This presentation outlines 22 tips on how to write a resume. https://www.thriveyard.com

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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