Writing Your Resume:  Helpful Dos and Don’ts for Job Search Success

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Are you looking to find a job?  If you haven’t done a job search in years, you may need to write a job seekers resume.  If it has been awhile since you needed a resume for a job search, keep reading on for some free resume tips.

DO write what you need to write.  We have always been told to keep our job seekers resumes one page only.  Typically, this is a great rule, but sometimes you will find that for your job search a one-page resume isn’t enough.  Being qualified for a job is key to your job search and you shouldn’t have to eliminate or limit the qualifications you do have just to get your job seekers resume on one page.  If your resume is one page, great.  If you need more, use it.

DON’T let your job seekers resume be hard to read.  There are some different points you want to cover with this free resume tip.  For starters, the format must be reader-friendly; it must be easy to read.  A modern and “hip” format is eye-catching, but it is more a pain if your job seekers resume is difficult to read.  Also, long paragraphs and sentences can also hinder your job search because they too make a resume hard to read.  Many job seekers find success using bullet points.

DO place a lot of focus on skills or job responsibilities you have had that are transferable.  This means you want to highlight responsibilities from former jobs that can help you land this new job.  Don’t omit other responsibilities, but be sure to emphasize on the transferable ones because they show that you are a qualified job candidate.  As a reminder, this is key to having a successful job search.

DON’T list personal references on your job seekers resume.  In fact, you may not have to list any references at all on your resume.  Many job seekers choose to write “references available upon request.”  This is fine.  Moreover, if you do want a good and successful job search, ensure all your references are professional and not personal.

DO have a good flow for your job seekers resume.  There are different ways that you can compile a resume.  You can go with the functional resume and have all related jobs start at the top.  Or, you can go with the chorological resume and list your jobs starting with the most recent.  Either approach will work, but the key is to keep a good flow; stick with the resume format you choose; don’t go back and forth.

DON’T use too much fluff or too many fillers.  If you didn’t already know, this includes putting non-relevant things on your resume.  What qualifies as irrelevant?  Volunteer work from 20 years ago, hobbies you “sometimes” enjoy, extra activities from back in the high school days, and so forth.