3. What should I include?
Your résumé should explain who you are, what you have done, what skills and knowhow you have to offer, and what your professional goals are.
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Include your personal contact information and make sure to double-check your name, full address (including postal code), cell phone number, and e-mail address, if you have one. The first line should contain just your name, with a separate line for your home address, phone number, and e-mail address.
- Use a professional-sounding email address, e.g., [email protected].
- Begin the summary of your professional education and training with the highest certification and a summary of the topic. Mention only relevant training.
- In the work experience section, start with the most recent job and provide clear information on who you worked for, in what position, for how long, the tasks you performed, and your achievements. Focus on the most recent and relevant experience, with a shorter description of previous job positions. Also indicate periods in which you were unemployed.
- Start sentences with powerful action verbs such as I improved, I negotiated, I reduced, etc.
- Include skills, professional associations, volunteer work, and even relevant hobbies, but be brief. You need to be clear, structured, and concise.
The same résumé will not necessarily be useful for all job applications. This document should be adapted specifically to the job for which you are applying. Write up a master résumé, but make the necessary changes for each position that you are applying for, focusing and expanding on whatever is most relevant. Always be honest and accurate.