A Winning

Resume Kit
The Basic Resume Writing Guide

ResumeCoach
ResumeCoach CONTENTS

1. Getting Started
An introduction to your basic resume writing guide by ResumeCoach to
help you get acquainted with what you need to create a winning resume
for your job hunt.

2. Type of Jobseeker
Find out what jobseeker profile you have so you can adapt your resume
accordingly.
2.1. Professional
2.2. Entry-Level
2.3. Student

3. Format
Choose the right resume format for your profile and make the most out of
the advantages each resume type has to offer.
3.1. Types of Resume Format
3.1.1. Chronological Resume
3.1.2. Functional or Skills-Based Resume
3.1.3. Combination Resume

4. How to Write the Perfect Resume

Get the best resume writing advice section by section with HR-approved,
tried-and-tested methods to compile your expert resume.
4.1. Resume Objective
4.2. Work Experience
4.3. Education
4.4. Skills

5. Get hired!
Last recap on what’s really important to consider to make sure your
resume and job application is optimized to the max!

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ResumeCoach GETTING STARTED

1. Getting Started
WELCOME TO THE RESUMECOACH BASIC RESUME WRITING GUIDE FOR JOBSEEKERS
OF ALL KINDS.

In today’s ambitious job market, it is becoming Use this resource in addition to ResumeCoach’s
more paramount and ever more difficult to stand online resume builder and HR-approved templates
out in the job application process. This is why we’ve to make a resume worthy of landing the job of your
compiled this guide to help you create a winning dreams in just a few easy steps.
resume that will demonstrate your strengths and
give you the tools you need to present the best The following are the main steps that you should
application possible. consider when preparing your job application:

1. Planning and research

Every jobseeker should begin by planning what they want to include in their resume and by
researching the position or company they’re applying to.

2. Identify the type of jobseeker and specific needs

As every candidate has a different background and profile, it’s important to discover what category of jobseeker
you are to know which type of resume format, style and content is most important for your ideal application.

3. Choose a resume format

Once you know where you stand as a jobseeker - whether you’re a fully-fledged professional, a student or an
entry-level candidate - you can move on to selecting the right resume structure for your needs.

4. Get writing
Finally down to business! Check out our tips for writing each section and compile a winning
resume by including all the right details from your profile.

5. Proofread
Make sure to double check all aspects of your resume: spelling, accurate information, formatting,
punctuation, etc.

6. Start applying
With your polished resume complete and ready-to-go, you can begin applying to your favorite job vacancies
and companies that interest you on a professional level and prepare yourself for the interviews!

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ResumeCoach TYPE OF JOBSEEKER

2. Type of Jobseeker
Professional

Within the competitive world of job-seeking, So that a professional resume can stand out from
businesses look for candidates who stand out and the hundreds of candidates applying for any given
quickly catch their attention with real examples of vacancy, it is essential that jobseekers include
how he or she can contribute to the company as a various sections which catch the eye of the potential
vital team member. employer.

“
To get ahead, today’s professionals must have an up-to-date,
easy-to-read and comprehensive resume!

PROFESSIONAL KEYWORDS CAN INCLUDE:

· Verbs, nouns and even adjectives to describe tasks and responsibilities you have taken on in the past
which could be similar to those in the new role;

· Skills which are required or desired for the vacancy; or

· Knowledge and expertise in a certain area that is necessary or preferred by the employer.

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ResumeCoach TYPE OF JOBSEEKER

Entry-Level

When it comes to creating an entry-level resume, There are many ways of catching the eye of
the case may be that the applicant does not have potential recruiters through a resume without work
very much or relevant work experience for the experience by inviting the reader to get to know your
position they’re interested in. character, skills, potential and achievements which
make you the ideal entry-level candidate.

ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:

· What work or projects have I done in the past that motivate me?

· In which field or profession can I see myself in 10 years?

· What skills do I have that can be applied to an occupation?

To complete a winning entry-level resume, Whether you’re looking to go straight into work from
applicants should demonstrate various marketable school or need a first resume for an internship or
skills and relevant industry knowledge through the college application or an entry-level position in a
different areas they include in their resume, business where you’d then like to work your way up
detailing the ways they’ve earned or developed the ladder, a general rule to follow is to use your
these qualities. unique knowledge and individuality to stand out so
that the potential employer gets a feel for what kind
of worker you will be.

Student

Although student resume writing may be a difficult It is highly recommended to add a description of the
task as candidates are just entering the working functions undertaken in each activity and ensure to
world, often applicants are pleasantly surprised by adapt the information to the role that is being pursued.
the valuable experience and skills they already It’s important not to go overboard but to tailor the
have thanks to different events, extracurricular details you include to the role, company or sector of
activities and associations they’ve been a part of as the vacancy.
a student.

“ Making a resume that catches the eye of a potential employer is vital

to taking that first step into your future career

Among the various sections of a student resume, Whether you are recently graduated from high
it is essential to include any work or volunteer school or college, looking for a part-time position to
experience you may have, your technical and accompany your studies or a summer internship to help
practical skills and of course your academic profile. further your career, a student resume is the way to go.

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ResumeCoach FORMAT

CV

3. Format
“ Formatting a resume is incredibly important and can easily
mark the difference between candidates who may have similar
backgrounds and profiles.

A potential employer has possibly hundreds of To get started with your resume format you should
resumes from other candidates to look through and first decide on a general design that fits well with
if your resume format is disorganized and unclear, your field, experience and the sector you’re looking
he or she will not waste time trying to make sense to work in.
of it and you will miss your chance for an interview.

THE GENERAL RESUME FORMAT ALSO INCLUDES ALIGNMENT, SPACING, MARGINS,

FONT SIZE AND TYPE, ETC.

· Use headers to make essential information easy to find.

· Never use an illegible font - instead use a common, formal font type and size, such as Arial, Calibri or Times
New Roman, size 10 or 12 to maintain a professional aesthetic.

· Use single line spacing and justify all texts with a left margin.

· Use bullet points to describe responsibilities and accomplishments in your work experience etc.

· Keep the same typeface and emphasizing features throughout for each particular detail. E.g. If you put the
company name in bold, italic or underlined for one employer, all employers’ names should maintain this style.

It is also vital to remember to review the finished resume before applying to any vacancy, to ensure there
are no grammar or spelling errors, off-centered texts or changes in font size or type.

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ResumeCoach FORMAT

TYPES OF RESUME FORMAT

There are three main types of different typical resume layouts that are available
universally-acknowledged resume formats which and most widely accepted by HR professionals.
include different styles of presenting the relevant
information from your professional profile. You can find more information about each type of
resume format and how to use them on our site.
There is not one standard resume format that is
correct for every sector, position and applicant due
to the many variables such as the type of applicant,
level of the position, the industry, etc. However, the
following is a simple beginner’s guide to the

Chronological Resume

The most common of the three types that can be used by anyone is the Chronological Resume.
It is organized by experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent.

Ideal for candidates who have a career trajectory in the same field
or sector and are looking to continue along the same path.

The main body of the chronological resume is made up of the timeline of work experience of each candidate,
wherein it is useful to detail the responsibilities and achievements of each position.

Within the chronological resume work experience section, you will need to use:
action verbs, statistics and numerical facts to provide evidence of what you are claiming to have achieved in
each position as well as including the skills you learned in that particular post.

Functional or Skills-Based Resume

With a different approach, the Functional or Skills-Based Resume emphasizes skills and
qualities that the candidate possesses which make him/her the ideal applicant for that vacancy.
Organized by skills or experiences and not necessarily in chronological order.

Functional resumes are suitable for students who have little to no

work experience or applicants who may have gaps in their work
history. A resume template could help you conceal or even promote
these periods of unemployment if they were possibly beneficial to
the current vacancy like periods of traveling or volunteering.

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ResumeCoach FORMAT

The skills mentioned on your functional resume This means that you should show the potential
should only detail relevant abilities which are employer how much you were able to improve or
required by the specific vacancy you’re applying to. increase efficiency/budgets/funds/revenue/production
etc. by using said skill.
Within these details you should attempt to include at
least one quantifiable point per skill.

Combination Resume

A blend of the two previous types, the Combination Resume, sometimes also known as the
‘hybrid resume’, uses both the chronological format for work experience and highlights the skills
and abilities of each applicant.

Perfect for jobseekers looking to change careers or for those

who have worked in numerous industries but have the relevant
professional skills.

The combination resume employs information from It’s also important to add examples of how you
all areas of a candidate’s personal and professional have used your skills to improve or increase
profile to create a well-rounded, inclusive and productivity or another aspect of the company and
original resume. ensure that this information is relevant to the
position and unique to your abilities.
The emphasis of a combination resume is divided
between the skills and abilities of the candidate and
the work experience they can bring to the role.

How to choose what resume format

The best way to help you decide what resume format to employ is by analyzing your individual needs
and being aware of which resume layout is suitable to tailor to your profile or the vacancy in question.

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ResumeCoach HOW TO WRITE PERFECT RESUME

4. How to Write the

Perfect Resume
When you need to prepare a professional, student, This means using the job advertisement to tailor
graduate or entry level resume, a resume for a your resume and the information portrayed to fit the
specific job role or if you’re writing one for a first skills and experience that the specific post requires.
job, it is also crucial to remember that you are not
the only person doing so. Therefore you need to put The top third of your resume must be eye-catching
a lot of effort into creating a descriptive and and intriguing because this is how you will grab the
intriguing resume which will stand out among the attention of the potential employer. It is vital to
many hundreds of applicants. demonstrate your worth as a business asset by
displaying why you personally would be the perfect
A key top tip for producing a winning resume for all fit for the role and the company.
kinds of profiles is to focus clearly and specifically
on the needs of the employer.

THERE ARE FOUR MAIN RESUME SECTIONS THAT YOU CAN REVIEW IN THIS GUIDE.
ADDITIONAL SECTIONS INCLUDE:

· Volunteer Work

· Personal Interests

· Honors and Awards

· Languages

· Internships

· Publications

· Certifications

Resume Objective

If you’re looking for a new job, it is essential that your resume stands out of the crowd to guarantee you a spot
on the shortlist. To do this, the best way to catch a potential employer’s eye is by providing an outstanding
resume objective right at the beginning.

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ResumeCoach HOW TO WRITE PERFECT RESUME

“ A resume objective is an introductory statement, placed usually

at the beginning of a resume, which briefly presents the
applicant and the skills and achievements which make them the
ideal candidate for the position available.

The resume objective should include a convincing statement explaining how the candidate can benefit the
company and the objectives they can reach together thanks to the applicant’s experience and knowledge.

TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING RESUME OBJECTIVE SECTION:

· This statement usually consists of 3 short sentences and is normally found at the beginning of the
resume to serve as an introduction to the applicant’s profile.

· The resume objective is a way for candidates to present themselves to the hiring manager. It is
advisable to think of it as an opportunity to market your candidacy and offer an insight into your
personal branding; what can you bring to the company?

· For each different job, use a different resume objective! This means, tailoring each objective to the
sector and position you’re applying for.

· The aspects you mention in your resume objective should reflect core elements of your professional
profile and be referred to later on in other parts of the resume.

Work Experience

“ The work experience section on a resume is often the nucleus

around which other sections are built.

For each jobseeker, their work experience section As each candidate will have personal and
will be very different, some more complete than professional circumstances that vary greatly, the
others but there are lots of ways to ensure that work experience section will be unique to each
your career history is inviting for the reader. resume, thus it must be optimized to show the full
potential of that jobseeker.

TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING RESUME WORK EXPERIENCE SECTION:

· Many prospective employers find that your career trajectory is a clear way to define if you will be a
suitable applicant for the position. All the information contained in this section should therefore be
pertinent to the job that you’re applying to and only this position, company and sector.

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ResumeCoach HOW TO WRITE PERFECT RESUME

· Your work history list should begin with the most recent position held and go backward in time,
detailing the positions held between now and 10-15 years back.

· It is important to include information that provides evidence of the significance of hiring you
specifically. This means explaining how you have contributed in past roles and how this has helped
the company to grow or develop in a positive manner.

· Using action verbs such as performed; launched; implemented; spearheaded; coordinated; directed;
increased; restructured; acquired etc. is the perfect way to detail your responsibilities and
achievements in each position

· Each job post should detail the job title, employer/company name, location and dates of employment.

· If you have large gaps in your career history, it is considered appropriate to show why you have not
worked in this time by giving a brief explanation; for example: Full-time parenting, study leave, traveling
etc.

· Do not overfill your work experience section by repeating lots of the same tasks. In order to avoid
this, you can group together similar experiences.

Education

“ The education section is one of the key parts a potential employer

will look for, simply to get an understanding of the expertise and
background of each candidate.

If this part includes other courses or training sessions in which the candidate has participated,
the hiring manager will see more of what interests the jobseeker in his or her professional career.

TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING RESUME EDUCATION SECTION:

· Depending on your personal situation you may want to list first your education section or the work
experience part on your resume.

· Similarly to the work experience section, you should always write your academic achievements,
diplomas and degrees in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent and going
backwards.

· If you attended college and obtained a BA or BSc, it is not advisable to include your previous education
or high school diploma information.

· For each entry in the education section of your resume, it is only advisable to include your GPA if it is
superior to 3.0.

· Remember to include any educational or extracurricular activities that could prove you are equipped
to deal with the pressures of the specific working environment.

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ResumeCoach HOW TO WRITE PERFECT RESUME

Skills

When creating an effective resume, you need to know how to write a skills section because it is
one of the first things a potential employer will look for to get a basic understanding of what you,
as a potential employee, can bring to their company.

“ Skills are categorized into two different types: the hard

and the soft, encompassing all types of technical or social
abilities that can be relevant to a working environment

Soft skills is the name given to those capabilities Hard skills, on the other hand, refer to more
that are either naturally present in certain people technical, accumulative abilities, usually more
or are developed through relations and experience specific to certain positions or industries.
more often than through official courses.

TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING RESUME SKILLS SECTION:

· Highlight your strengths and provide evidence of how you have applied your skills in a professional
environment to improve profits or operations.

· Consider how these attributes have either helped you to achieve something or have benefited your
career in some way.

· As it can be more complicated to provide quantifiable evidence for soft skills on a resume, a tip to
follow would be to research professionals in your industry or in the position you seek or even take a
look at various similar job advertisements to see the desired or emphasized soft skills mentioned.

· Hard skills, also known as employability skills or technical skills, can be quantified by your level of
expertise in the subject or years of experience using a certain technique or program.

· The key to attracting a potential employer to read your resume is to include a mix of both hard and soft
skills in the section dedicated to skills.

· All skills that are mentioned on your resume must be tailored to your application.

“ Nearly 80% of graduate employers search for mostly personal, soft

skills as many applicants are likely to have the same technical skills
if they’re applying for the same job and coming from similar
academic or career backgrounds.

All your core skills must be weaved into the basic fabric of your resume in order to convince a hiring
manager of your ability to do the job you’re applying to.

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ResumeCoach

5. Get hired!
SO, THE TIME HAS COME TO DOWNLOAD YOUR RESUME IN PDF AND START APPLYING.

Do not forget to complete your job application with Also, it’s vital to remember to proofread all of the
an effective cover letter tailored to the position documents included in your professional job
you’re interested in. To get extra help with writing a application.
cover letter, check out our online guide.

“
Small errors can make a big difference to some employers and a
sloppy, mistake-ridden application will not get a second look!

Ensure you have not lied anywhere on your resume Candidates should be entirely satisfied with their
or given misleading information as this can be resume and application documents before applying
detrimental to your application. to any positions because impatience can ruin your
chances of presenting the best profile to the hiring
Also make sure to optimize it to suit the position manager.
and company you’re applying to, remembering to
include keywords that will withstand any Applicant You only really ever get one chance to make that
Tracking Software testing, which is becoming first impression so make it count with a winning
ever-more popular to weed out weaker candidates resume and perfect cover letter!
in the initial stages.

Happy hunting and good luck!

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