The Perfect Outline of a Resume

Are you on the hunt for a simple, non-complicated outline of a resume that you can follow without the hassle of doing it all from scratch? Well you are in luck because that is what I am going to share with you right now.

Of course, as will all resume outlines, you will need to custom fit it to your situation and skill sets. Maybe you have more experience and very little education or maybe you are a fresh college graduate with no experience what so ever. These things will make a difference in how you will use this outline of a resume in your final draft.

Let’s start at the top of the page. Here, front and centered you will want to put your contact information. Your name, address and phone number so your prospective employer will know exactly how to contact you.

You would be amazed at how many resumes I have seen that don’t even have a way to contact the person. Talk about a waste of time.

Right below your contact information should be your Objective. This isn’t always necessary. In fact if you have a great cover letter you may be able to skip this part or at least narrow it down to a few sentences.

Next in the perfect outline of a resume would be your Qualification Summary. Tell them exactly what makes you qualified for the job in one paragraph. You will be able to go through the details in the rest of the resume, but you really need to grab their attention right away so they will read through the rest.

After this comes your Education. If you are a new college grad, talk about it here. Tell them about any related awards or commendations you received. If you don’t have any college, don’t spend too much time on this topic because it will make your lack of education stick out like a sore thumb.

In this resume outline the Activities and Associations section come next. Don’t tell them what you did 10 years ago, keep it current within the past few years.

Next comes your Special Skills. Can you speak another language? Or maybe you can type 200 words per minute. Now is your time to show off.

After that comes your Honors & Awards. Don’t mention that bowling trophy you got last fall unless it directly relates to your job. You want to sound like your life revolves around your career. Sad, but true.

I hope this outline of a resume helped you get on your feet and get started. Ready, set, type…