How to Write a Winning Resume

WRITING A RESUME

Some specific topics that your resume should cover are:

1. Job Objective - lets the employer know that you are interested in a specific type of work. This can be done in 2 or 3 sentences. Example: work in an analytical chemistry laboratory that focuses on environmental samples. Oversee and coordinate the activities of other lab technicians.
   
   
2. Summary of Qualifications - is a short paragraph that summarizes your experience and skills. Example: I have 8 years experience working on all p samples for metals C. Used CLIP and SW846 methods of analytical chemistry, including work with a wide variety of laboratory instruments and computers. Was second-in-command of a lab with 8 technicians.
   
   
3. Professional Skills - is the section where you give specific details about your qualifications. Example:
   
   INSTRUMENTS OPERATED
   A. Atomic Absorption Spectrometer
   B. Microwave Digestion System
   C. Polarograph
   D. Laser Fluorimeter
   E. Mass Spectrometer
   
   ADMINISTRATION
   A. Supervised 8 technicians when the Department head was absent.
   
   ANALYSIS
   A. Waste oils for metals
   B. Water and soil for organic chemicals
   
   
4. Work Experience - in this section you give a one paragraph summary for each of your previous jobs. This should include starting and ending date, reason for leaving, job title and duties, and any special accomplishments for each of the jobs.
   
   
5. Education - gives a summary of all schools attended, degrees earned, and special seminars or training courses that you have attended.
   
   
6. Honors and Awards - it's a good idea to list any special awards you have received.
   
   
7. Personal - information about your hobbies and activities should be included.
   
   
8. Others - professional organizations that you belong to, computer or programming skills, articles or books published
   
   
9. References - you can state something like, "references available upon request," or list at least three on your resume.

It's important to include all of the basic information on your resume. But, what is also important is the way you say it. Don't use dull, lifeless statements. Instead use action words.

Here are some typical action words:
Accelerated, achieved, advised, approved, assisted, built, calculated, completed, conceived, controlled, coordinated, created, decreased, defined, designed, developed, directed, earned, edited, engineered, evaluated, found, generated, implemented, improved, invented, managed, supervised, operated, organized, planned, proved, revised, scheduled, tested, trained, verified, wrote.

These words give the correct impression that you have been responsible for different kinds of jobs tasks. In other words, you weren't just a follower. Of course, you should always be truthful. Don't try to oversell yourself by claiming you did things that you didn't do. Never lie or state something that could misrepresent or mislead someone. If discovered, it could prevent you from getting the jog or, could be reason for your immediate termination from the job.

As you can see, a resume is really a very simple document. It is not that difficult to produce a good resume, if you follow the simple steps outlined in this report. By dividing it into sections it becomes a much easier job. These different sections also help you to stay organized. If you have worked on a special project or had a lofty responsibility on a previous job, you may want to include that in a section all by itself. Example: "I organized a training department for AMCO Scientific and was responsible for overseeing the production of training lessons."

Another good way to get familiar with proper resume writing techniques is to review a good resume. There's an example included in this guide. You can use it as a model. Then produce several different resumes for yourself until you find the best possible combinations for your specific skills. You may also want to have a friend read your resume and point out any problems.