The activities and honours are usually listed in one section especially if they both support the same career objective & job requirements. If you have an extensive list of activities that supports your career objective, than it could be the case that these could be separated. Always keep the resume section headings to a minimum.

Keep in mind that the information at the top has to capture the employers attention, so it has to be very relevant to the job you are applying for.

The resume activities and honours section is used mainly by graduates and school leavers who have limited job experience. The objective of this section is to show you are pro-active and take initiative. This resume section should be concise and support your career objective.

Include any official or leadership position you occupied.

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A resume is divided into several sections :

• Personal data
• Job Experience
• Education
• References

Each of these sections is preceded by a heading. These headings affect the scan-ability of your resume. Thought should be given to the following.

Readability Is your heading a good description of the section ?

White space White space : the space between sections and sub sections. White space can divide your resume in easily readable parts. It can give a logical architecture.

Centered or Left Justified Section headings can be either centered or left justified. Both are good. Choose the style that fits with the overall resume presentation.

Most important information The most important information goes on top. This applies to the sections themselves and to the information in the sections.

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Personal Information in a resume should be limited to the essential contact details. An employer cannot ask details such as age, gender, religion and race so use valuable space on a resume to provide more important information directly related to the job you are applying for. An international resume usually requires more details than a US resume.

How can you use personal information as an asset in your resume ?

Interest Groups

• Ex: If you are applying for a financial position as an accountant. Mention you were part of the local investment club or the treasurer of your travel club.
  

Photos

• Photos are not required unless your visual appearance is important for the job, such as a photo model.

Activities & Hobbies

• Ex: If you enjoy camping and outdoor activities mention it when applying for a nature or sports related job.
• Ex: If you are applying for a job which requires international travel and you are well traveled, add it to your resume
• Ex: If you are applying for a job with the CIA clandestine service and you are single, it would probably be an asset. Mention it in your resume.

Such personal data can help, but should only be used to fill space. Usually such tactics will be useful for the graduate resume. Your education and job experience in your resume take precedence over personal data.

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Work history is the core of the resume for the experienced professional. Your space is limited, so your work history has to be brief and to the point. We suggest you write a full description of your previous jobs on a separate document and then start trimming it down. This way you are sure you can cover the employer's needs. If you start by trying to figure out how to put everything in a couple of lines you run the risk to miss important facts.

A resume is divided into several sections.You have around 23 lines in your employment section. If you have one employer, dedicate the employment section of your resume to that job, but you have the luxury to go into detail and mention all the job responsibilities that you had. Job titles can increase the financial value of a resume.

If you had more than one job, do not dedicate the same amount of space to each one. You should give more attention to jobs that are similar to the one you are applying for. For employment history that extends over 10 years , give limited details such as: Name of Employer and your main responsibility.

If you want to 'cover up' your age do not mention your age, dates and jobs that you had 15 years ago and over. If asked about them during an interview, just say that you ran out of space on your resume.

Include the following information in each job listed in your resume

• Employment dates
• Employer's Name
• Locations
• Employer's Business
• Job Title
• Number of people under your supervision
• The title of your immediate supervisor

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Your education is definitely one of your biggest assets. Use your education in your resume with care. It can be an essential element that can lead you to be chosen for the job. It does not matter if you have an MBA, a couple of A levels or just finished college. Education is one of the essential Resume Headings.

• If you are just out of an educational program, and have no job experience, build your resume 'around' the program. Include practical projects & studies you have completed.
• If you were studying for a degree or any other education which you failed to complete. List all the separate units together with the marks you got for each section.
• Training, Courses, Seminars and conferences should be included especially if you do not have any formal qualifications.

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A resume reference is some one who can verify your credentials and all or part of the information you have written in your resume. References are usually contacted in the last stages of the job selection procedure. Probably after the candidate has attended the first interview.

You have to know your references well and be sure that they can give a good feedback, to anybody asking questions about your past.

Resume references can be

• Former teachers or professors
• Clients
• Former project managers or supervisors
• Other contacts from industry associations

It is best to check your references before you give them to a potential employer. How ? Call and ask them what they think about you! If you hesitate to do this, ask a friend who can do it for you. If you ask a previous manager if you can use them as a reference they will probably answer 'yes'. However you never know if this person will give a good reference or a bad one about you. Resume References have to be able to answer questions on the following subjects :

• Professional Conduct / Personal Character
• Academic Qualifications
• Work Experience
• Job titles
• Responsibilities
• Employment Dates
• Communication Skills
• Oral
• Written
• Strengths & Weaknesses
• Management / Leadership Skills
• Attitude
• Attendance
• Punctuality
• Dependability

In a resume you generally do not list your references unless it is specified in the job advert. The phrase 'References available upon request' is one of the most common phrases in resumes. In case you do make sure they are reliable references. A good reference can substantiate the contents of your resume and can be the decisive factor in your job hunt.

Some employers now a days even give the 'No Comment' when being asked about an employee. Still others spill their guts on your negative aspects. So be sure to check any references you list in your resume or give to a potential employer after the first interview. Ideally references have known you for more than a year.

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Examples of soft skills that you could integrate in your resume

• problem solving
• communication team player skills
• conflict management
• interpersonal skills
• planning and organization
• leadership and motivation skills
• initiative

Employers are realising how a candidate's soft skills can help them determine which potential employee should be offered the job. When you are short listed and there are two or three remaining candidates, your soft skills can give you that extra push that will win you the race.

Most job candidates do not emphasise their job skills nearly enough. Communication, team leadership and planning are all transferable skills and very useful to the candidates who are changing careers. Most job adverts specify 'soft skills' in their requirements.

When writing your resume for a specific job, include the soft skills required in the job description and design your other work accomplishments around them.

When marketing your soft skills, be sure to identify the specific soft skills the employer is requesting then build your resume around them. For example, when you begin describing your soft skills ask yourself questions like this, 'What are my specific problem solving skills? How do I use problem solving on the job? Why is problem solving important in my job?'

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The job titles you use in your resumes can have a huge impact on the salary you'll be offered. Similarly, your previous job titles can have a negative impact on jobs you are applying for because your job titles can give the impression that you are under qualified for the position.

Some job titles have a certain degree of stigma attached to them. A cleaner does not sound as professional as a health technician. This is just one example of how writing a better job title can change the recruiter's perception of the position. Impressive job titles can raise your image. Be careful though, your employer could ask for previous work contracts that mention your exact job title. This is, however, a risk that most candidates take. On the other hand, if you supervised five people, never say you supervised ten!

Some job candidates have a low image of themselves that's reflected in their resume. It's important you give the impression that your resume was written by an upbeat, positive person.

Self confidence shows through your resume. Sit down, identify your skills and be proud of your achievements to date. Now write down these achievements, giving your resume the shape that potential employers want to see.

You probably have far more skills than you give yourself credit for. Sit down and write them down, do not forget to include your soft skills. You'll discover a lot of skills that relate directly to the job. Keep the notes handy for future reference. This will increase your confidence substantially. As you move through this process, your view of your personal skills and abilities will expand and your feelings will lead you to create a far superior resume.

Always keep this in mind. Your confidence is essential in resume writing because the image you present in your resume is crucial.

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Young graduates who are on the job market for the first time need to start by learning to write their first resume. To do this they need to learn the basic rules of resumes for graduates.

Writing your resume should be a step by step process.

• If you are applying for a specific job
• Read the job advertisement carefully.
• Make sure you address each requirement in the graduate resume.
• Follow the instructions.
• Include your soft skills

• Act Professionally

• Be sure your graduate resume does not have any spelling and grammatical errors.
• Do not act 'cute'.
• Avoid easily corrected mistakes.
• Have another person review your resume and give an honest opinion.

• Finding a job is hard work

• Applying for jobs
• Attending interviews
• Writing a specific resume and cover letter for each job
• All the above tasks take time
• Stress is another factor you have to deal with

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With career scopes and job descriptions becoming wider, job seekers often find it difficult to fit a potential employer's specific profile. Employers are asking for 3 years in x and 4 years in y, which, to a job seeker just out of university, can seem a daunting level to aspire to.

Job candidates then try to 'fix' their resumes in order to better fit the job profile. What they don't realize is that they are breaking the first rule of resume writing: 'Do not lie on your resume!'

Although you may not realize it, a lie on your resume can make the honest information look false, something which will decrease your personal integrity in the eyes of the employer. Recruiters often employ the services of third parties to check the validity of the information given on resumes.

It is no use trying to outshine your competition by lying. If you're caught, you probably will not be allowed to apply for any jobs with this recruiter or employer again. Focus on your unique combination of skills, instead. The way you present your assets in a resume is important but polishing them too much and trying to turn brass into gold will not get you where you want to be.

Expert recruiters claim 'more and more candidate lie on their resumes, making us more hesitant to accept the facts presented'. The industry has seen the development of specialist companies whose business is catching people who lie on resumes. For this reason, it's becoming increasingly difficult to lie on your resume without getting caught.

Job candidates tend to lie most about their education. If you feel something in your past is hindering your ability to gain a job, do not try to hide it by lying. Instead, find other qualities that outweigh the disadvantages.

There are other reasons why you should not lie on your resume.

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Functional resumes are best used in situations where specific skills and accomplishments gained through experience or academic qualifications will demonstrate the candidate's competency. Your skills should be listed in order of their importance.

The functional resume is ideal if you're looking for a complete career change. This resume is ideal for students who have no previous work experience and are applying for their first job.

Avoid the functional resume when you are applying for traditional jobs, especially positions within government entities or private institutions.

A functional resume's categories are based on :

• Personal Details
• Career Objective
• Professional Experience
• Work Experience(optional)
• Professional Affiliations
• Education
• Awards

Work Experience
This is where you have to list your former jobs. Also include any unpaid or voluntary work that you've done.
This is optional Your work history isn't strictly required in a functional resume although listing it will show potential employers that you have nothing to hide.
If your work history is irregular, there may well be more disadvantages than benefits by listing it, in which case, skip this part.
Include: year start - year finish, job title , name of organisation , job description in each of your work history items.

• Professional Affiliations

List any relevant, active professional affiliations in this section. If you are in doubt as to whether an affiliation will help get the contract signed, don't list it.

• Educational Qualifications in your Resume

Here you should include the highest qualification you've gained & any special courses that you think will help you secure the position.

• Awards

List any relevant awards in this section.

Graduates can also add some personal information in their resume.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Functional Resume

Advantages

• Shows skills that would be hard to see in a chronological resume.
• If you have an irregular career this format will 'make more sense of things'.
• New graduates can use this format to highlight their skills rather than their experience.
• Useful when changing careers.
  

Disadvantages

• Some employers find the functional resume difficult to interpret and are more interested in the actual organizations you have worked for and the positions you've held. Employers need this information to determine the level of responsibility that you previously had.
• Leaving out dates and job titles can raise recruiters suspicions.

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In a chronological resume you have to list your job experience in date order, starting with the most recent first.

The sections of a chronological resume are

• Personal Details
• Personal Profile or Job Objective
• Career & Related Accomplishments :
• Work Experience
• Education
• Professional Affiliations & Interest
• References

When using this format you'll need to highlight your job experience. It's a good choice when applying for work with traditional organisations or when you held a post which had an impressive title.

Remember that you don't have much time (40 seconds) to impress your potential employer and convince him/her that you're the right match for the job advertised.

Essential Components of a Chronological Resume :

Personal Details :
Name, Phone, Email Address, Postal Address

Personal Profile or Job Objective :
A Your personal profile defines your career objectives. Three lines should be enough for this.

Career & Related Accomplishments :
A synopsis (summary) of your resume. It is important to use this section to mention your achievements and stress your value to the company. Keywords and action verbs show your achievements in a better light.

Education Details in your Chronological Resume:
If you have work experience, place this section just below it. If you're just out of school or university and have no work experience, place this section first in your chronological resume.
Include the schools you have attended and list any degrees, Diplomas, majors, minors, honours and awards you achieved.

Work Experience
Here you can include all your work related experience, even if it wasn't directly employment based. If you worked in the school paper or have written a major dissertation/thesis, this is the place to list it.

Focus on the benefits that the organisation had when you were employed there, avoiding the use of padding. The kind of details your work experience should include: the position held, the date the employment started/ finished and any achievements gained.

Use action verbs and keywords when describing your experience.

Employment in your resume

Professional Affiliations & Interests
Only include this section if there is enough space on your resume. If you are a member of any professional organisations, list them here. If you are in doubt as to whether any activity/membership will add value to your resume then its best not to mention it.

References
All you need to write is the following sentence: 'References are available on request.' It is better not to include the reference contact details.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Chronological Resumes

Advantages

• Your job titles and the organisations you have worked for are clearly shown.
• Your career is 'show cased' and the progression can be easily followed by the recruiter/employer.
• Your last job/school will be at the top of your chronological resume. As long as this is something you want your employer to see, a chronological resume is the right choice for you.
  

Disadvantages

• Frequent job changes are clearly visible.
• Gaps in your career are clearly visible.
• If you held various functions in a company, this resume format is not your best option. Consider a functional resume instead.

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Regardless of your experience, qualifications or intelligence, you'll still need to apply for jobs and pass through the selection procedure. To apply for jobs you need to write a resume. Luckily, resumes are free because you can write them yourself.

Your free resume is made up of :

• An accurate summary of your credentials
• Education, achievements, job experience and goals
• It should flow naturally and be easy to read
• It should be based on a particular format: Chronological resume, Functional resume, Targeted resume or Combo resume

Depending on their personal circumstances, people have different reasons to write a resume. It's important you have a clear idea of why you are writing a resume before you start as this will help you choose the correct resume style.

You want to write your resume because :

• You're applying or looking for a new job in the same industry / area.
• You're applying or looking for a new job in a different industry / area.
• You would like to group your experience / qualifications in one document.
• You were asked to provide a copy of your resume.

A resume must contain accurate information. For this reason, it's a good idea to keep your resume updated after each major task, accomplishment or qualifications received. Keep up to date with all your job contracts, qualifications and job descriptions.

The following will help you to write your resume.

• Contracts
• Job Descriptions
• Periodical Performance Reviews
• Letters of Reference
• Letters of Appreciation
• Qualification Certificate's
• Specialist Courses

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A combination resume is so called as it combines the features of both a functional and chronological resume/CV. It emphasizes your achievements while providing career history in reverse chronological order. It can provide great flexibility in that you can alter the emphasis of the resume to suit your personal abilities and situation. For example if you have few years in employment but many years in relevant education, then you can highlight education and keep the emphasis off work history.

Whichever way you choose to present the information, ensure that you understand the employers needs and consider how you can meet those and then tailor your CV/resume to make those things prominent.

The main headings are:

• Summary
• Skills
• Experience
• Work history
• Education

Other headings can include:

• Career objectives
• Memberships
• Honors
• Certifications

The combination Resume demonstrates your career progression, promotions etc while also highlighting your skills and achievements. These types of resume offer more flexibility and can present you in the best possible light.

Who might use a combination CV/Resume?

• If you have worked many different jobs but in the same role you may want to highlight achievements in each post rather than repeat the same list of job duties over and over.
• If you are applying for a job that you have not done before, you can focus instead on your skills and achievements rather than on your previous job titles.
• If you done many different jobs, again highlight skills and accomplishments rather than work history.
• If you have just graduated and lack employment experience you can emphasize your education, volunteer work, skills etc.

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When writing your resume or CV you should always remember that you are trying to convince the employer that YOU are the best person for the job. In order to do this your CV/Resume is your personal ‘sales letter’. It must be written from the perspective that it is not ‘what can the employer do for you’ but a case of ‘what you can do for the employer.’

Keep this in mind when creating your CV and ensure that every point you make is one that will highlight how the employers business might benefit from having you on board.

Employers want all the cogs in their machine to be working efficiently and running on time and working towards maximum output. They want to know that you will assist them in keeping that machine (their business) running smoothly.

Don’t be afraid to be bold and state ‘this is what I will do for you’.

Not all employers know what the intricate aspects are of every vacancy that exists within their organisation. Thus they rely on ‘results’ that are observable and feedback from their workforce as well as job descriptions that they may have created themselves, had help to create or obtained from an outside source as a standardised document.

What do most employers want?

In addition to technical skills and competencies that relate to the job most employers want transferable skills, i.e.:

• Good written and communication/interpersonal skills
• Ability to listen and follow instructions, apply knowledge.
• Willingness and ability to work with others – team work
• Administrative/computer skills
• Time management
• Personal Management skills
• Problem solving
• Able to find and use information

These skills while not necessarily achieving immediately observable results do contribute to the overall effectiveness of the organisation. So mentioning and demonstrating your transferable skills is as important as highlighting your technical skills.

Identify your employer’s needs, and convince them that they need YOU!

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As discussed in financial value of a resume article, job titles are essential in a resume. Think and act as people in the job you are aspiring for do, rather than the job you have now.

The key is to monitor the jobs advertised in the industry over a period of 1 or 2 months and note the pay scale that is associated with each job description. This is vital information to learn if you want to advance in your career.

This way, you can also find better job titles for the jobs you have or roles you previously occupied. An employer will give your resume more consideration if a job title you used is associated with more responsibility or is closer to the job you are applying for. This will result directly in your interviewer considering you for a position with more responsibility, which will again result in an increase in your salary.

These job descriptions are also a key to writing your career objective. You should be able to create a lot of keywords and ideas that can be used when defining your career objective.

These job adverts can also provide you with a lot of key skills that you can include in your resume, especially skills you already have but didn't know the technical name for.

Warning

Be aware though that this can work both ways, just as you may be tinkering with your job title to ‘big yourself up’ employers will be ‘bigging up’ the job title in the Ads to make the job sound more appealing. For example a vacancy for a cleaner may be advertised as ‘Environment and hygiene technician’. Ok, perhaps an exaggeration, but you get the point. Every other job these days, the post is for a Consultant this, Manager of that.

Also how they describe themselves may not be as you expect either. For example a’ fast growing dynamic new business’ could in fact be a one man business operating from the back bedroom.

The Adverts do not lie they just exaggerate, as they want you to be as interested in working for them as you are keen to apply. So do your research before you apply for the job. Look up the company details on the web.

Watch out for Adverts, which say things like: ‘pay is subject to qualifications/experience’ as this usually means they'll pay you as little as they think you’ll accept when they hire you.

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To write a targeted resume, you need to list the most relevant accomplishments, skills and experience for the specific job. In addition, you may also list skills for which you don’t necessarily have any job experience, but have acquired through attendance of seminars or courses. The job history is placed after the skills and accomplishments. This type of resume should be kept between one and maximum two pages and is specific to each job and employer that you target.

Characteristics of the targeted resume

• Targets a particular job opening.
• Emphasizes the job specific skills and knowledge.

When to use the targeted resume

• When you apply for a specific job and have a clear understanding of the responsibilities.

Format of the targeted resume:

Personal details – can also be listed at the end of the CV and includes:

• Name and surname
• Address with postal code
• Contact numbers
• Email address

Objectives

Two sentence description of specific goals and objectives

Skills and Accomplishments

Write a summary of your skills, background and accomplishments relevant to the targeted position. Only write one paragraph and stay focused.

Education or Training

This section can be placed after the job history but should start with the most recent and relevant qualification. Only list your highest qualifications unless one of your other qualifications is highly relevant to the targeted job. List the institution, location, starting and completion dates, qualification and majors.

Job History

Only list your previous employers, position held and main responsibilities. Include start and end dates.

Interests

List three interests that are relevant to the job. Also include membership of organizations and clubs.

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Canadians use résumés instead of CVs and prefer computerised applications. The application process is much more commercial and as most employers will read resumes on the computer the resume should fit a specific template and if it does not then it risks being rejected without a viewing. Bullet point words such as contributed, managed, organized, developed etc. at the start of a sentence for maximum impact.

Once the filter has ‘found’ your resume, it might be read by a person who is not knowledgeable of the vacancy you are applying for so it should be written to ‘sell’ yourself to almost any audience while at the same time being relevant to your target employer!

There are lots of online Canadian job search sites that have resume templates you can use as well as marketing you towards your target employer.

The format for the Canadian Resume is similar to the Chronological CV with the length generally being 2 sides of A4. Your name and contact details would be at the top centre followed by your career history and work experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent job detailed first.

Mention whether your work was full or part time and explain any gaps in your employment history. Within this provide examples of your achievements and details of how you added ‘value’ to your past/current employers organisation/company.

Following career history is your educational history with a list of colleges and universities, date and qualifications obtained etc. Mentioning foreign travel, language and computer skills is advantageous.

Finally close with “References available on request” or on a separate page list up to 3 referee’s with their contact information. Ensure before submitting your resume that you have checked that your contact details for referees are up to date and still current.

Canada provides assistance for jobseekers in the form of free workshops, which help anyone seeking employment with writing resumes, interview skills and job search.

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• Expatriate may submit a 'rirekisho,' standard two-page form in Japanese + cover letter.
• Or a two-page American-style resume and cover letter in English.
• American-style resumes should contain your name and contact information centered at the top.
• You need not list job accomplishments on the resume; you will discuss them at the interview.
• the 'rirekisho' requires a photo to be attached.

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• Always include a cover letter
• Address your cover letter to a specific person
• In the UK, a resume is sometimes called a CV
• Include a 'profile' section in your resume
• Include 'References are available on request.' at the end of your resume

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1. Cover letters are generally hand written
2. A photograph is attached to the resume
3. Maximum resume length is 2 pages
4. Personal information is optional (Ex: birth date, marital status)
5. Include fluency in other languages
6. Include other important sections such as education, previous jobs

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If you're thinking about an international job, you may need to reformat your resume.

Each country has different etiquette with regards to applying for a particular job. In some countries your resume wouldn't need to be accompanied by a cover letter cover letter or a photo,while in other countries it would. It is important that you have a general idea about this, because if you do not follow the norm it can be very disadvantageous.

Some General Tips when Writing your Resume for the International Market

• Generally you would need to include more personal details such as citizenship, your date and place of birth and marital status.
• Use real/actual rather than active verbs.
• Use good language skills and good prose (avoid repetition).
• Use a qualified translator.
• Use at least a two check system where a translators work is proof read as well.
• Remember that some languages, such as French and Spanish, have different variations within the language. Be sure your resume is written in the intended variant.

Here you will find an interesting review of normal resumes which have been changed to international resumes.

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