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General Principles of Resume Writing

If you ever looked for work, you probably heard phrases such as ‘Do you have a resume?’, ‘Send your grounding’, ‘We don’t consider letters from candidates without a CV’. Absolutely every candidate who has ever been looking for a job knows that this process is accompanied by considerable stress. Often it occurs because of a completely explainable uncertainty. One needs to summarize professional activities as accurately as possible within one page. Besides, the future employer must understand what potential one has.

That’s why the way how a candidate draws up a resume becomes as important as all the information that it contains. Recruitment managers will first see the design, and only then will begin to read the paper.

Try to wrap this situation to an advantage. In other words, if an applicant can refine the design as efficiently as possible, then he/she will obviously look extraordinary and profitable. And for this, we recommend everyone to use the basic design principles that will help with this.

A General Definition of Resume

To begin, let’s understand what a CV is in itself.

Resume (from French résumé or from Latin curriculum vitae – “life course”, often shortened to CV) – a document containing information about skills, work experience, education and other relevant information usually required when considering a person to hire for work.

Biography, that is, CV, differs from a resume in volume and, as a rule, the candidates write it for high positions. It provides more detailed than in the summary, information about yourself, education with qualifications.

This document shows all your business experience, as well as:

  • Abilities;
  • Work history;
  • Schooling data;
  • Additional courses, etc.

And how does a potential employer find out that you’ve got all the necessary qualities? It’s obvious that you received the proper education and can complete the tasks? Right, it’s all thanks to the resume.

The Title of the Resume Plays a Significant Role

Once you’ve decided where you want to work, articulate the name of the desired position clearly. So the employer can quickly find your grounding. If you’re going to work as an accountant, call the background ‘Accountant’. If you’re a welder, just call it ‘Welder’, and so on.

If you’re not sure how to name your background, look at the vacancies that interest you. Compare the requirements and offers with what you have. Also, pay attention to the name of the position in a suitable job.

Document Structure

A CV has a specific structure, where all the data is divided into sections. It’s necessary so that a recruiter can quickly find out the basic necessary data that interests the employer in the first place. Therefore, tell about yourself only the information regarding the position. There’s no need for extra information that the recruiter doesn’t need to know.

What Should a Document Contain

There’s no single standard form or template.

The summary compiled in an arbitrary form and usually contains the following data:

  • name – surname;
  • date of birth;
  • contact phones, e-mail, skype.
  • purpose for the desired position, what kind of job you are looking for.
  • data about education.
  • work experience (in reverse chronological order, that is, starting from the last place of work).
  • additional education – courses, seminars, internships, etc.
  • additional skills (computer skills, a degree in foreign languages, driver’s license, typescript, etc.).

The advantages (the job seeker can indicate several personality traits that distinguish you from others as well as help you achieve the desired results in your work at the end of the resume).

TOP 10 Tips to Write the Best Resume Ever 

Tip #1: Write In A Simple And Clear Way

Keep in mind to:

  • Write about the benefits;
  • Do not go too far into the description of your experience. Each of your words should clearly describe what benefits the management will receive by hiring you.

Write about skills and experience, do not state it abstractly:

Example No. 1

I can make sales by phone. I know how to attract new customers. I have been practicing ‘cold calls’ for three years.

Examples No. 2

For a year of work in the previous place, every month, I was one of the three leaders in sales. In total, I sold ballpoint pens for 40 million dollars.

Example No. 3

In a month, I managed to sign a contract with three clients who did not even agree to come to our company for several years.

Tip #2: Avoid Grammar Mistakes

Often, applicants download template resumes from the Internet. Then customize them a bit for themselves and, in this form, send them to potential employers. This is really unprofessional. Recruiters recognize such texts a mile away, and they do not please them.

It also causes irritation if the resume is overloaded with formalisms, complicated turns, and clericalism. Write short and accurate sentences. Avoid professional jargon, abbreviations only you understand.

Do not spread your thoughts too much. The 1-page resume stays the gold standard. Read your background after striking out unnecessary phrases, remove all spelling and punctuation errors. This also applies to:

  • Exclamation marks;
  • Ellipsis;
  • Emoticons.

A fresh look at the text never hurts. Make sure to ask someone to read your CV so that not a single mistake, typo, inaccuracy does not take root in it.

Tip #3: Choosing the Perfect Font

If anyone decides to use some unique font for a CV, one can definitely stand out among the leading candidates. Almost all the resumes use two main fonts, namely Arial and Times New Roman.

Nevertheless, there does not exist any universal proper font. Therefore, try to listen to the following recommendations for choosing a font:

  • Make sure that the font stays equally readable both on the computer screen and on a printed sheet of paper. It would be better if a candidate chooses a 12 font size. If one selects a smaller font, then most likely the text will seem completely unreadable or illegible.
  • If an applicant wants to highlight the headings in a larger font, he/she should make sure that each heading is formatted the same way throughout the text.
  • If you apply for a creative profession, then most likely, you will prefer a Sans-Serif font. However, for a more conservative job, a Serif font is most likely suitable, as it’s more traditional.
  • Since the font is one of the design elements, an employer will consider it. Imagine that a job seeker has never been seen and the design gives the first impression of her/him as a specialist. Thus, one needs to correctly select the font in order to make an excellent first impression.

Tip #4: Focus on Your Contact Information

If you want an HR manager to contact you as soon as possible, make sure that the contact section’s not only visually highlighted, but also placed at the top of the credentials. If you plan to send your resume in electronic form, make sure to add a link to your email directly in the resume. Also, you can include direct links to your profile on social networks so that the employer can find more information about you.

Tip #5: Indicate Only the Most Critical and Specific Information

Modern people are very often oversaturated with various information. That’s why our brains cannot spend time reading or understanding everything that we see during the day.

At the same time, HR managers simply physically cannot give each resume a proper amount of time. That’s why in order for the resume to become as effective as possible, try to put it on one page. In any case, the HR manager spends an average of about 6 seconds analyzing a CV.

Tip #6: Use Infographic Elements

Thanks to infographics, a job seeker can take the credentials to a whole new level. Such a tool very quickly allows everyone to visually demonstrate the essential things hard to explain using words. Nevertheless, keep in mind the audience. If we’re talking about a more traditional and conservative company, then an infographic summary will not always be appropriate.

Nevertheless, if you are a representative of the creative profession or when you apply for the role of an employee in a young startup, then using infographics is what you need. Thus, one can become a genuinely original candidate, and will definitely face decent attention.

Tip #7: Explore Examples in the Industry

After you look at examples of other resumes that have been compiled by specialists from your industry, it may be easier for you to imagine what your document should look like.

If you’re a bank employee, then naturally, we’re talking about the classic font and design options. Nevertheless, if your profession is web design, then, on the contrary, you should already try to make the application more colorful and impressive. Thus, you can demonstrate the skills in advance using a specific example. Therefore, it’s better to study in advance what type of design’s suitable for your credentials.

Tip #8: Make to Save a CV in a Correct Format

Often the candidates spend a considerable amount of time and effort on an application that does not bring any benefit. If you’re still wondering why your resume stays ignored and the HR manager does not call you back, then there may be a problem in the format in which you saved the document.

Therefore, experts most often recommend saving a CV in PDF format, which can be opened on almost any electronic device. If the resume’s saved in other formats, then perhaps the HR manager simply cannot even open it. And this, in turn, will cause unnecessary negativity concerning your candidacy.

Tip #9: Do Not Lie to Your Potential Employer

Lying in resumes and interviews is not appropriate. Do not deceive employers during or after hiring.

Of course, one can decorate a grounding with fictional work experience, outstanding personal qualities, or fake diplomas. But any deception will undoubtedly come up. If not at the interview, so during the trial period or directly work.

To find a job, one needs to think like a recruiter. And he/she thinks about:

  • whether the applicant’s experience meets the requirements of the vacancy;
  • whether the key phrases in the track record coincide with the description of the position.

One is interested in success stories backed by facts. Therefore, make accurate and concise information in your background, clearly understanding who you’re addressing to. Design it for a specific company, determine its needs, and think over what you can offer it.

Tip #10: Add A Cover Letter

Together with a resume, a job seeker writes a cover letter. It should not be too long, half a page is more than enough. The goal is to arouse interest in yourself, to show communicative and business qualities.

In the letter, make sure to indicate the position that the job seeker is applying for, briefly describe yourself, you can specify the source of information from which you learned about the vacancy. If you send a cover letter by email, please do not forget to attach a resume.

How to Create a Resume Online?

Composing a CV isn’t an easy task. Today candidates have an opportunity to create CVs online – it’s fast and convenient. Special services for compiling resumes online are usually called resume generators. How to create a CV online?

An online CV is a modern way to write a resume. Using step-by-step instructions or ready-made templates, a job seeker can easily create a complete resume. Various online CV generators offer either ready-made modules in which the applicant only needs to enter her/his data or certain tools for more flexible document creation.

What’s a CV Maker

Typically, an online CV is a special template in which everyone can easily edit the data. It’s enough to follow simple instructions and the finished document can be saved as a text document in .doc format, as a PDF document, you can print it or send it via e-mail. Here are some tips on how to use online CV generators.

How to Use a Resume Maker?

An online generator is very simple as well as convenient. You will just need to slightly correct the data, to supplement it. After that, a CV is available as a text or as an infographic. So, the applicant can create quality documents in a few steps.

Step 1. Select a Design

50+ original templates to choose from. With their help, you can create a document and a cover letter that will distinguish you from other candidates and will please HR managers with its structure.

Step 2. Create the required format.

Save a PDF document. You no longer have to worry about how your document appears with the employer. A PDF file looks equally good both on screen and in print. A personal resume site will allow you to share it through any channel.

Step 3. Fill in the information about yourself

Proper design allows you to structure your experience, don’t forget to highlight advantages, and interactive tips will help to avoid common mistakes. If the applicant already has a document on the job search site, you can import it in two clicks.

Step 4. Update your CV in your account

Have you completed an internship, changed your job, completed a course at Coursera or won another case-championship? No problem – at any time, go and add your reasons for pride.

Why Is It a Useful Tool?

The features of the online resume maker service are quite good and include:

  • Free service;
  • No need to sign up;
  • A large number of templates for writing resumes;
  • A job seeker can attach a photo;
  • A choice of predefined sections of the resume, as well as the possibility of renaming and customizing them;
  • Setting the order of the blocks in the document;
  • Setting the font size, the indentation on the page;
  • In the end, the user can download a CV to your computer in the format you need.

Before you start creating a resume using this service, it’s recommended that you familiarize yourself with examples of resumes, their structure. By the way, these examples were created using the online CV constructor service.

To Summarize

A grounding needs to be noticed by the employer. The document should describe professional skills, experience, personal qualities, but do not include unnecessary information in it. It’s also important to name the background correctly in order to attract the right employers.