Technical Resume Writing

technical resume writing"technical resume writing"

Dos And Don'ts Of Resume Writing

1. Don't use the 'standardized' resume format produced by many of the more popular online job sites (e.g. Job Top Gun). Your resume is personal and should reflect as much as possible as to who you are. By all means use the online system format in order to take advantage of the website's job matching capabilities but make sure you attach a copy of your personalize resume to the system.

2. Don't make your resume too long. There is absolutely no reason for anyone's resume, irrespective of how many years of experience they may have, to cover more than three sides of A4 paper. Remember your resume is a bid to get you noticed and hopefully invited in for a face-to-face interview - reading a resume the length of a novel will not endear you to a prospective employer.

3. Do list your work experience in reverse chronological order. In other words your most recent job should come first in your resume. Put simply, a potential employer does not want to have to read to the bottom of a document to find out what you are doing now.

4. Don't include irrelevant information. Irrelevant information will often prevent the reader from seeing your 'selling points'. Only include elements of your experience that you feel the hiring company will be looking for in the particular job vacancy. Additionally, don't include information about your hobbies unless relevant to the role you are applying for or are an important part of your social life. For example, knowing your blood type or that you like watching movies is highly unlikely to be a reason why someone would want to interview you.

5. Do use 'spell-check' before you send out your application. Misspellings, at best, communicate poor writing skills or poor attitude, at worst, they can cause big 
misunderstandings. For example the executive who claimed he was "instrumental in ruining the entire operation". Proofread your resume and cover letter carefully and have friends or family read it as well.

6. Do provide evidence of your experience. Whilst I have highlighted brevity above, it is not sufficient to just provide a list of the companies you have worked for. You do need to provide specific examples of how you achieved success. Resume-writing professionals recommend using the PARS formula: Describe a Problem, the Action you took, the Results you achieved and Skills you applied.

7. Don't overlook the importance of presentation. Poor formatting, alignment, spacing the use of bold and caps, can make a resume difficult to read. Though there are a number of resume layouts that are effective, I recommend the following structure:

- Header (your name, address, e-mail address and phone number)
- Career summary, profiling the scope of your experience and skills
- Reverse chronological employment history emphasizing achievements
- Education (usually only University level qualifications).

8. Don't send your resume in Landscape format!

9. Do include a Career summary/Introductory statement. Most hiring managers or recruiters don't have time to match unspecified resumes to open positions, it is therefore important to lead off with a career summary or introductory statement that makes it clear what type of position you are seeking and why you are qualified for the role.

10. Don't use personal pronouns and articles. With just two or three pages to sell yourself, make each word count. Write in a telegraphic style, eliminating all personal pronouns and articles like "the," "a" and "an." Removing the "I," "me" and "my" from your resume not only frees up space, but creates a subliminal perception of objectivity.

11. Do think about the 'keyword' content of your resume. A factor regularly overlooked especially in Thailand. More and more companies and recruiters are now using applicant tracking software, your resume needs to contain the keywords and phrases the software is screening for. These words are not the verbs stressed in paper resumes, but nouns such as job titles and technical skills.

Perhaps the most important factor to remember is that the purpose of your resume is to communicate your experiences and accomplishments as they relate to an open position and to get yourself invited for the job interview. As each job vacancy is different, you should tailor your resume and cover letter to each opportunity.

 

About the Author

RSM Thailand

http://www.rsmthailand.com/publications/

How to Get a Good Job : Making a Professional Resume


technical resume writing
technical resume writing

Technical Resume Writing Tips

technical resume writing tips"technical resume writing tips"

Resume Writing Tips: How to Create a Powerful Opening Statement

Most professionals would love to land their dream job but when it comes to writing a resume that would qualify them to make the jump; they end up stuck with what to say and how to say it.

Not knowing how to create an interest-generating opening statement is a common problem and can quickly lead to job seeker discouragement before the job search even begins!

Here are 3 tips to creating a powerful opening statement that will quickly get you positive attention:

Tip #1 Do Create a Qualifications Summary

A qualifications summary should go at the very top of your resume. It does not explain what your professional objective or goal is, but it does give a clear and powerful overview of who you are and what you can do.

Why don't you want to use a professional objective? Because your resume needs to be focused on what you can do for a company versus opening with a statement that leans towards what YOU are looking for.

Tip #2 Create an Authentic Opening Statement

To maximize your focus and clarity try a simple writing trick:

Begin to write about what you are doing when you are at your very best, followed by your other key strengths and attributes.

Do not edit yourself as you freely write up to a page of information.

After a quick break, return to what you wrote and begin to highlight the key words and phrases you feel are the most powerful. Your document should be reduced to about half at this point. After another break return to your document a second time and repeat this exercise.

Now you have a powerful, authentic and compelling draft statement describing where you really shine!

Tip #3 Use Universal Language

Another common mistake professionals will make is to load their opening statement with industry jargon. Yes if you are a CIO, corporate counsel or a VP of Finance you have very specific language that you use. However your resume has to be written for multiple people in multiple departments.

In many cases your resume is being viewed (and thus must be equally compelling) to directors of human resources, division presidents and various managers.

Scan your opening statement for red flags including acronyms that are not spelled out, information on specific companies, too much detailed technical information and sentences that are only decipherable to people intimately associated with what you do.

These key tips will help you to easily create an authentic statement about who you are when you are at your career best, and command the attention of the companies that are looking for someone....just like you!

About the Author

Would you like to learn how to quickly and easily get more interviews, shorten your job search and increase your salary? Check out my website: http://www.maryelizabethbradford.com/resume.php , for free articles, free resources and to sign up for my free audio mini-seminar "5 Simple Steps To Find, Focus On and WIN Your Dream Job - Starting Today!" Nationally Certified Advanced Resume Writer Mary Elizabeth Bradford is "The Career Artisan."

How to Get a Job : Creative Resume Writing


technical resume writing tips
technical resume writing tips