Professional Resume Tips

Six Essential Elements of a Professional Resume

Writing a resume may not be the most exciting thing you have ever been challenged to do, but it may be one of the most important. Well, it is if you are interested in finding a great job.

There are six essential elements of a professional resume that you must be aware of when drafting your personal copy. While there are a lot of things to keep in mind, these six elements are extremely important to crafting a professional resume that gets read and establishes your credentials in the eyes of a prospective employer.

Take a look at these Six Elements and see how your resume stacks up.

The Contact Information section will always appear at the top of your page regardless of which format you choose. It contains your name, address, phone number and email address. Be sure this information is correct or the employer will have no means to contact you.

The Objective Statement is a vital part of the professional resume. It lets the employer know how you will contribute to the organization as well as the specific type of work you are interested in doing. Don’t be vague or the employer may not be able to figure out what you are after.

Accomplishments are the most important things you can list on a resume. This is true regardless of how old you are or how much experience you have. The reason is that accomplishments show that you worked hard, were involved and got things done.

The Education section is presented in reverse chronological order, meaning the most recent school you attended is listed first. List your GPA if it is significant. If you haven't completed your course of study yet, list your expected date of graduation and your intended degree.

Proofread everything until you are certain that your resume contains no mistakes. Also, have someone else read your resume in an effort to ensure it is error-free. Typos and grammar errors are the first things an employer looks for when weeding out the good resumes from the bad ones.

Target your resume to best garner the attention of the prospective employer. According to distinctiveweb.com, "A targeted resume is used to focus your resume toward a specific career objective, performed in a specific industry, and for a specific company. The content of a targeted resume is written to highlight the skills, qualifications, and experience that match the requirements of your job target."

If you are able to incorporate these six essential elements of a professional resume into your personal resume, you stand a much better chance of getting selected for an interview. Other job candidates are doing it, so to compete for those great jobs, you have to do it, too.

Take the time to do it right. You’ll reap the rewards.

By Carla Vaughan - Carla Vaughan began her journey into the field of Career Planning and Human Resources while working toward her degree in business at Southern Illinois University.  Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.