When designing your resume, you can present your information in chronological order (listing your work experience in chronological order) or in a functional format (which focuses on skills and experience, instead of your work experience). The format in which you choose is dependent on your situation. Generally speaking, here are some positive and negative resume qualities:
Qualities of a winning resume:
- Make sure your resume is only one or two pages long
- Make sure content is clear and easy to understand
- Write in an active voice (not passive) using strong words
- Make sure there are NO spelling or grammar mistakes
- Make sure you have strong references
- List your availability at the top of the front page
- List when you can start work
- List your profile at the beginning of the document (A summary of who you are, what you’ve achieved and what you want to do)
- Clean, printed on a laser printer and kept in immaculate condition
- Use industry terminology
- Use a professional font
- Use plenty of ‘white space’ to give your resume an aesthetic appeal
- Use bullet points where possible
Qualities to avoid:
- Dirty or creased
- More than three pages long (excluding certificates)
- Inconsistencies in design elements and fonts
- Missing information
- False/untrue/exaggerated statements
- Poor quality images (if you choose to add one)
- Unnecessary designs
- Unnecessary personal information
- Unprofessional email address
- Complex layouts (Keep It Simple)