Well, rest assured and abandon your self-doubts. If you possess the qualifications for the job you are seeking and are willing to study the model resumes in this book, you will, as a matter of course, acquire the ability to write a very good resume.
After all, what is a resume? It is not an autobiography, nor is it a personal memoir. Plainly defined, it is a record of your working life past and present as related to your future goals and expectations and as measured by your ambition. It is a sort of self-advertisement of these, presenting the facts about your accomplishments and abilities, and its purpose is to open the door of a job for you with a prospective employer.
Your first step, therefore, and the easiest way to begin, is to pick up a model that suits you from the "Guide to Types of Resumes for More than 400 Leading Occupations". But, before you do this, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with the basic principles of what a good resume in your category should include. These are discussed in the following four chapters, one for each kind of resume.
The Resume That Expresses You
It is you who will have to decide whether you want to write an analytical, functional, chronological or basic resume. These four types are presented in this book to help you choose. Whichever you choose, you will need to present all the facts about your qualifications and experience for your prospective employer to consider, with a view to your possible employment.
Your resume may be submitted to public and private employment agencies, to college and university placement offices or to specialized executives within a particular company. Of course you know that your resume will be considered in accordance with the Fair Employment Practice Law. If you feel that information as to your age, race, color, religion or national origin may be useful to an employer, you may include this information; you are under no obligation, according to law, to do so.
Remember that your resume is your advertisement. It summarizes what you have to offer an employer for a particular position. It must interest the person who is going to buy your knowledge, experience, skill, ambition, creativity. The purpose of your resume is to get you an invitation to be interviewed or to submit a formal application.
The person or persons who read your resume are busy, so make it brief. One or two pages are sufficient, or three if absolutely necessary. In presenting the facts about yourself, make every word carry full meaning. Be informative and to the point. Summarize your abilities as related to selected areas that are directly connected to the kind of work you do. In your attempt to be brief, do not, however, fall into the trap of making your statements so terse that they fail to give the intended information.
Begin each statement with the past-tense verb form. You might, for instance, say: ''Directed and supervised applied research in personnel administration," or ''Administered entire enlisted training program." Bear in mind that your resume is your passport to employment. Be concise and yet complete. Don't hesitate to relate your personal qualifications and objectives to the position you seek. Sell yourself, your abilities and your attitudes to your prospective employer.
Include all the facts that are related to the necessary information. Organize and present your data as briefly and clearly as you can to take full advantage of the suggested resume pattern. Put yourself in the place of an interviewer who has to read many resumes and see many applicants each day, and your need to be brief, concise and well organized will become clear to you.
Be careful, however, not to overreach the actual facts about yourself. If you do this you may not be able to support your statements in a face-to-face interview. You must resist the temptation to make your resume do more for you than it can.
Choose the Model Resume That Fits You
Following one of the model resumes in this book will help you write your own resume. Pattern yours after the one that does the most for you and your situation. Be sure that you follow the sample in appearance and length and organization when preparing yours.
Few, if any, applicants succeed in obtaining a personal interview unless they have a satisfactory resume. You may have excellent qualifications and worthwhile experience, but if you cannot present these clearly and concisely to a prospective employer, you have little chance of being interviewed. You need the appearance of prestige for your profession or occupation.
Many firms keep files of possible applicants for their future needs in what is known as their Office of Human Resources, or their Personnel Department. These files relate to all sorts of jobs: salesmen, controllers, accountants, skilled and unskilled workers; and they are consulted when jobs in the particular categories are available.
Executives are well aware that qualified employees are not always easy to find. They also know that many apply for positions without possessing the necessary qualifications. Do not follow the old idea that all you need is an opportunity. Make certain that you have the necessary background and experience for the position you seek, and then present these in detail in your resume. Let your resume open the door to the job you want.
