RESUME WRITING

There is no denying the fact that resume writing is a tool with one specific purpose to win an interview. If it does what the fantasy resume did, it works. If it doesn't, it isn't an effective resume. A resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less.  A great resume doesn't just tell them what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.

It is so pleasing to the eye that the reader is enticed to pick it up and read it. It "whets the appetite," stimulates interest in meeting you and learning more about you. It inspires the prospective employer to pick up the phone and ask you to come in for an interview.

·         Don't expect readers to struggle through 10- to 15-line paragraphs. Substitute two or three shorter paragraphs or use bullets to offset new sentences and sections.

·         Don't overdo bold and italic type. Excessive use of either defeats the purpose of these enhancements. For example, if half the type on a page is bold, nothing will stand out.

·         Use nothing smaller than 10-point type. If you want employers to review your résumé, make sure they don't need a magnifying glass!

·         Don't clutter your resume. Everything you've heard about "white space" is true. Let your document "breathe" so readers won't have to struggle through it.

·         Use an excellent printer. Smudged, faint, heavy or otherwise poor quality print will discourage red-eyed readers.

1. One page. The job of a resume is to get you an interview, not get you a job. A hiring manager has to sift through a pile of resumes to figure out which person to interview. Each resume gets about a ten-second look. If you think you need a longer resume, give someone one page of your resume and have them look at it for ten seconds. Ask them what they remember; it won’t be much. They are not going to remember any more information in ten seconds if you give them two pages to look at; ten seconds is ten seconds.
2. Ditch the line about references on request. It’s implied. Of course, if someone wants a reference, you will give one. No one presumes that you will not. So when you write that you will provide a reference you seem to not understand how the game is played. (Bonus tip: If you have an excellent reference, like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who vacations with your Mom, have the reference call before you even go to the interview. Sets the tone for the employer to think you are amazing.)
3. Tread lightly on the personal interests line. Your personal interests are not there to make you look interesting. They are there to get you an interview. Every line on your resume is there to get you an interview. So only list personal interests that reveal a quality that will help you meet the employer’s needs. If you are in sports marketing, then by all means, list that you kayak. If you were an Olympic athlete, put it down because it shows focus and achievement. If you are a mediocre hobbyist, leave it off. Personal interests that don’t make you stand out as an achiever do not help you. And personal interests that are weird make you look weird and you don’t know if your interviewer likes weird or not, so leave weird off the resume.
4. You must list achievements, not job duties. Anyone can do a job. Achievements show you did the job well. Past performance is the best indicator of future performance, so don’t let someone think you just showed up for your last job and didn’t do it well. It’s very hard to see your achievements from the trenches; you might think you did not have achievements because your boss doesn’t ask you to do achievements, your boss asks you to do tasks and projects. But you need to recognize that you do not see achievements and ask for help to see them. A resume coach, or even a friend, can help you to see them more clearly.
5. Don’t be a designer unless you are. If you have more than three fonts on your resume and you’re not a designer, I can promise you that you’ve botched the layout. If design were easy, no one would get paid for it. Recognize your strengths and keep design elements to the bare minimum. And please, save Photoshop for cards to your mom: Just because you know how to use the shading tools doesn’t mean you know how to use them well.

6. List your most recent job first. Chronological order is only a good idea if you are looking to get hired to go back in time. Otherwise you look like you’re bucking resume writing convention in order to hide something, which you probably are, but you have to do it with a better sleight of hand than that.

BASIC RULES:

Your Resume Should Follow These Basic Rules:

·         Visual appeal - it's easy to read and  scan

·         Highlights your strengths - shows how you match employer needs

·         Presents important information first

·         Organized - doesn't go over two pages

·         Free of errors - correct spelling, no typos

·         No grammatical errors

Your resume should answer these questions:

·         Who are you and how can you be reached?

·         What do you want to do?

·         What have you learned?

·         What can you do? What have you done?

·         How have you been recognized for your achievements?

·         What else do they want to know about you?

Your resume checklist:

·         Overall Appearance - Immediate impact; looks professional; easy to read

·         Contact Information - Presented at the top; includes address and day/evening phone numbers.

Sample Banking Resume

This sample banking resume will give you a quick start on building an effective and optimized resume for your job application. Visitors can feel free to customize and edit our sample banking resume as per their requirement for job application. We hope that our sample banking resume will go a long way in portraying your abilities and skill sets efficiently.

Richard Anderson 1234, West 67 Street, Carlisle, MA 01741, (123)-456 7890. QUALIFICATIONS Outstanding communication, presentation, and sales skills Strong ability in personnel interviewing, training, and motivating Skilled in organization and office procedures Ability to achieve immediate and long-term goals and meet operational deadlines EXPERIENCE Development Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri Vice President Residential and commercial real estate development company Planned successful marketing and advertising strategies targeting and developing new accounts, bringing more businesses and greater economic support to the city Expanded customer base through a variety of effective sales techniques Delivered convincing oral sales presentations to upper management of major companies Effectively coordinated the hiring of subcontractors and monitored their performance Consumer Banking Manager-Supervisor Promoted 5 times in 10 years from Teller to Consumer Banking Interviewed, trained, supervised, and evaluated up to 22 employees Identified and resolved conflicts between public and bank, employees and management, clarifying work relationships and alleviating communication problems As Secretary to Board of Directors attended monthly board meetings, took minutes, and handled all Board correspondence and directives Initiated promotion of bank products utilizing various marketing and advertising methods Other positions held: K-Mart, St. Louis, Missouri: Hired as Sales Clerk and promoted to Department Manager. Another Bank, St. Louis, Missouri: Hired as Window Teller and promoted to Vault Teller. EDUCATION St. Louis Business And Careers Institute, St. Louis, Missouri Office Management Courses, XXXX-XXXX Banking Courses, Seminars, Workshops American Institute of Banking Introduction to Supervision Commercial Loans Principles of Banking First of America Corporation Building Retail Business Managing Retail Business Quality Service University Other seminars and training classes on various banking issues COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Alpha Alpha Alpha Charitable Sorority, Past President, Vice President, and Secretary Business Education Association, member American Business Club (AMBUCS), Sergeant-at-Arms, Past Secretary.