How to Write an Impressive Resume

Your resume is a unique marketing communication item. A great resume will let prospective employers know exactly how you will benefit their organization. It convinces an employer that you have what it takes to succeed in this new position or career.

One mistake that many people make when writing a resume is simply just listing their past work history or use it as a personal statement. Although most of the content of a resume highlights your work experience, the true intention of a resume is to create interest and convince an employer to contact you for an interview.
Research has shown that your resume is usually scanned rather than read thoroughly. This means that hiring managers make a decision to request an interview based on their first impression of your resume. Your resume has to catch their interest immediately. Think of your resume as an advertisement which is created to get the reader to respond.

To write a compelling resume that will result in more interviews, you need to write powerful and interesting advertising copy. You need to sell yourself, your experiences, your skills and abilities. This does not mean making false claims and stating things that are not true. You need to be honest about what makes you unique and how you can benefit an organization. Below are some things to consider when writing the different sections of your resume.

Your Objective
Although not required, the objective section of a resume should be straight to the point. Since your resume only has a few minutes to get noticed you need to generate interest right away. Here you can state the position that you are applying for and the qualities and abilities you have which will make you stand out. You can also combine your objective statement with the summary section.

Summary
This section is also known as the "Summary of Qualifications" section and contains several statements that focus attention on your most important achievements, abilities and qualities. This section needs to influence the reader to hire you as it may be the only section that is completely read by the employer. You can include characteristics like problem solver, exceptional interpersonal skills, able to work in a fast paced environment, etc.

Education
List all items in reverse chronological order (starting with most recent first). Begin with your degrees and licenses followed by certificates or continuing education. You don't need to include any details about your college except any awards that you may have received. If you have limited work experience you may want to highlight your grade point average and your residency program or clinical rotations. Other headings for this section include "Education and Licensing" and "Education and Training".

Experience
You also need to list your experience in reverse chronological order and focus on the most recent and relevant work experience. Include the names of your employers, location of the job, your job title and dates of employment. If you listed your skills and abilities in the Summary and Objective sections of your resume, you need to explain how you have used them effectively in each job. Identify the contribution you made rather than only stating a list of duties that you performed. Mention any achievements in your past jobs and concrete results. Begin your sentences with action verbs for example: "Supervised trainees in unit by continually evaluating their performance and providing feedback where necessary."

Awards
You can list awards you have received outside of school. List what you received the award for if you are able to for example: "outstanding performance", "leadership excellence". Any awards that were received through the college you attended need to be included in the education section.

Professional Affiliations
You should include only current and relevant affiliations such as industry associations and community organizations related to your field.

Publications
If you have written articles in any journals or other media outlets you should include them only if they were published. Also, summarize your list if you have written for many publications.

An impressive resume will put you at the top of the list of people employers are interested in contacting for an interview. It allows you to pass an employer's screening process and establishes you as a professional with high standards and excellent communication skills. Writing a resume allows you to clarify your career direction, abilities, qualifications, strengths and can motivate you to start your job search or make a career change.

Written by: Everest Leadership Group

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