an interview; if your objective doesn't match the recruiter's needs at the time, you may miss out on a golden opportunity.

   On the flip side, a career objective is useful in communicating that you are proactively managing your career. You know what you want, why not say it?

   We suggest taking a broad approach: Instead of writing a sentence like "Seeking a career opportunity as a Marketing Executive." try a simple title after your contact info, simply "Marketing Executive."

3. Summary statement:

   First, include your title and years of experience. Second, list special skills. Third, talk about your character traits or work style. Remember that this is a summary; it should only be 2-3 sentences long.

   Example:

   Software Sales Manager with over 10 years' experience with two Fortune 500 companies. Technical skills include P & L, budgeting, forecasting and variance reporting. Proven track record for exceeding quotas and building or repairing sales teams.

4. Professional experience:

   List each position held in reverse chronological order, going back at least ten years. If you held multiple positions within the same company, be sure to list all of them - you want the recruiter to see how you've progressed. Concentrate on the description of the position - that's the meat & potatoes.

   The body of the position description has two parts: A description of your responsibilities and your accomplishments

   Top 12 accomplishments that most interest employers

   • Increased revenues
   • Saved money
   • Increased efficiencies
   • Cut overhead
   • Increased sales
   • Improved workplace safety
   • Purchasing accomplishments
   • New products/new lines
   • Improved record keeping process
   • Increased productivity
   • Successful advertising campaign
   • Effective budgeting

   Other resume components include:

   • Education,
   • Professional training,
   • Affiliations/Appointments Licenses,
   • Technical skills and
   • Languages.

   Approach these items from the viewpoint of the recruiter or employer: How will these skills benefit the company?