20 years ago, job competition was not like it is today. Job board sites have made applying for jobs incredibly easy, which means more people apply for each job. In fact, it is not unusual for job postings to get hundreds or thousands of applications. The result? Your competition is much higher.

8 Secrets You Should Know

 Now more than ever, it is crucial to have a resume that sets                          you ahead of the pack. 

RESUME PARTS

Although resumes are composed using standard elements, there is no prescribed format that works equally well for everyone. Sections that do not relate to your objective or career field of interest may be de-emphasized or even omitted. Titles of sections can also be modified to describe the information presented more accurately.

HEADING Include name, permanent and local addresses, e-mail address, and phone number. If using two addresses, indicate dates you can be reached at each.

OBJECTIVE Opinions differ widely among employers and career professionals on the value of including a career objective. In general, an objective on your resume can be helpful if it concisely describes your immediate employment goal, but it is not an essential component of a successful resume. You may prefer to incorporate an objective in a job-search letter instead, especially if you want to be considered for a range of positions.

An objective should convey specific information about what you are seeking, but those that are too narrow can limit your options. If you decide to include an objective, specify the type of position you are seeking. If you find it difficult to write a definitive statement of your objective, describe the skills you want to use or the functions you want to perform. If you have more than one career interest, prepare several resumes, tailoring them to different objectives. The following are three examples of effective objectives:

• A position in financial services using well-developed research, analytical, and quantitative skills.
• A research position in health care combining interests in policy and medicine.
• A position as a process engineer in the chemical industry.

A second approach is a summary of qualifications describing your skills and experience in relation to your career interest. Qualification summaries are less widely used than objectives but offer the opportunity to highlight your most important assets at the top of your resume. If your career interest is in working as a legislative aide, for example, you could summarize your most important accomplishments and skills in this way:

• Researched and wrote detailed reports in a city government position.
• Addressed student concerns as elected Student Assembly representative.
• Wrote honors thesis on the relationship between state and federal government and the trend towards devolution.

EDUCATION List institutions attended and locations, including study abroad experience; degrees and dates received; major and concentration; and honors thesis title, if applicable. Include your GPA if it is at least 3.0; you may want to add your major GPA if it is considerably higher. [Note: Guidelines for science and technical fields may vary. Check with your college career office.] If you attended another college before coming to Cornell, include it only if you make reference to it elsewhere in your resume or cover letter. Don't include your high school unless it is nationally recognized or in an area where you want to work.

HONORS AND AWARDS Dean's List, honor societies, and academic awards can be listed in a separate section if you have more than one or two entries; if not, incorporate them in the education section. Only include scholarships that are based on merit.

RELEVANT COURSES List courses that are pertinent to your objective and employers' needs, particularly if your major does not directly relate to your employment goal. For example, if you are English major seeking work as a computer programmer, relevant courses will be computer-related.

EXPERIENCE This includes diverse experiences, both paid and unpaid:

• Part-time work
• Full-time work
• Summer jobs
• Co-op experience
• Internships
• Volunteer experience
• Extracurricular activities

Include the position you held, name of the organization, city, and state of its location, and month and year of your involvement. Summarize what you accomplished in each experience and prioritize these results-oriented descriptions to support your job objective. Don't include every experience you have had, only those that demonstrate that you can succeed in the position you are pursuing. Use brief phrases beginning with action verbs, incorporating statistics, percentages, and numbers where possible:

• Reorganized inventory procedures, shortening the process from 3 days to 2 days.
• Designed and implemented a marketing strategy that increased sales by 25%.
• Trained and coordinated activities of 33 volunteers, whose efforts resulted in raising $5,000.

SKILLS List computer languages and programs, knowledge of foreign languages, laboratory and research skills, analytical skills, and management skills not mentioned elsewhere.

ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS In order of their importance, list student organizations, professional associations, committees, and community involvement, indicating offices held. Include high school activities only if directly relevant to your objective. After activities, list interests such as music, sports, and the arts, especially if they pertain to your career interest. You may want to avoid including religious activities or those representing extreme political views.

REFERENCES This section is optional. If included, say "available upon request."

I'm going to teach you how to write a resume from scratch using templates. In this resume writing video, you will learn how to write your own resume and avoid the high cost of a resume writer. I have some sample resume templates you can download for free that will help you with the process, but don't just copy the template. You can also download my resume writing worksheet to help you prepare all of the information you will need to write your resume. I'll give you a step by step approach to writing your resume using sample resume templates you can download from my personal Google drive. Writing a resume with example templates is very easy when you have someone show you how to do it.

See resume template download links below:

There are 5 easy steps I’m going to walk you through to writing your resume with templates.

STEP 1 – Resume Heading

STEP 2 – Objective statement

STEP 3 – Skills Summary

STEP 4 – Work Experience

STEP 5 – Education & Professional Training

The first thing you want to do when writing your resume from scratch is to create an inventory of everything you have done in your career.

This could be work experience, places you’ve worked, college, education, research, skills, accomplishments, references, training, seminars, published works, inventions, association memberships, honors, awards, volunteerism, etc., even personal hobbies. Anything and everything.

Use this resume planning worksheet as a guide to help you collect an inventory of all your skills and experiences. Avoid looking at a resume template you found on the Internet and trying to cobble all of your life’s experiences to fit.

The best way to write your resume is to take your time and write down everything I mentioned above and organize it into a resume worksheet. This way you’ll have everything all in one place and then you can systematically read through this article while transforming your worksheet into a first-class resume. And I’ll be here with you every step of the way.

DOWNLOAD the Resume Writing Worksheet

DOWNLOAD MICROSOFT WORD TEMPLATES

DOWNLOAD NEW BOOK, FIX YOUR RESUME IN 15 MINUTES by Don Georgevich Author, Speaker & Interview Coach

DOWNLOAD THE RESUME MASTERPIECE - RESUME WRITING GUIDE