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To start, what is a resume? What is it’s purpose? A resume is a unique marketing communication opportunity to show that you belong in a specific job, career or industry. It is a living document used to showcase who you are, what you have done and what you know.

Where to start? It can be tempting to jump the gun and start typing away. It’s best to think about your content before you start designing your resume. A professional inventory makes for a good starting place if you have never created a resume. If you’ve started a resume, and especially if you’re using a template, it may be best to scrap what you have and start over by building strong content first. So, how do you make a Professional Inventory?

Once you’ve flushed out your content and before we jump into crafting the resume, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding the writing style, tone, design and syntax of a resume.

Make all your design elements absolutely parallel. This means perfect uniformity and consistency all throughout your resume. BOLD, FONT, CAPITALIZATION, UNDERLINING, ABREVIATIONS etc…
Eliminate all mistakes
Use action verbs
BE SPECIFIC! Saying that you “Organized various events with different kinds of marketing tools,” tells me nothing. Don’t be vague. Be specific.
Left-justify your body text. If you must center something, only your header.
Order your words and sentences carefully. Often, the most direct way to say something is often the best way to say it.

Break down the job description. Pull keywords and requirements.

Professional Inventory: It’s helpful to start with a job listing or description for a job that you want to apply for. Go through the job listing and highlight all qualifications and important keywords. Make to columns. Write each qualification in the left column and pair each qualification with information and facts from your own background and experiences. Be sure to use similar language and key words based on what you noted in the job listing and description.

What is wrong with this resume?

Should an entry level employee try something like this?

No! You are not Joseph, who happens to be really good at what he does.

What is wrong with this one?

Very first thing is your header! How are people going to contact you? The elements of a header are

NAME
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP
PHONE – want to ensure you have an appropriate voicemail in case they call you
EMAIL – Use a professional email. MissKitty99@hotmail.com or Bballstud1989@gmail.com are not professional. A professional email should be some derivative of your name with as few numbers as possible.

Your next section MIGHT be a professional profile section or an objective. This is completely optional. Remember, there is no one winning formula for a resume. This is just one way that you could start. If you choose to start your resume this way, briefly introduce yourself as a professional and include your professional objective and interest in a line or two.

An example would be: “Financial Analyst, dedicated and accurate, seeks entry-level opportunities in client-centered environment.”

You could also have your first section be titled Qualifications. You’d want to make a list of 3-5 bullets containing
A statement of a broad familiarity of specialized expertise within the desired job
A statement or two directly related to the minimum and preferred qualifications in the job listings. Note specific documented skills and accomplishments
Final bullet details one or more relevant professional characteristics

The next section on your resume will likely be EDUCATION, however if you have a lot of relevant work experience it may be worth putting your EDUCATION section after your work experience.

The EXPERIENCE/RELEVANT EXPERIENCE section should be the most robust section of your resume and this is where you get specific.
You always want to include the position title, company, location – city and state only, do not include the employers address. And then of course you want the dates that you were in that position, you note this with the month and year only. Then you want to include 3-5 bullets using ACTION VERB and SPECIFIC information to showcase your abilities and experiences from that position.

The HEADING, EDUCATION AND EXPEREINCE ARE REQUIRED SECTIONS, just about everything else is optional. Other sections could include: Leadership, Honors and Awards, Service, Volunteer Experience, Relevant Courses, Professional Associations/Membership…

Make sure that your employers see all information that’s relevant to the position.

The HEADING, EDUCATION AND EXPEREINCE ARE REQUIRED SECTIONS, just about everything else is optional. Other sections could include: Leadership, Honors and Awards, Service, Volunteer Experience, Relevant Courses, Professional Associations/Membership…

Make sure that your employers see all information that’s relevant to the position.

I also want to note that everything in your professional development, and career documents build on one another. You write your resume before the cover letter, so you can use it as a foundation for what you what to write. Much like your PROESSIONAL INVENTORY provided a guide to write your resume. So, how do you show your enthusiasm and what do you say in a cover letter?

Remember, much like your resume, the content at the top is taking up the most valuable real estate. If you want them to read on, you have to hook them with a strong first paragraph.

Your first paragraph should include –
Position you are seeking
Why you are writing
Note how you learned of the position
State your qualifications.

You write in short conversational sentences.

The middle paragraphs note the most significant information the employer will read on your resume relating to your education, experience, activities, skills and interests. This is where you can present additional information about your experience or personal characteristics which are not on your resume.

Remember you want to emphasize WHAT YOU OFFER to the employer related to the position you are seeking. Like your resume, your cover letter should be custom to each position you apply. Do not use a generic cover letter, you will impress no one.

You do not what to emphasize what the employer can do for you, note with you can do for them by providing specific examples that demonstrate your skills and related experiences. Highlight specialized training, skills, coursework or projects and significant accomplishments.

To close your letter, the last paragraph should summarize your qualifications and interests. Include contact information and be sure to thank the employer for consideration of your application. Be sure to include your action plan, let them know how you plan to follow up.

You round out the letter with Sincerely, and then your signature in blue or black ink, followed by your typed first and last name.