Thirteen is a lucky number !!! Here's are 13 rules to ensure your resume's success:
Style and font are important. Your font should be simple to read. Arial is a popular font because a "g" looks like a "g" and a "q" looks like a 'q". Avoid Gothic font or anything similar. By the way, you're currently reading Arial font.
No borders or shading. Don't use borders or shading. Why? Try posting your resume to an online position or site where your MS Word resume won't post because you used borders and shading. Try converting your .doc resume to a .txt format and watch the borders and shading screw up.
Put your resume in MS Word. Most online sites will let you post your MS Word (.doc) file. Occasionally, you must convert your resume to a text file (.,txt). If so, then open your file in MS Word, go to "File" in your pull-down menu, and hit "save as", scroll down and choose "text only" file. Your resume won't look as pretty as a Word file, but if the site won't accept a Word file, you have no choice. Don't worry, your original MS Word file is still there. All you've done is add a text file as a separate file.
Don't create your resume as a PDF. The PDF resume will not post to many job sites and positions. Also, HR personnel cannot place an ID number or code at the top of your resume to direct it to the hiring manager or department because the PDF file is a locked file.
Length is important. In most cases, with the exception of some government formats such as KSA format, your resume should be concise. Don't write a book when the prospective employer does not have time to read a book. Keep your resume to one or two pages.
Wait a minute. Length is important !!! Due to recent changes in many of the job sites posted on engines such as CareerBuilders, Indeed, and others, resumes cannot be accepted unless limited to 5000 characters or less, and that includes characters and spaces!!!
Simple is best. If a key point or bullet on your resume is confusing, long, rambling or redundant, change it. If you need to reread your own bullet point fifteen times, imagine how many prospective employers won't find the time or energy to read it.
Be consistent Listing dates as 3/2010 in one place and March 2010 in another or using different fonts is not what you want. Don't list "M" for million in one spot, and "MM" for million in another.
Don't use a comma before a final `and' in one spot, and no comma before a final `and' in another.
Your resume is not an art project. The color purple should never appear on a resume unless you are Barney the Dinosaur. Please, no pictures, no fancy graphics, no ungodly geometric shapes for bullets.
Your resume is a marketing tool. It is meant to represent you at your best. It should be accurate but does not have to include every detail of your life. The resume is not your memoirs.
Make your resume look like a resume. There are several formats. However. your name, address, email and phone must be at the top, a strong summary to follow. Include your skills and achievements. List your education, which includes degrees, certifications, seminars, on-the-job training for special skills and employee development. List your positions in chronological order.
Get the employer to read your resume. A strong summary and achievements are critical to engaging the prospective employer. If you get a WOW !!! out of the hiring manager's mouth, you'll get the interview.
Spellcheck your resume. If you have others review your resume, make sure they're qualified, e.g., an HR manager with 10 years of experience, not your drunken neighbor next door. Use lots of typos and you'll lose results.