How to make a resume to get a job in 6 steps

make a resume

It does not matter if you are looking for a job from home through the Internet or you want to be employed in an office: to apply to any of the two positions you will have to send your CV before you are selected.

Although make a resume is relatively simple, the fact that it is such an important tool to find a job makes many people nervous when preparing it.

They want to make it so perfect that, in the end, they doubt if they have added all the necessary information, or if they have written something that could harm them in the selection process.

Here I am going to share all the information you need to make an effective resume: from the steps you must take, to which data are the most important (and which ones the coaches are most focused on) and what tips you should follow to create a good resume.

What is a resume?

If you have reached this article, it is because surely you already know what a resume is; But there are people who are not entirely clear on what this consists of.

A resume is also called a curriculum vitae in many countries, and it is a page or two that includes all the information you need to apply for a job and get you hired.

The resume usually includes personal information (name and surname, place of birth, and a phone and email for them to contact you) and employment information indicating which positions have been worked before.

But also it must indicate the studies that have been completed and the special skills or knowledge that they have (for example, knowing how to drive, a second language, notions of computer science …).

It is important to know how to do a resume well because this will be the tool you use to “sell” yourself when you present yourself for a job interview.

If you apply for a job, and the coach sees a poorly made, dirty, missing information, or misspelling resume, chances are you will NEVER be hired for any position.

What information should include in your resume?

There are people who believe that a resume should only contain job information. But the truth is that it is better to combine professional and personal data.

In this way, the interviewer will get to know you a little better both as a person and as a worker.

To know how much of each information you should include in your resume, I have created the graph that you see below thanks to asking several people in charge of hiring personnel in various companies.

As you can see in the image above, hiring managers value much more the experience in other jobs related to the one you are applying for than giving details of your education.

An example: If you want to apply to be a waiter in a restaurant, it is more important that you indicate what other jobs you have worked as a waiter instead of focusing on other jobs as a store clerk that does not have much to do with the tasks of attending to the tables.

If you want to apply for a position as a secretary, you must indicate on the CV the previous jobs that you have had related to the secretary job.

The person who reads your resume will not care as you have previously worked as a cook, or repairing cars in a workshop, because those jobs have nothing to do with secretarial tasks.

6 steps to make an effective resume

1. Decide what information you are going to include

Before you sit down at your computer and start writing your resume, it is important that you think about what information you will include in it.

Take a piece of paper and write down all the data you can think of; And then, go removing that information that you think is not vital for the person who will read the resume.

Imagine that you want to babysit and your special skills are knowing multiple language and managing Photoshop. This second one can be removed because in that job you will not need to use that design program.

But it is interesting that you include that you know how to speak English because the parents who hire you may want you to help their child with the homework of this subject, or that you speak in this language so that they can learn it.

2. Think about what format you will create your resume

I do not recommend that you make your resume by hand. It doesn’t look professional, maybe you have something dirty left, and your lyrics may not be well understood.

Ideally, you should make it on your computer with the program you have at hand. You can use for example Microsoft Word, which comes installed on almost all computers, or if you know how to handle it you can use Photoshop.

Once you know what program, you are going to do it with, think about the format it will have and how you will order each category.

In the first curriculum, the photo has been placed on the right, the personal data on the left, and the rest of the categories have been added below, starting with education and then work experience.

From this, decide how you want to order your resume and what information will go first and what will go last.

Although there is no rule to do it, what I recommend is that you indicate your personal information above (so that it is easier to contact you), and then you order it putting your work experience, then your education, and finally your skills.

3. Create your resume starting with your personal data

Once you have thought about the information to include, and the order and format of it, it is time to start preparing your resume.

Start with your personal data. The required ones are your name, surname, the city where you live, and a telephone number and an email to contact you.

Make sure you have access to that phone 24 hours a day. It is better that you indicate your cell phone or mobile (which you can take with you everywhere) than the fixed number of your house.

Regarding email, it is also important that it works well; ask a friend to send you a test email to see if you receive it correctly.

Other data that you can add, but that are optional, are your home address, your nationality and your age.

However, there are many people who prefer not to include them so that they do not discriminate against them because they are foreigners or because of their age.

What I do recommend is that you add a photo of yourself so that the recruiter remembers you better and makes it more personal.

Try to make it a photo where you look good, and where you smile a little to convey positivity.

4. Add your previous work experiences

Adding what other jobs you’ve been employed in before is important because it will show that you already have field experience.

But remember that it is advisable to indicate only the jobs that are related to the current position to which you are applying.

If you’re going to run your bid at a toy store, put similar jobs you’ve had, like babysitting or being a clerk at a store where you had to serve customers.

If you want to be a hotel receptionist, you can indicate that you have previously worked as a secretary in an office because the tasks are similar to those of a receptionist.

What if I don’t have work experience?

If you have never worked before and are looking for your first job, I recommend that you volunteer in companies or organizations related to the sector you want to dedicate yourself to.

If you want to become a teacher or child caregiver, volunteer or volunteer in childcare daycare.

Or if your dream is to be a writer, contact blogs, websites and small newspapers in your city, and get them to let you write some articles without charging them.

In this way, in your work experience you will be able to indicate that you have done volunteer work in the employment sector to which you are applying, and demonstrate that you have some experience and are willing to learn more where you are hired.

5. Write your education and training

This section is recommended to go after your work experiences.

And it is better that you write your education in reverse chronological order, that is, putting first those studies that you have completed most recently , and then the oldest.

Start with the university and the studies you did there (if you went to it) and then go back to your studies. Remember to write down the dates next to each education, and if you got good grades, also write your grades.

6. Add your skills, special knowledge and achievements

Here it is important that you write down those skills and knowledge that you think you could use in the position to which you are applying.

But make sure they are special talents that not everyone has, such as managing a specific computer program, knowing a language, etc.

Regarding achievements, it is good to indicate what objectives you achieved in your other jobs. If for example you became a manager, director, or were promoted, put it in this section.

It is not good for you to say that you have passive or solo hobbies (reading, watching TV, collecting stamps) because this can cause you to be perceived by the employer as a person without social skills.

When you’re done with these 6 steps, all you have to do is type in your computer to print a clean, professional resume that amazes everyone who shows it to you.

9 extra tips to make a good resume

In addition to taking into account all the recommendations above, these are 9 more tips that you should follow when preparing your resume so that you have more possibilities of being hired:

  1. Make sure that your resume has no more than 2 sheets, and NEVER print it on both sides of the same page.
  2. Go over it to make sure you haven’t made a mistake. If you are not sure about this, run your resume through a spell checker.
  3. Be specific and do not extend the information. Give details but specifically.
  4. Make it look clear and clean by making spaces between the sections and the different sentences.
  5. Show yourself with confidence and always point out your strengths, never your weaknesses.
  6. Don’t use abbreviations like “univ.” instead of “university”. You may know what they mean, but the person reading your resume may not have a clue.
  7. DO NOT LIE. Even if you think the lie is perfect, in the end you will get caught.
  8. If you have an inappropriate email address do not put it. Create a new, more professional email account with your name and surname.
  9. Don’t turn over a resume on crumpled paper! This is the worst mistake you can make.

Did you know how to make a resume before? What tricks have you learned in this article? Leave me a comment below with your experience.

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Tony Jimenez

Tony Jimenez

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