How to Create a Good Resume Before Applying for a Job?

Learn How to Write a Good Resume for your first Job Application?

Students after completing their college studies have to search for jobs. Writing a Job Resume is the first step in getting a job. Here in this article, we will be going to learn about how to write a good resume?

Before writing a resume, first, learn exactly what does is important for your resume and mention only the necessary stuff.

Your resume is the summary of your education, experience, and the skill you possess that helps to get a job.

The employer or recruiter or interviewer will however first evaluate your job resume template before calling you for an interview.

They will match your resume with their job openings to evaluate whether you are the right fit for their campus.

In the last article, I wrote about Resume Writing Tips which may be helpful for you now to get more in-depth knowledge.

How Can You Make the Best Job Resume?

You should create a professional resume to apply for a job else your application will get tossed in the trash right away.

An unprofessional job resume layout – one that looks ugly, difficult to read, not formatted, covered in errors, or unrelated to the job – won’t get another chance.

Since we are living in a competitive world, nearly hundreds of job applications are pouring out for a single job profile.

Hence, it becomes necessary to write and submit a professional resume which is highly related to the job applying for.

A clear, concise, and consistent resume will be the effective ones that are easy to read and increase the chances of getting a job.

There are some important tips that I wrote here to teach you about how to write a professional resume.

i. Resume Type: I have already discussed the different resume types in the previous article.

Depending on the personal circumstances, choose the right job resume format – Chronological, functional, or combination.

ii. Be Consistent: Format your resume in a proper way that should not annoy the interviewer or recruiter.

For example, if you use circle bullet points to describe your responsibilities and achievements in one section, be sure to use the same circle bullet points at all sections as well.

Be consistent in using font type, font size, and style throughout the resume template.

iii. Make it Legible: Since your resume is your summary that helps the interviewer to decide your selection, make him/her feel comfortable when reading.

Write your resume which should be easier to read and absorb your work history. Use legible fonts, colors, and emphasize text.

iv. Focus your Context: It’s very important to keep on focusing your the skills and qualifications that deserve your get that job.

Do not mention any extraneous information unless it’s necessary. Also, complete your resume template in one or two pages.

v. Use Job Resume Templates and Examples: Writing a resume could be a difficult task, hence I recommend you use a resume example or templates.

This can help you get some ideas on what information to be included and whatnot, finally, help create a perfect resume format.

After all, you should proofread your completed resume either by yourself or seek assistance from any professional resume writing services.

It is hard to write a resume and therefore it is very necessary to go through once again to fix spelling and grammar.

What is Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a one-page document that is attached to the resume when applying for a job.

• This letter is written to summarize a few important highlights about yourself before reading your resume.
• You can write a small introduction about yourself, and mention why you’d be a good fit for this job?
• A cover letter is neither necessary nor an option, but it gets your resume to the employer one step ahead of other resumes.

Do not write very long essays in the cover letter. Keep it simple one page long and divided into three to four paragraphs.

Include the reason why you apply for this job? How did you hear about the position? Write your attention-grabbing professional summary.

Job Resume Layout: How to Choose the Best One?

A Good Resume can help you get an interview but a great resume can get you a job.

So, what do you prefer?

Of course, if asked me, I would choose – A great resume.

A great resume is not just content which includes your skills, achievements, and accomplishments you got.

It is something that goes beyond the content – something is the Resume Layout (presentation).

It is very important to have all the right things at the right place, which is easy to read by others especially hiring managers or recruiters.

A great resume layout tells only what the recruiter or interviewer wants, and impresses them.

Your content should be attractive to grab attention.

Let us discuss some important tips to design the best job resume layout that attracts and impresses the interviewer or hiring manager.

This part actually consists of three main sections – resume format, resume layout, different sections, and text formatting.

1. Resume Format

We have already discussed the different resume formats – chronological, functional, and combination.

So, the first step now is to select the right format based on the job you are going to apply for now.

Sales Manager 2016 – Present,

Best Marketing Company, TamilNadu, India

Responsibilities:

Have to monitor and manage south zone sales.

1.3. Combination format

The last option – a combination of both formats – is suitable for the person who deserves a change in his/her industry and the job.

The combination resume format allows you to list your complete work history in reverse-chronological order, but emphasize your skills.

2. Length of the Resume Layout

Some experts would say to write a resume precisely within one page mentioning only necessary stuff.

But it does not fit all job applications and hence you should come up with the right decision of choosing the best length.

If you have very little or no experience, but only have chances to emphasize your skills, and then the one-page resume is enough.

Write a resume that will hook every recruiter and land you on the interview? Hence, write a clear and concise single-page resume.

3. Different Sections

Generally, every job resume has five sections:

3.1. Contact Information

3.2. Experience

3.3. Education

3.4. Skills

3.5. Awards and Accomplishments

3.1. Contact Information

Contact information is the most vital part of the resume and it is, therefore, necessary to mention a clear communication address there.

It occupies the first position with first name, last name, doors no., street address, contact number, and an email address.

Use professionally-looking email addresses rather than fancy ones because a resume portrays your impression to the recruiter.

After mentioning the contact information, write your career objective or professional summary where the hiring manager will focus.

It is therefore recommended to write your professional summary which hooks more attraction towards your resume.

Write the summary in a brief with 2 – 3 lines including introduction and professional experience.

The section part of the job resume consists of your education or experience section.

3.2. Experience

Similarly, if you have some previous job experience, then mention your work history with the most recent job at first.

List the name of your company, your title or designation or your role, job location, salary, and the dates of your employment.

Mention all your previous job experience in reverse-chronological order so that the interviewer can understand you better.

If possible, list the responsibilities and achievements you have made in your job role.

Numbers catch the eye of the recruiter and hence if your previous designation permits, list some quantifiable achievements as well.

3.3. Education

If you are a fresher jobs seeker, then probably you can mention only your educational qualifications.

While doing so, mention your highest degree with the dates at first and then write in reverse chronological order.

It is not very important to mention your schoolings as it is understood if you mentioned your college education.

List all your skills, knowledge, awards and other accomplishments to add more value to the resume you submitted.

Since you don’t have any previous job experience, your skills and knowledge will speak so that interviewer can get you for the interview.

3.4. Skills

The fourth section of the resume is the skills section which consists of all your special skills and talents you have.

The skills section helps the interviewer or recruiter to see and judge almost instantly whether you are qualified to do the job.

If you do have any special advanced software skills and if you completed any certified course, be sure to mention them in this section.

You can include various skills such as technology skills, programming skills, business skills, hard skills, and management skills, etc.

All these categories may improve the quality of your resume which will attract the interviewer to land you on the interview.

3.5. Awards and Accomplishments

The final part of the resume holds the list of different awards, honors, and other accomplishments you have received so far.

These accomplishments may be what you got during your academic studies or in your profession or whatsoever may be.

If there are any necessary arises be sure to list all these accomplishments with your resume.

It may differ depending on the job and the company you are applying for.

It’s not over yet, because since you should accommodate all the possible elements in one or two pages, you should learn furthermore.

There are some other additional sections that you can consider adding to your job resume layout.

They are:

• Hobbies and Interests,
• Publications,
• Conferences,
• Languages know (other than mother-tongue),
• Licenses and certifications etc.

4. Text Formatting

There are different ways you can start writing a resume to apply for a job.

1.) If you are using Microsoft Word resume layout margins should be at least one inch for a clear look.

2.) But if you are using an online resume builder or downloaded any resume template, then everything will be in place.
All you need is to replace the existing content with your original information.

3.) The clean and attractive look of a resume is achieved by balancing the white space, the text, and the margin.

4.) Use bullet points to break lengthy paragraphs and also for listing achievements, awards, responsibilities, and accomplishments.

5.) Use standard Sand Serif or Serif font in your resume and maintain the font size to be 10 – 12 points.
Be consistent in keeping all these suggestions throughout the layout for ideal readability.

6.) You can emphasize certain text elements on your resume layout by using bold, caps, or italics.
Do not overuse as it will create annoyance while reading.

Job Resume Template

So far we have discussed the various elements that are required to be added to the resume.

But do you know there are several online resume builders and ready-made resume templates available on the Internet?

There are many different types of resume templates available based on employer requirements.

They are:

Students Resume: The name itself implies the purpose of the resume.

Infographic Resume: Suitable for applying for jobs in the Information Technology Industry.

Simple Resume: Suitable for applying to service professions such as police, lawyers, teachers, etc.

Basic Resume: Suitable for applying for engineering jobs.

Professional Resume: Suitable for corporate jobs.

There are so many different types of job resumes available based on the job and the classified industries.

It’s your sole responsibility to choose the right resume for applying for the job and to get selected for an interview.

If you find anything difficult in writing a resume on your own or by using any templates, you can try an online job resume maker.

There are so many websites which are having their own software used to create a professional resume for various people.

You can give it a try for your first resume.

Conclusion

It’s not an easy task to create a good job resume by a newbie or a first-time writer.

In this competitive world, as I said already, there are thousands of candidates apply for a single job.

In them, not all the resume holders land for the interview and only some of them will be selected who follow the above advice.

The interviewer or recruiter is always wanted to select the right candidate with the right skills to work for the job.

It doesn’t matter you truly have skills and experience for the job, but before everything, your resume will speak to the hiring manager.

Therefore, a job resume is an important element to get you the job.

Thanks for stopping by for reading this article. If I missed anything or you think something to be added for more value, feel free to discuss in the comment section.