Tips

Resume provides a guide summary of background and qualifications. Employers scan resume to determine whether you should be seen.

Young people entering the job market should be able to present their qualifications on one page.

Many job-hunters have resumes prepared in a soft copy master in word processing or a hard copy for photocopy reproduction to save re-typing and time and costs. Once the master is prepared, it is simply a matter of altering speeds or other variables in soft copy or cut and pasting on a hard copy master whenever necessary.

You should ensure that your resume

• is printed on a good quality, clean white paper, usually A4 size.
• is easy to read with plenty of white space separation between the parts of the resume.
• is well signposted with section headings.
• is creatively designed but not in an ornate style. Artistic layout and clear organization should attract the reader and permit the person to ascertain quickly the location of vital information.
• is paginated so that each section is complete on one page, taking new pages for different sections.
• outline your education achievements and highlight your professional and personal achievements which will demonstrate your apparent leadership skills.
• emphasize your skills and areas of special expertise.
• list your work experience and achievements you have had chronologically.
• always mention the most recent experience first
• list any previous experience, using action words to describe particular achievements.
• include a description of what you are looking for in a career.
• include at least one or two references. Some employers require two references. If you have had previous employment, ask the employer for a reference.