Writing A Winning Job Resume

Your job resume will be the first part of you that a prospective employer will ever see. With the economy and unemployment being what they are these days, you will find yourself competing against plenty of applicants when searching for a job. Because of this, it is important that you understand how to make your job resume stand out. It might seem like there is nothing you can do on a job resume but list your previous jobs and hope for the best. But you will be limiting yourself if you take this approach these days. Instead, you should write a resume that causes a prospective employer to feel like they have to call you; you can do this by learning to make your resume stand out.

One of the most important elements of your resume is its design. Considering the prospective employer's perspective will help you understand why this is an important place to begin when writing your resume. The person reading your resume has likely been at their desk for hours, poring over a huge pile of resumes. According to studies, each resume gets about 15-20 seconds of attention the first time through the pile. If your resume is designed with big, blockish paragraphs, this will be uninviting to tired eyes. Instead, design your resume with clear headings and lots of white space on the paper. When tired eyes come across such a resume, it will seem like an inviting escape; you might even get them to spend more than 15-20 seconds on their first glance!

The next step for setting you apart from other applicants is the section where you list your accomplishments and qualifications. Dig deep, and uncover things that you might not have thought of immediately; never fabricate this section, but certainly take your time to remember as much as you can. If anything seems as though it might be useful to them in making a decision (especially a decision that will lead them closer to you), include it!

Finally, your list of qualifications will be among the most important selling points of your resume. Use this section to set yourself high above your competition - those faceless others who might be applying. Think of this section as an advertisement, where you tell the prospective employer all the reasons why they should "buy" you.

Although searching for a job can be frightening in these uncertain times, knowing the steps to a winning resume can make it a whole lot easier.