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Want a resume that works? Tailor it to job you’re seeking

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

How many resumes does a job seeker need?

“As many as it takes to get the job done. Never have one all-purpose resume,” advises Jacqueline A. Muldrow.

Leading a workshop about “Resume Writing” at the Workplace of the ’90s Conference, Muldrow said the resume should be tailored for the position sought. She reminded listeners that the purposes of a resume include:

  • Getting an interview for a position;

  • Introducing yourself to a potential employer;

  • Advertising and promoting yourself and your skills;

  • Showing your suitability for the job for which you’re applying.

    Good resumes are easy to scan and are written so that key points such as skills, career objectives, and past and present experience jump out at the reader, Muldrow said.

    In addition to gearing the resume to a particular job, career or area of interest, Muldrow recommended:

  • Be brief. More than one or two pages is a turn-off.

  • Use short, choppy sentences and omit personal pronouns to avoid wordiness.

  • Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors.

  • Use quality paper in conservative colors such as off-white, gray or vanilla.

  • Use no more than two type fonts or styles of print. Type fonts in which letters have feet (serifs), such as New Century Schoolbook, work best because they help move the eye across the page.

  • Put numbers and less important information on the right or bottom of the page.

  • Use hyphens or bullets to highlight skills or accomplishments.

  • Always include your career objective on both the resume and on the cover letter, in case they become separated.

    Muldrow said the two basic resume formats are the chronological/historical and the skill/function. The most effective, according to many personnel representatives, is a hybrid of the chronological/historical and the skill/function in which the job applicant combines skills and experience under the jobs held, she explained.