by Mario Churchill
http://www.amazingresumecreator.com
©
2008
When creating a resume, whether you are doing it with
resume software or on a word processing template, the first thing you need to
create is a resume outline. A resume outline is simply all of the items which
you wish to highlight in your resume. A resume outline includes personal information,
employment experience, education, and accomplishments.
Creating
a resume outline is no different than creating an outline for any other document.
You will have headings and then fill in the information under the headings. The
first heading in a resume outline is the personal information, although you do
not usually put this as a heading. The name of the person applying for the job,
their contact information including their phone number and e-mail address, is
usually put at the top of the page. It can be at the left, right or center of
the page, but should be at the top. The font should be easy to read so that the
perspective employer will have no problem contacting the person for a job interview.
The next headline is objective. This can be underlined
or simply stated. This is one of the most important aspects of the resume outline
as it clearly states what position the person who is writing the resume is applying.
What do they hope to accomplish by sending this resume? This should be clearly
stated at the top of the resume outline, under the name and address of the individual.
Depending
upon experience, the next part of the resume outline should be employment experience.
This can change in the case of someone seeking an entry level job who has just
graduated from school. Strengths want to come first in a resume outline and if
the strength of the person who is applying for the job is their education, than
that should be listed first. In most cases, however, employment experience is
the strength. Employment Experience should be highlighted in bold and underlined.
Under
the employment experience in the resume outline a list of all of the places where
the employee worked that pertain to the job for which they are seeking must be
listed. The name of the company and how long they worked at the company are crucial,
as are the tasks and duties they performed. Any promotions that they received
should also be listed here. In most cases, it is helpful to bullet point all tasks
and knowledge gained in employment experience as it is easier for the prospective
employer to read.
Other employment experience should also
be listed in the resume outline. While it is not necessary to go back to high
school years of employment, all relevant employment should be listed in the resume
outline. It is usually not necessary, however, to go back more than 10 years.
It is also not necessary to list the part time jobs you held in high school unless
they pertain to the position being sought.
After the Employment
Experience part of the resume outline comes the education headline. This can also
be bolded and underlined as it is very relevant. Make sure that you put the most
recent educational experiences first. If you have a post graduate degree, it is
not necessary to put down your high school education.
Other
important aspects of the resume outline include any major accomplishments, awards
or clubs to which you belong that are relevant to the position to which you are
seeking. You should also put down any military service as well as your discharge
information.
It is not necessary to put down on a resume
why you left a certain job. This is something that will be discussed during an
interview. It is also considered taboo to put down any salary qualifications or
past salary in your resume. Some employers will ask that you state your salary
requirements in your cover letter. While this is fine to do, it is never to be
put on a resume outline.
When creating a resume outline,
remember to make certain that you include personal information, career objective,
employment experience, education, accomplishments and awards, certifications and,
if applicable, military service. While the old rule of thumb is to make a resume
one page and as short as possible, make sure that you include each of the above
in your resume outline so that all of your experience, education and accomplishments
can be properly highlighted.
