RESUME BUILDING

Remember that the Recruitment office and the Human Resources dept. receive hundreds of resumes every week. How do you make sure your resume gets a longer look? Do you need to write a life story? Do you need to print it colored? Would using scented paper make a difference? Will a ten-page resume show you’re the right choice?

Your resume should contain:
Job objective. Specify the kind of work you are looking for. Be specific and straightforward.
Skills. For fresh graduates, you may include on-the-job experience or big projects you were part of in school. If you are looking for a new job, include your present and previous employers, address, dates of employment, your job title, and your duties. It would be helpful to mention your acquired skills and significant accomplishments.
Education. List down your educational attainment, including the name of school and year graduated. Include any awards received to add to your credentials.
Trainings. Whether you’re a fresh grad or a practicing professional, it would be helpful to list down the trainings you have previously attended. These will increase your credibility.
References. Have three people in mind who will serve as good references - a professor, a colleague, a former boss. Keep in mind that your references should be able to establish your credibility and credentials, so make sure that your references know you well.

Some useful tips:
Choose a resume format that best suits you. A chronological resume lists your job history with the most recent position listed first. A functional resume categorizes your job experience into sections focusing on skill and accomplishment.
Be brief and concise. Your resume should summarize your accomplishments. It is not an autobiography so make sure you only include the relevant information.
Proofread. Read, read, read your resume. Double check dates, facts, grammar, punctuation marks, among others. Ask a professor or a colleague to take a look at your resume.
Beautify. Your resume must be inviting. Use classic but elegant fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or Helvetica, at least 10 pts in size. Use section headings. Print on clean, white paper.

Your resume is the first step in a job application. Given this, you need to invest time and energy not just on the content, but also on its design.