Resumes are essential in our work filled lives; they provide the knowledge of who we are and what we’ve done to our potential employers. They are also the first step to getting a job. However, if you’re making a resume for the first time, it can be hard to know what font and font size are appropriate, what content to add, or how to make your resume stand out from the rest. Luckily, sites such as The Balance can help you with creating a personal resume.
The Balance is a website set on helping individuals with personal finance. They specialize in money management, which includes such things as saving for college, buying a home, and finding a job. Included in finding work, are the tools to help assist you to form and perfect a resume.
If you’re creating a resume for the first time, there are six major categories you should include in your resume:
- Contact information
- Education
- Experience
- Activities
- Skills
- References
You should always begin a resume with your contact information, so if you land a job, your employer will be able to contact you. Additionally your education and experience are a fundamental parts of any resume. These two categories oftentimes will determine whether or not you qualify for a job and should always be included. If you have specific skill or activities that increases your qualification for a job, it is vital to incorporate this into your resume as well. References is the last necessary part of any resume. It allows potential employers to communicate with previous employers and learn about what kind of worker you are. On The Balance, there are several different resume templates to choose from, that include these six basic categories. However, each template is unique and suits many different needs including, templates for recent graduates, experienced employees and even high school students.
Pro Tip: When developing a resume, use “active language”. Active language can be described as when, “the subject does an action to an object,” with such examples being, “my division was named top in the state” or “I helped fabricate leading technology in the science field.” By starting a phrase with an action, this useful technique can convey to employers the activeness you display in everyday life.
If you are someone who already has a resume, it is critical to actively update and edit it. Employers want to see a stable candidate who regularly makes achievements. Remember, resumes should always be built on with the more experience and references you gain. Editing resumes is also very important. Before you send your resume off to a potential employer, make sure to always proofread your resume. Mistakes and spelling errors within your resume can significantly decrease your chance of landing a job and could give off a bad impression. It is better to catch a mistake before hand, rather than when it is too late.
Pro Tip: Have someone else proofread your resume. Writer’s bias prevents you from seeing mistakes, poor wording and general errors, within things you have written. By having another person read your work, they can help highlight mistakes you didn’t see, making for an overall better resume.
Creating and perfecting resumes can prove to be challenging, especially if you are doing it for the first time. Luckily, websites such as The Balance help transform this once challenging task, into one of ease.
