One million dollar resume: how to be invited for an interview

Everyone knows that resume is one of the most important elements of the job search process. Resume makes the first impression on an employer about a jobseeker. That is why the question how to write a resume is one of the most essential for any candidate. Your invitation for the interview and employment itself depend on how much responsible and serious you are about the resume writing.

How to create a resume?

These tips will help you to understand what the resume structure should be, so that an employer could find quickly the information he needs about you. To create maximally detailed resume that will “sell” you to an employer, use the tips given in this post on how to write a one million dollar resume, or can use our online services, and our professional resume writers will help you with making a resume.

1. Full name

The first thing you should write in your resume is your full name, i.e. write your first and last name, and do not use initials.

2. Contact data

Write as much as possible contact data, so that an employer could easily contact you. Write one or two telephone numbers and your e-mail address. Do not give your working e-mail or address with a “cute name” (for example, fluffycats@gmail.com). If you do not have personal address that consists of your name, it is better to create it specially for the job search. It is also recommended to add link to your profile in social network (professional network).

3. Generalization

Right after your name write two or three brief phrases, in which you will show all your benefits as a candidate. Do not write general phrases. Define your strongest professional qualities that directly connected with your future job, for example, big experience in this sphere or knowledge of several foreign languages, and laconically present them. This point is very important, because employer spends no more than 20 second on each resume, so you should capture his attention from the first seconds.

4. Competencies

If you want to write a resume correctly, then in this block make a short list of your professional knowledge and skills. In simple words, write what exactly you can do. At the same time take into consideration the list of requirements and functional responsibilities written in the vacancy. For example, if according to the vacancy you will have to create advertising campaigns, than write concrete skills: “Media Planning”, “Budgeting of advertising campaigns”, “Ability to work with contractors” and so on. If you have doubts on what skills it would be better to write, look for the ready resume of the candidates from your sphere on different job portals. You will probably find many useful hints.

5. Education

Here you can include an educational establishment where you have got higher education, as well as all the big trainings, seminars, programs, which you have passed additionally. If you have visited a huge number of such events, experts advise to select only really worth and close to your profession. An employer will not waste time reading the long list of your cooking courses, and may miss an important seminar that can make you more valuable as a specialist.

6. Work experience

Your career path is better to describe in a reverse chronological order, beginning with the last workplace and proceeding to the first one. Each workplace should be presented in such a form: name of the company and your position, and right after it write your key achievements in the company. There should be concrete examples given, what exactly you have achieved at your previous workplace. Did you increase the productivity by 30%? Did you reduce the company costs? Did you successfully manage a team of 50 people? Great, write it all here.

Describing your achievements, do not forget about the SMART principle. Everything you write should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Based.

Only after that you can write your duties. Avoid general phrases and focus on the specific tasks. Describing your duties, present them from the biggest to smaller ones. Remember that your target is to impress the employer from the first lines, having shown professional resume.

7. Additional information

Here employer expects to see information about your knowledge of languages, description of your computer skills, additional work experience not connected directly with your professional activity (volunteering, for example). In some cases here you also write information about driving license owning.

If you have doubts on how to structure information in your resume, our professional resume writers can help you to cope with this slight difficulty.

What should not be in your resume?

1. Lie

If you write that you have certain kind of work experience or knowledge that you do not really have, probably they will not give you a job. Maybe you will manage to get an invitation for an interview. However, any experienced HR manager will easily figure out whether you lie or not.

2. Red tape and lusciousness

Do not try to make your resume more attractive using unusual font, format or bright colours. Only correctly structured resume that clearly demonstrates your advantages and achievements looks more attractive for an employer. Avoid red tape and follow business style only.

3. Cliché

Delete from your resume all the phrases cliché. An employer gets dozens of resume every day. You main task is to be remembered, but it would be hard to do if you use hackneyed phrases, or in simple words cliché.

4. General skills information

Every office worker already knows how to use such programs as MS Word or MS Excel. Do not write suchlike data, because it can distract the employer’s attention from really essential things.

5. Personal data

You should not write your personal information in a resume, an employer is not interested in it. Do not tell your biography. You main goal is to present briefly you professional skills, knowledge and advantages comparing with other candidates.

What should you remember creating a professional resume?

1. Do not write too much

Experts still argue about the size of a perfect resume. Anyway, tree pages are too much, one page is enough only for beginning specialists. So two pages are pretty good for a resume.

2. Make an emphasis on your uniqueness and achievements

Resume is not a description of your career way, but a list of your achievements. Always keep in mind that you should demonstrate the employer how much use you can bring to the company, if they hire you. All the information that you write in your resume should present you as an excellent worker.

3. Be “on the same wavelength” with the employer

It means you should speak the same language with your potential employer. Use key words and word combinations in your resume. These words are better to find in the vacancy description. Thus you will demonstrate that you perfectly match the vacancy requirements, and you are the one the company is looking for.

4. Never forget about grammar and spelling

Always check your resume, it should be grammatically correct. Ask someone to read your resume. Employer always notices the errors and you will not manage to create good first impression.

5. Outer look

There are certain rules of resume formatting. It is important that your resume should be easy to read. It is preferable to use such fonts as Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri, they are more common in business style. And 12 size of the letters is the most appropriate variant. Do not overuse underlining and bold.

6. Do not write “universal” resume

It is very good when a resume is oriented on the certain vacancy. Of course, no one makes you write new resume each time, but change the emphasis, add some new information and it will be a big plus for you. We also remind you to use key words. They always work positively.

7. Add photo only if necessary

Add photo only is you are sure it will benefit you. However, the question about photo is very arguable.

8. Never leave open questions

If you really want to write a good resume, try to avoid such information that may proclaim question at an employer. Try to make it clear, try to explain all the moments that may raise additional questions beforehand.

Anyway, if HR manager is a professional, he will ask you everything that makes him hesitate. All you need to do is to be honest. In this case honesty is you key to success.