Resume for a job

Resume for a job

While one page resumes are surely nice to see, they are not always a rule. Once you’ve had one or two jobs, coupled with your credentials, education, professional affiliations, and so on, you’re easily on two pages. This is perfectly acceptable and very much the norm.

While you succeed in cramming more content in less space, you’re compromising on the readability of your resume and overloading the reader with too much information. If you have trouble reading your own resume, recruiters too will. A 12 – point type size and a one-inch margin all around is the norm. For extra space, you can slightly reduce the top and bottom margins or reduce the volume of information but never reduce type size or font.

Just about any resume even one used with success before can benefit from careful scrutiny and periodic revision. Your resume mirrors your career graph and should evolve as you do. In addition to acquiring new skills, experiences, and accomplishments, you may have shifted in your professional focus or interests. Perhaps you have gained insights into what employers are really looking for in your line of work.

Above all, your resume should be revised so that it is tailored to the employer who will receive it. Even if you have little to add in the way of content, you can always improve your resume by refocusing it on the specifics of the position you are seeking, and by strengthening its wording and overall appearance.

Objectives are fast becoming a thing of the past. Why? Because everyone’s objective says almost the same thing: "Looking for a position where I can use all my skills and experience in a challenging environment with opportunities for advancement where I can deliver high quality work"?. The sentence is vague and meaningless. And even if you provide specifics, you will need to modify your resume every time you look for another type of job. Mention your particular interests in your cover letter instead.

This is another interesting item that many of us seem to be attached to. In truth, if prospective employers want references, they will ask. Usually, it is understood that you will have references, which you will provide if asked. Eliminate it as a way to un-clutter your resume.

Don’t let misconceptions come in between your resume and your next important job opportunity. Much of resume writing style is based on hearsay rather than expert advice.