Prompt Proofing Blog Post: How to Write a Resume and Cover Letter That Get Results

    VANCOUVER, BC, August 05, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- At Prompt Proofing we are often asked to proofread or edit resumes and cover letters. Obviously these need to be absolutely perfect; you only have one chance to make a good impression and you don't want your resume tossed into the 'reject' pile just because it contains a minor spelling error. Trust me, that will happen; most hiring managers will assume that if you couldn't be bothered to check details on your resume, you won't bother to check details when it comes to your work.

There are many books out there offering resume and cover letter templates and guidelines - use them by all means. However, we offer a few words of advice. This week we will talk about resumes and next week, cover letters.

Resumes - a few helpful hints:

1. Abide by the golden rule - limit your resume to a maximum of two pages; there should never be a good reason to go over this.

2. Choose a 'normal' font - gimmicky fonts may attract attention, but they don't look professional. Stick with Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri. Also keep to a size that is easily legible. Arial or Calibri 11 and Times New Roman 12 should suffice. Avoid the temptation to use a tiny font in an attempt to squeeze lots of information into the two-page limit. You'll only infuriate the person who has to take a magnifying glass to read it (and it will still be too long).

3. Be consistent. Use the same format for all your sub-headings. If one is bolded, they all should be. Generally only the first word of each heading and any proper nouns (company or university names, etc) should be capitalized. For example: Employment history (not Employment History).

4. Use bullet points for listing details under each heading and - again - be consistent with the way you set these out. Under Employment history for example, you should have dates, followed by the name of the company, followed by a brief description of your job there.

5. Contact details - Your name should come first and be in comparatively large font. You should include: mailing address, email and phone number. Do ensure you have an 'appropriate' email address - [email protected] may not convey the desired impression!

6. Catch the recipient's attention with the most important information at the beginning. Your resume should have an opening statement that is your objective. This should be tuned, as far as possible, to the description of the job for which you are applying. Your objective should contain 'I' statements (such as: I aim to work for a company on the cutting edge of technology where I can use my skills and keep abreast of the latest developments.)

7. Skills - These should follow after your objective. This is where you can stress your particular skills and achievements. (For example: Excellent interpersonal skills; increased sales by 37% over a six-month period; etc.)

8. Employment history - It should go without saying that there should be no gaps in your employment history. If there are, then you should offer some favourable explanation, just to reassure them that you were not unemployed or, worse still, in prison! If you were unemployed, put as positive spin as possible on it - suggest you were studying, exploring opportunites, volunteering, or even 'taking a sabbatical' and travelling. Your most recent position should come first. If you are a mature candidate with over twenty years of experience, it is fine to head this section 'Recent employment history'. It is unlikely they will be interested in where you worked fifteen years ago, though you can include earlier employment if it has direct bearing on the position you are applying for. If you are young and applying for a first or second job, you might want to add any work experience gained as part of your degree,diploma or co-op course.

9. Qualifications and experience - You do not need to go back to your high school examinations (unless you have only just left school) but all degrees and/or relevant diplomas or certification should be included, the most recent first. Start with the correct title of the qualification, followed by the educational institution that issued it.

10. Proofread! Last, but by no means least, proofread! Check once, check twice and then check a third time. Check for neatness of layout and consistency of formatting, as well as spelling, punctuation and grammar. (Still worried? Most resumes will be short enough to be covered by Prompt Proofing's minimum $10 charge - send it over to us and be completely certain that you are creating the best possible first impression.)

Check back next Friday for another Prompt Proofing blog post!

About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to both individuals and businesses.

About Prompt Proofing

Prompt Proofing is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and was officially launched in 2010 by a team of editing and writing professionals who have over 40 years of experience in the education, news media, public relations and recruitment fields. Prompt Proofing prides itself on affordable services delivered with fast turnaround times, without sacrificing quality or accuracy.

Offering content writing, editing and proofreading services, Prompt Proofing takes care of your individual or business content needs. Visit our website for more information at http://www.PromptProofing.com.

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