This document provides tips for writing an effective resume. It recommends including accomplishments, dissecting job openings to ensure fit, and using power words, keywords and stories to highlight skills and achievements. Proper formatting, customization for each role, and avoiding cliches and mistakes are also advised. Regular maintenance of the resume is suggested to keep it up to date.

1. HOW TO
WRITE A RESUME

2. 1. LIST YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
● Revenue increased; Money saved; Time saved;
Problems solved.
● Initiatives undertaken; People supervised; Skills
gained; Career growth.

3. 2. DISSECT THE JOB OPENING
● Am I able to do this job? Is it a good fit? Is this a good
company?
● What qualifications does the employer want?
Research the company.

4. 3. CONTENTS OF A RESUME
● Your name, Contact details, Resume headline,
Resume summary.
● Work experience, Educational qualifications,
Specialized skills, Important awards.

5. 4. THE RESUME SUMMARY
● A snapshot paragraph of your resume, Show why you
are a rock star or a superstar.
● Showcase your awesomeness here, Customize for
the job that you are applying for.

6. 5. IDENTIFY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
● Did you increase sales? How and by how much? Did
you improve processes? Which processes?
● Did you save the company money? How and how
much? Did you lead or manage projects? Which ones?

7. 6. STORYTELLING IN A RESUME
● Add life to your resume with stories; Short, truthful
and punchy accomplishment stories.
● I did X and the result was Y; Make the claim and
provide the evidence/results.

8. 7. POWER WORDS FOR RESUMES
● Solved; Managed; Developed; Presented; Completed;
Surpassed; Invented; Simplified; Initiated.
● Negotiated; Improved; Implemented; Overhauled;
Launched; Pioneered; Sold; Led; Generated.

9. 8. KEYWORDS ON YOUR RESUME
● Job advertisements have specific keywords that
show what employers value or require.
● Naturally weave in few keywords on your resume;
Provide context or examples relating to keywords.

10. 9. CLICHÉS TO AVOID
● Overused words to avoid: Results-driven; Team player;
Goal-oriented; Hard worker; Dynamic; Self-driven;
Highly motivated; People person.
● Bottom line thinker; Self-starter; Go-to person; Outside
the box thinker; Highly qualified; Extensive experience;
Detail oriented.

11. 10. RESUME MISTAKES
● Spelling mistakes; tiny font size; using jargons; listing
responsibilities; not customizing your resume;
incorrect information; listing references; lying.
● Unprofessional email address; not using keywords;
poor layout and formatting; incorrect contact
information; including personal information.

12. 11. RESUME WRITING TIPS
● Proofread resume; don’t use casual language; clean
layout and presentation; customize your resume for
the job you are applying for.
● Give examples of how you used your skills; read and
understand job requirements; have clearly labeled
section headings and good spacing.

13. 12. RESEARCHING A COMPANY
● Why Research? To better target your resume and
cover letter; To be as knowledgeable about the
company as possible.
● What to Read: The company’s website, social media
pages, annual reports, mission, values, news, online
reviews and about the industry.

14. 13. COMPLYING WITH ATS
● Most resumes will be scanned by Applicant Tracking
Systems (ATS). ATS’s can quickly screen resumes
using keywords, skills, abilities and qualifications.
● Use standard section headings e.g. work experience;
avoid images & tables; include keywords; spell check
resume; spell out acronyms; no headers and footers.

15. 14. TYPES OF RESUME FORMATS
● Reverse Chronological
● Functional/Skills-Based Resume
● Combination of Chronological & Functional

16. 15. REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL
● Most common resume format. Shows your career
path and growth/progression in an easy to follow
manner.
● Sequentially lists work experience and
accomplishments starting with recent experience and
proceeding backwards listing previous jobs.

17. 16. FUNCTIONAL/SKILLS-BASED
● Prominently lists the key skills that you have. All your
work experience and accomplishments are
categorized under each respective skill.
● Used when you have gaps in employment, little work
experience, held a lot of unrelated jobs, trying to
change your career and showing transferable skills.

18. 17. COMBINATION/HYBRID
● Combination of Chronological and Functional. Lists
job positions and segments each job based on key
skills e.g. analytical skills, decision making etc.
● Major accomplishments are listed under respective
skills. You then repeat the process for the other jobs
that you have held in the past.

19. 18. RESUME LENGTH
● A resume can ideally be between 1 to 3 pages.
Depending on how much work experience you have
and key achievements to include.
● Nowadays, you can keep your resume brief and also
have a detailed online professional profile and include
the link to your profile on your resume.

20. 19. RESUME CHECKLIST
● Is your name included? Are your current contact
details included? Is your resume customized for the
job? Is a summary included?
● Have you included accomplishments at each job?
Have you proofread your resume? Have you included
city and state for each job? Have you included skills?

21. 20. RESUME REFERENCES
● Do not write your references on your resume, instead
write them on a separate document that has your
name and contact details at the top.
● Write the names, titles, and contact details of at least
three professional references. It is a good idea to give
your references an updated copy of your resume.

22. 21. WRITING YOUR BIOGRAPHY
● Invest time to write your brief personal biography
after you have developed an up-to-date resume.
Remember to write your bio in the third person.
● A Bio explains who you are, what you have done, what
you want to do, credentials, experience, key skills,
something unique about you and contact details.

23. 22. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
● After you have written your resume and successfully
gotten a job, that should not be the end of it.
● A resume is a "living" document which you should
regularly review and update at least on a quarterly
basis by adding new accomplishments.

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