What Makes a Good Resume 11 Things Your Resume Needs

What Makes a Good Resume 11 Things Your Resume Needs Though thousands of people do it, not everyone knows how to write a resume.What does that mean?Piles of resumes that sound and look exactly the same.And yours is someone in the middle, waiting for a short glare from a frustrated recruiter who will trash it in as much time it takes to pronounce your name.How do you stand out? What makes a good resume?Breathe easy, here are 11 things your resume needs to be great.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowInterested inthe ins and outs of writing a resume? Try our guide: Making a Resume for a Job: Full Guide1The Right Resume FormatThere are a few resume styles to choose from and picking the wrong one can have a very negative effect on your resume. So guess what picking the right one can do!Here are the standard resume formats you can choose from:Reverse-chronological format. The most well-known and recognized resume format by far. Best choice for most experienced employees.Functional (skills based) format. A good choice for entry-level candidates or those with very little work experience.Combination format. Relatively uncommon, but still a good format for career changers as it highlights their transferable skills.To learn more about resume formats, check out this handy guide: Different Types of Resume Formats2A Professional, Up-to-Date Resume Contact InformationDont you hate it when you want to call up an old friend and hear the number you have dialled is not in service?Yes, well, so do recruiters. Keep your contact information relevant and current.To make a great resume header, you need to incl ude your:full name (no nicknames)current addresscell phone numberprofessional email address that you check regularlyLinkedIn profile or online portfolio if relevantDo not add your age, marital status, race, religion, or photos to your resume. These can lead to grounds for discrimination.For more on what to put in your resume contact information, check out this helpful guide: How to Include Your Resume Contact Information3An Impactful Resume ProfileThis is the first section the recruiter will really read and if it doesnt get them hooked then the rest of your resume doesnt really make much difference.There are two standard types of resume profiles: the professional objective and the professional summary.The professional summary is basically a holistic overview of your work experience, skills, and job expertise. If you have a lot of work experience, this is the statement to choose.The professional objective is based more on general knowledge and skills and focused more on your career g oals. This statement works well for career changers and entry-level candidates.Whichever you choose, keep them short (5 sentences max) and include your key skills and accomplishments.Read more: How to Write a Resume Profile: Examples and Tips4Relevant Work ExperienceThis is not the section where you list everything you ever did in your life. This isnt an encyclopedia.If you want to make a great resume, your work experience section needs to be perfect, so it shows you can do the job. Heres how to do that:List the most current date and then go back in time with your experience.Include your current professional job title/position.Include the company name and location.List key responsibilities in bullet points. Use no more than 6 for your current position, fewer as you go back in time. Remain concise.Add key achievements if applicable. You shouldnt have more than 1-3 so choose impressive ones.Use action verbs to really demonstrate your involvement in your job.Unless youre applying for a highly specialized position or managerial role, theres no need to go back further than 15 years in your job history.Remember that its always easier to read numbers.Compare created plan that led to doubling of sales with created plan that led to 85% increase in sales. They say the same, but they dont have the same impact, do they?For more information on listing your work experience on your resume, take a look at these guides: How to Add Working Experience to a Resume and How to List Multiple Roles on a Resume5Correct EducationYour education section will probably be the shortest and easiest to write. But that doesnt mean you can just breeze right through.Just like with every other part, a good education sector makes a good resume.The education section should include:Degree/DiplomaSchool name and locationCompletion date or expected graduation dateIf you have a lot of work experience, only list your last degree/diploma.If youre just starting your career, you can list both college and h igh school and add a few details to demonstrate your professional worth.If you want to hit the books on adding education to your resume, read this guide: What to Include in Your Resume Education Section6Applicable SkillsUnfortunately, lots of candidates believe that a long list of every skill invented makes for a great resume.Thats just not the case.Skills need to be relevant in order to have meaning. Otherwise your resume will just look like a dictionary exploded all over it.Heres how to include your skills in your resume:Remember to add both technical skills and soft (personality driven) skills. Theyre equally important.Search the job ad for the professional skills the recruiter is looking for.Include those skills in the skills section of your resume. Dont lie about having a particular skill though!Be specific. Resumes are often scanned by an ATS system that picks up on resume keywords. If its looking for Microsoft Word and you just put in Office, then guess whos going to be overl ooked and rejected. Yup, you.Check out this guide for more about skills on your resume: How to List Your Skill Set on Your Resume7Additional, Important Resume SectionsThis section is probably the most confusing for job seekers since its a little more freeform than the rest of the resume sections. But its not that hard!A great additional section can be just what you need to take your resume to the next level and noticeably above the rest.Here are some great areas to include:Hobbies and InterestsNo, not cats, travelling, movies. Add relatively specific hobbies that relate to the job youre applying for. While sports is something youll see everywhere, a martial arts recruiter will be more interested in muay thay, judo, and jujitsu.This is also a great moment for candidates with no work experience to prove that they truly have an interest and passion for the industry theyre applying to.Certificates and LicencesThis is the perfect place to mention applicable course, certificates, or award s. These can set you apart from other candidates in the job race.Simply list the name or title of the certificate, course or award, and the year in which you received it.Volunteer WorkVolunteer experience is often overlooked by candidates both with and without experience. Thats a shame.Volunteer work shows recruiters that you are passionate enough about a certain thing that you will spend your spare time doing it for free.This is an especially helpful section for those writing a resume with no job experience since volunteer work can demonstrate different skills, professionalism, and maturity.List your volunteer almost like you would list your professional work experience. Include the name of the institution/organization, dates, and a couple of concise bullet points on what you specifically did as a volunteer.Remember to only include it if its relevant to the role!Foreign LanguagesThere are lots of positions on the job market where knowledge of a foreign language will put you ahead.L isting languages is simpleadd the language and the level of your knowledge next to it. Depending on where you are and where youre applying to, find the best proficiency scale with which to judge your proficiency.Read more: Include These Resume Sections and Categories in Your ResumeWhen making a resume in our builder, drag drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.Create my resume nowWhen youre done, Zetys resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.8A Cover LetterBut wait, this is about how to make a good resume!I know hun, but rest assured writing a great resume means writing a great cover letter to go along with it.The cover letter allows you to go into more in depth examples of your work history, qualifications, and professional expertise and really demonstrate that youre the best candidate for the role.For tips and tricks on how to write a great cover letter, take a look a t this guide: How to Write a Cover Letter9Editing and ProofreadingThere is probably nothing that a recruiter hates more than a promising resume filled with typos and bad formatting.If you cant even spell check, why would anyone think you would be able to do a job?Always proofread your resume before sending it out. Here are a few tips to help you out:Use a tool like Grammarly or embedded spell checkers to check your resume.Read your resume slowly and out loud to catch errors.Give your resume to someone qualified to have it proofread.Read more: Proper Resume Layout10The TruthThis shouldnt be on the list, but it is since candidates still like to doctor up their resumes here and there (and sometimes everywhere).Theres no point lying on your resume. Recruiters will verify your claims through interviews, references, and background checks.Stick to the truth.11A Certain Kind of PrettyYou can have the best resume on the planet, but if its written in Comic Sans, no one is going to take you se riously.Here are some aesthetic tips to make your resume not only great, but all kinds of beautiful:Resume margins: 1 margin on all sides.Resume font: use professional fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, New Times Roman, etc).Font Size: Use 14-16 pt for resume section headers and 12 pt for the rest of the text.Font formats: Use bold sparingly to emphasize key points. You can underline your section headers to make for a clearer break between sections. Use italics for text that doesnt need to be at the forefront (e.g. locations).Resume length: Keep to 1 page. 2 pages are ok for very experienced or senior level candidates.Read more: Resume Dos and Don'ts: Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a ResumeKey TakeawayIt may sometimes seem that making a good resume is next to impossible. But now you can see that its not all that hard!Just remember what makes a good resume:Choose the right resume format for you.Include up-to-date, relevant information, experience, skills, and examples in all of your resume sections.Attach a meaningful cover letter that will sweep the recruiter off their feet.Proofread, proofread, proofread.Stick to the truth.Make sure your resume is aesthetically pleasing.Thats it! Now go create the perfect resume and land that interview!Have any questions? Share them in the comments below and Ill get back to you in a flash!