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Career Advice | The Right Resume Content

Learn the basics of effective writing for your resume
Every resume is different. If you are a nurse with 15 years of experience, your resume is going to be very different than that of a recent college grad who hasn't even received her certification. But there are quite a few things that should always be done when creating a resume, no matter where you are in your career.

The Basics
The usual pieces of a resume should always be included: a name and address, in addition to contact information such as phone number, fax number and an e-mail address. Be sure this information is correct and easy to read; it is the only way an employer can contact you, and one wrong number can mean you'll never get the phone call.

You should also include a brief section on education, with the large part of your resume being dedicated to work experience. This section should include not only your past titles and the organizations you have worked for, but also a list of your major accomplishments or responsibilities while working there.

Dates
When you did the things on your resume is very important to a potential employer. They want to know how long you worked at different positions, how many years of experience you have and how long you were out of work in between jobs. In an employer's mind, these numbers often translate into dedication, experience and work ethic. If you do not display them prominently, it can seem that you are trying to downplay your dedication and experience or lack thereof. If there are any unusually large gaps of time when you were not working, be sure to note what you were doing at the time, such as traveling or volunteering.

Dates of work experience are usually displayed on the left hand side of the page, in a neat column. This gives an easy-to-read timeline on where you have been and what you have accomplished.

Keywords
Career development is one of the most popular reasons for visiting the Internet, and you will often submit your resume online. This means that the resume will be scanned by a computer software program before it actually reaches a human being. The site will simply be programmed to search for specific keywords, depending on what the company needs. Many resume writers suggest adding a Keyword section at the bottom of the resume, providing a complete list of words related to the position you are searching for. If you don't necessarily want to add a new section, be sure to include those keywords throughout the resume. If you are looking for a job in health care, try including words such as medicine, insurance, RN, MD, or any other words that could be used to explain your abilities and credentials.

The value of truth
Always be truthful on your resume. Period. According to Resume.com, between 23 and 45 percent of all resumes contain "significant fabrications." You should never lie on your resume, especially considering the popularity of resume review companies, which are hired by employers to check facts on the resumes they collect. Obviously, a lie on your resume won't get you anything more than embarrassment. Even if someone is hired and becomes a star employee, the company will almost always fire that person if they later discover they lied on their resume.

Edit, Edit, Edit
Once you have written the first draft of your resume, it's time to edit. Carefully read over the text and search for spelling errors, grammatical problems and other confusing text. No matter how great your credentials may be, a blaring editorial problem can be the only thing an employer sees. Have other people read through your resume. Don't rely solely on the spell-checking feature on your computer. Also, it's important to review your headings for correct spelling and placement. Go through and read your resume section by section, and then try reading from top to bottom and bottom to top, which often makes it easier to find the smallest mistakes.

Different but the same
No matter how different the information is in two resumes, the fundamentals of good content remain the same. If you want your resume to demand respect from a potential employer, be sure to include the basics, display a "timeline" of your career history, spread keywords throughout the document, always be completely honest with your credentials and edit as many times as possible. Then edit again. Then have someone else edit it for you. Get the point? A quality resume will start with great credentials and grab the attention of a potential employer with comprehensive and flawless content.

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