Top 5 Resume Dos and Donts -

Top 5 Resume Dos and Donts - There is a lot to consider when writing your resume. You dont want to miss an opportunity for an interview by offering a less than stellar result.   In her blog, Hire Someone to Write Your Resume, career advice blogger and author Penelope Trunk refers to a resume as a complicated sales document and also a piece of direct mail.  That said, here are my top 5 Resume Dos and Donts DO Remember that your resume is a marketing piece, not a laundry list. Sell yourself; dont just list what youve done. Focus on transferable skills and quantifiable  accomplishments. Determine the employers key words and incorporate them. Include soft skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence. Use strong, active language that helps the reader picture you working for them. Design your resume to be easy to read and scan both with software and the eye. Remember that the typical first read allows a 10-second glance. (Some say 7 seconds is all you get!) Make it count by using white space, bullet points and bold, appealing design elements. Ensure that your resume is error free. Target your resume to the employer. Do NOT zap your generic resume to 100 different online job postings. If you do not personalize your resume to include key words, you may be wasting your time sending it at all. Be precise. Although the one-page rule no longer applies for all employers, it is important to narrow your information to include the most important material. (Typically, two pages are plenty.) Employers do not want to wade through a lot of extraneous information. DONT Use I, me or my in your resume. The first-person is implied. Dont use the phrase responsibilities included or responsible for. These are passive ways to structure your information. Dont use an objective. Your objective is to get the job, so you are wasting space in the very important real estate of your resume the top! Attract readers with a targeted Accomplishments, Highlights, or similarly named section. Dont list References upon request. This is assumed. Dont include ANY personal information such as age, gender, religion, marital status, social security number, weight, etc. In the U.S., do not include a picture on your resume.   All of this information is inappropriate and will make you seem dated and unaware of correct resume etiquette. Dont rely on standard resume templates, especially from your word processing program. Dont copy text from sample resumes posted on the web. You are unique; your resume should be distinctive. Dont ever lie on a resume. Present the best possible image consistent with the truth. I will design and write a resume that captures your skills and accomplishments and sells your skills!