How-to Thursday: How to Design a Resume

How to Design a Resume

Introduction

At the young age of 33, I have been writing my own resume since I was 16 and held my first job. I have had to change it over time. Colleges required a different kind of resume that included clubs I was in, awards, etc. With each jo, I add old jobs and make changes I think will be in my best interest to help me get hired with whoever it is I’m hopefully interviewing with.

Start at the Top

At the top of the resume, you should list your name and contact information. Do not include your social media accounts. If your employer is interested about your social media presence, then they will ask about it. Under your contact information, it's a good idea to write a Career Interest or Objective. There is some chatter among resume writers that this part is unnecessary, but I find that it gives the employers or interviewers an exact idea of what you had in mind or little summary of yourself.

Some sample career interest statements or objectives are:

• Recent college graduate seeking full-time employment in a public school
• Highly motivated Restaurant Server trained in management seeking to join The Melting Pot Management Team
• Creative High Schooler with experience using Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop seeking part-time employment with flexible schedule 

After the career interest statement or objective comes a good place to put your education in. If you're still in high school or recently graduated, list the school name and High School Diploma. If you hold any certifications, Education is a good place to list them.

The Body/Middle of the Resume

Here is where we list the many (or not so many) jobs you have had. The format I have used (pictured below) has worked well for me over the years. I list in bold what my title was, italics for the company or employer, and regular text for location and dates worked. Then I try to give a brief description of the tasks I have done in this job. I try to narrow the field to the most important tasks. I try not to list more than 2-4 job tasks, especially now that my resume has 13 jobs listed on it.

Only recently have I added my technical skills and languages known. Mostly, I feel like these can let employers know even more about me than what the jobs list for. I only added Social Media for those jobs asking about social media experience. Otherwise, I leave that off it altogether.

Whatever you do, do NOT leave any jobs you have held off the list. The job application will already be asking you about your work history. You want them to match. Now, some applications will only ask about the last three jobs or the work history for the last five years. That’s fine. Your resume should still contain all the jobs you have worked.  You never know what will catch an employer’s eye. Better to be safe than sorry.

The Finale

At the end of the resume, you should list your references. The general rule is list two or three people who can be good references for you. These people could be co-workers, supervisors, or even your high school or college teachers. List them with their name, title, and a good phone number & email they can be reached at. You don’t have to add this, but I’ve made note on my references for how long I have known them or worked with that person.

I hope these tips help you with writing your resume.