The purpose of the resume is to provide a snapshot of your background that makes the reader want to know more. It should be no more that two pages and have a chronological format, starting with most recent employment.

Most resumes are glanced, not read, so you only have about 10 seconds to get the reader's attention. Because many hiring officials will not read the entire resume, it is important to use a format that is easy to read. Use generous spacing, indentation, bullets, bold type and capital letters for easy flow and readability.

A good resume will start with an objective summary statement, followed by a chronological history of jobs, listing the current, or most recent job first. Include a brief one-to-two sentence description of the company, an overall statement of your role/position and how you fit into the organizational structure, then a bulletized list of accomplishments.

Early career experience should be briefly summarized; if you had numerous positions with one company you can list the positions and combine the experience into a couple bullets but more recent experience must be detailed, with the most recent having the largest description.

The last part of your resume should contain education, associations and other professional affiliations and accomplishments.

If you need professional help with your resume, call us for referrals and recommendations.