What is the purpose of a resume? You might think: “to list my skills,” or “to show my experience.”
In actuality, “the purpose of your resume is to get you an interview,” says Frank Schroeder, Campus2Career consultant.
According to Schroeder, there are a few tricks to refreshing your resume after being on a long career break.
The Heading. Make sure that the heading of your resume includes your address (with the state name spelled out), your telephone number, a fax number, your email address, and if you want to include it, your Twitter user name. Also make sure that the voicemail message on the phone number you use sounds professional.
The Format. Your resume must look proficient, pleasing to the eye, legible, and consistent. Make sure you use the active tense and active verbs, and that everything is typographically and grammatically PERFECT.
Your Objective. Schroeder says, “This is the most important part of the resume because it really shows what you want to do.” When you write your objective be succinct, say what you want to do, and the ideal industry, profession or organization, and location.
The Summary. When you write your work experience, write it in chronological order, with the most recent first, like in a traditional resume. Functional resumes tend to send up red flags to employers. Be sure quantify your achievements as much as possible, and show your added value to your employer.
Keep your education section simple: school, location, dates, degree, major, minor and your GPA if it’s strong. Schroeder says to place this section at the bottom of the resume.
