So what does it take to write a good resume? Sure, you may have posted to dozens of sites and employers but if you’re resume isn’t up to scratch, then you might as well not have written anything at all. But if you know the basic steps to writing a good resume, then you should have a much better chance than someone who just blasts out generic resume after generic resume.

The first thing to clear up is ‘What is a resume?’ Well, a resume is a summary of your skills, education and experience. A good resume matches your skills and abilities with the job you’re trying to apply for. A job application, like a resume, also gives you the chance to really sell yourself to the potential employer, highlighting the relevant skills and achievements that you have acquired or done. Since it is a resume, you shouldn’t go more than 2 pages long, because otherwise, it will be just too long to read and employers will just throw away your application. You’ve got to keep in mind that most employers (or hiring managers) simply just scan resumes, as they probably receive dozens of applications on a regular basis and if it doesn’t appeal to them right away, then you’ve got no chance of getting a job.

And that’s another thing to put in your resume, the most unique thing about you that is relevant to the job. If you can think of something that employers have probably never heard or seen before, then it will catch their attention and they will want to read more about you. And reading more about you, means that they’ll probably take your application into consideration, thereby increasing your chances of getting that interview and then hopefully the job.

Here’s an example of a good resume that you should follow:

As you can see, it isn’t too long (only 1 page) and is compact and detailed at the same time. The person who wrote this was close to graduating from college so she was busily perfecting this resume of hers, and I must say, she has done quite a good job. However, there are several things I would change:

I would use bullet points, rather than paragraph format, to list out her responsibilities because it’s easier to read.

Depending on the job she was applying for, I would have put ‘employment’ first, instead of ‘education’ because you want to show how valuable you are to the employer straight away. It doesn’t matter how smart you are. The only thing employers are looking for is if you are suitable for the job.

I would also probably also ask some of my previous employers to get at least 2 references instead of saying ‘references available upon request’. You want the potential employer to be able to verify your details and get feedback from other employers on how well you worked for them. This makes them more likely to hire you, assuming you were a decent worker at your previous positions.