Writing the summary of your career in only one page can be scary. What to include, what to leave out is a tough decision because it will be decisive to capture your potential employer’s attention. That is why it is not unusual that one may feel insecure, nervous, and stressed out when building one’s resume.

Before writing your resume, you may want to consider the following aspects:

1- Customization

   As the job market becomes more and more competitive, it is crucial to tailor your resume based on what the position requires. By doing so, you show your recruiter that you are the best fit for that particular job and that you took the time to prepare for the occasion. Analyze the job description closely and search the company website to grasp its mission and culture better. 

2- Format

   It is advisable to choose the format beforehand and adapt the content. The three most popular designs are chronological, which lists your accomplishments in reverse-chronological order, functional, which focuses on skills and combination, which is a mix of the other two. 

3- Personal information

   Your contact information should be precise and identifiable. Also, create a professional e-mail address if you do not have one. Objective and Profile are optional sections. If you decide to include them, make sure they are concise and short.  

4- Work Experience

   Professional background includes previous employers, their locations, dates, job titles, and responsibilities. Make sure not to give a job description but to describe your achievements. Promotions are worth mentioning as well as awards or other relevant information that helps you stand out.

5- Volunteer Work

   Pointing out any volunteer work you have performed shows your determination to gain experience, especially if it is related to your career field. It can also be helpful to highlight how you enhanced your soft skills.

6- Education

   When listing your education accomplishments, it is relevant to include the name of your school, its location, what degree you got, major, graduation year, and GPA if it is worth noting. You may also want to mention any significant coursework, honors, extracurricular activities, and if you participated in study abroad programs.

7- Skills

   First of all, it is advisable to list those skills relevant to the position. Of course, your prospective employer already expects you to have specific hard skills to apply. However, pointing out your soft skills will do a lot to push you up. The job posting will mention those soft skills required for the position. Do not overlook them. Give them special attention and thought. Interpersonal aptitudes such as communication -verbal and non-verbal- teamwork and empathy are just as essential as hard skills. Customize this section as the rest of your resume.

8- Edit 

   Once you have finished, review it very carefully more than once and taking breaks in between. 

• Be consistent with your narrative, format, spacing, font, headings, tabs, etc. 
• Make sure that you chose a design that can convert your document to PDF without losing formatting.  
• Use strong, clear, and dynamic action verbs such as "prepared, increased, supervised, organized, etc.," together with specific and proven data.
• Avoid crowding words and tiny fonts.

9- What Not to Include

   Private information, such as sex, age, marital status, and photographs, should not be included. Also, keep your references for a later stage of the application process. Something like: "References available upon request" will do if you feel you need such a statement.

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