Someone recently told me that there were companies out there that charge upwards of $600 to prepare your resume!!!! That’s right up to $600 big ones per resume. Now that is crazy! Although I think these are excellent services, I would never pay that much to have someone assist me with my resume.
If using a service to prepare your resume you should be looking at the $150-$300 price range.
If you’re having your resume professionally done, make sure you do your research on the company. Take a look at the customer comments and reviews, and make sure they deliver on what they promise.
If you’re simply not interested in using a service, don’t have the money or there aren’t any good ones where you live, let me help you out for free. Here are a few of my helpful hints and tips for resume writing:
1. Make sure that your contact information is up to date on your resume. This includes name, phone number, address and email. If your email address is something along the lines of:
• SexyChick123@; or
• MrSexyCock @
Change it immediately. No employer will think that’s cute, witty or remotely funny. It’s completely unprofessional, even if you’re applying for a job at McDonald’s.
2. Make sure that your resume is clear and well organized. You don’t want to make a potential employer guess what you did, where and for how long.
The Functional style resume is one style of resume I hate. This style contains categories, underneath each category there’s a list of tasks, responsibilities, abilities and attributes. Finally at the very end of the resume you’ll find the employment history.
Doing recruitment myself, it’s extremely hard to tell for which employer you performed which tasks and for how long.
One resume style that I personally like is the Chronological style it follows this format:
Career Profile or Skills Profile
This section highlights some key areas of responsibility, skills and experience relevant to the job in which you applied.
Employment History
List your employment history from most recent to oldest. Under each employer, list key tasks and responsibilities that are again relevant to the job in which you applied.
Don’t get carried away listing every job/position you have ever held. This could make for a very lengthy resume. Be selective on what you list and if you list an employer that has no relevance to the position in which you applied for, simply don’t list any duties underneath.
Academic Background
This is where you’ll list any degrees or certifications you may have. Keep in mind this section is for professional certifications from a recognized educational institution.
Professional Development
Here you can speak to any courses, workshops, training, etc.…that you have received through a previous employer or taken on your own.
Accomplishments (Optional)
This is an optional section that you can add if you want to highlight specific accomplishments relevant to the position you’re applying for. These could be accomplishments in sales, developing a policy, or implementing something within a company.
I prefer this format because it takes the guesswork out of what you’ve done and what your experience is. Your skills, abilities and experience are clearly laid out to the reader.
3. Your resume should be no more then 2 pages. If it’s too long a potential employer won’t read it. Most resumes are skimmed, employers/recruiters are looking for key phrases or words, and they won’t sift through 6 pages.
4. Be Honest and never overstate your skills, abilities and experience.
5. Taylor your resume to the job you’re applying for.
6. Avoid using abbreviations, acronyms or company specific language in your resume.
7. Always submit a cover letter with your resume. I noted earlier that some companies will not read resumes in full they will skim them. The cover letter should be no more then a page, and it should highlight your relevant skills and experience for the job your applying for.
8. Use a legible font. Some fonts are hard on the eyes and not easy to read. I prefer to use Arial, and the size should be no smaller then 10.
A key message in my tips was to keep your resume relevant! Don’t overload it with information that has no bearing on the job your applying for.
There are many different styles out there to choose from, play around with it. You want something that will stand out, but that’s no overly busy or tacky.
Good Luck!
