1. Choose a clean layout
2. Choose a readable font such as Helvetica, Calibri or Tahoma (avoid Times New Roman!)
3. Your resume should be no more than 2-3 pages long
4. Most recent work experience first
5. Do not just iterate your duties and responsibilities. Write about your achievement in each position you held. For example, “Reduced software defects by 25%”.
6. Put your name and title in a big bold font
7. List core skills on the first page (only the key skills, all other skills can be listed in the last page)
8. Assume that your resume will be faxed and scanned several times so please use a fairly large font size
9. Keep it short and concise
10. Start off with a few points highlighting your skills and achievements
11. Include hobbies and interests. Gives you an opportunity to talk about them at the interview, a chance to break the ice.
12. Use a skill table in the last page. Specify Skill, Skill Level & Last Used. For example, “Java | Expert | 2009”.
13. Name the resume file with your name, so that the people can easily indentify the document (example, David_Smith_Resume.doc).
14. Send resume in Word and PDF formats
15. No grammar or spelling mistakes
16. Add a cover letter to provide more information on why you are seeking this position
17. If you are a fresh graduate attach university grades (only if you have good grades
)18. Whatever you put in your resume, make sure that you can talk about them confidently at the interview
19. Use strong active verbs. For example, “developed the HR system” is better than “assisted in the development of HR system”.
20. Don’t feel obliged to mention everything you have done in the past. Doing this can overcrowd your resume and bury important points.
21. Leave a lot of white space, managers and interviewers will like to use this space for scribing.
22. Your work experience can be topical (by areas of expertise) or in reverse chronological order
23. Mention technology used with each position held. Employers are looking to find out when and where you used a given technology.
24. Make sure that your resume does not lose any formatting when the content is cut and copied into a text file. Many recruitment agencies cut and copy your resume into a database. If your resume has a fancy format, when you cut and paste, some content may get displaced.
25. Do not use the word “Resume” or “Curriculum Vitae” as the title of your document. It is obvious.
