A Good Resume is Your Key to Success!

Your resume is like an extended business card – it’s your way to sell yourself as the best possible candidate so that prospective employers want to meet you. A strong resume will get you the interview. We’ll walk you through the typical sections of a resume, and offer advice on what kind of content to use.

Objective:

If you include an objective it should come first, under your name and contact information. It typically states your intent in submitting this resume, and in applying for that job, starting with “To…”. It should be simple, specific, and brief – no more than two sentences. It should highlight what you have to offer that specific company. Just as you have several versions of your resume, you should modify your objective to suit the position or company for which you apply. A recruiter is interested in what you can do for the company, not what you want to get out of working there.

Here’s an example of an effective objective:

To obtain an entry-level account management position in financial services, utilizing my strong analytical and interpersonal skills.

Summarizing Your Skills:

Not 100 percent sure what job you want? You may find a summary statement more effective than an objective. While an objective focuses on the job, a summary statement focuses on the job seeker. A summary statement is a one- to two-sentence overview that captures the essence of your skills and experience. It highlights what makes you a qualified candidate as well as what makes you different (and better) than other applicants. Tailor your summary statement to highlight the experience that is most relevant to the job.

Here’s an example of a strong summary statement:

Public relations professional with five years of experience managing PR campaigns across multiple media, working with national and local press, and coordinating large-scale events.

Highlighting Your Achievements:

Sometimes a job objective is too targeted, but a summary statement is too short to highlight all of your accomplishments. If that’s the case, you have another option: a summary of qualifications.

A summary of qualifications is similar to a summary statement, but differs in two key ways:

• It’s formatted as a list of items rather than a single statement, and
• It highlights specific accomplishments rather than general achievements.

This option is most useful for job seekers who have a long work history or who are applying for senior positions. It’s an effective way to highlight the most important, relevant parts of a long, detailed resume. This section can have different headings, like “Key Accomplishments” or “Career Highlights.” It should be placed at the top like the objective or summary statement, under your contact information. A summary of qualifications is a list of your most significant career accomplishments. For maximum effectiveness, the list should include no more than five items in short form, and be results-oriented. You can use a bulleted list, with each qualification on its own line, or you can arrange them in paragraph format.

Here’s an example of an effective summary of qualifications:

• Accomplished pharmaceutical sales manager/executive with nine years sales experience and advanced degree in biology. Consistently surpassed annual revenue goals by 18 %+.
• Named 2005 “Salesperson on the Year.” Managed regional sales staff of 40.