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A resume is a short, point-form document that you give to employers to tell them about your work experience, education and skills. Your resume's purpose is to get your foot in the door. A resume does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from consideration.

To prepare a successful resume, you need to know how to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one or two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and concisely. Your resume is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself. The following are some resume writing tips and guidelines:

1. Personal Information

Full Name, address, home or cell phone number, and your email address.

2. Key words

It is important to add key words of your related skills at the top of your resume to catch the employer's attention.

3. Objective

State your job objective in one sentence. You should link your job objective to the job you are applying for.

4. Work Experience

List the companies you have worked for, with the locations (city, province) and the dates (month, year) you worked for each job including any volunteer positions. Outline the type of duties you carried out, starting from the one that took most of your time, or involved the most responsibility. Provide no more than 5 duties for each job.

5. Additional Experience

You may use this section to include such things as the languages you speak, software programs you know, and other abilities that relate to the job. If there is a lot of information, break it into separate sections with specific headings. The point is to get everything into your resume that shows why you are the right person for the job.

6. Education

List your education, starting with the most recent degree, diploma, or training course and working backwards. Include the name and city of each school you attended after your secondary school, the type of programs, your areas of interest and the years you have completed. Certificates or diplomas should also be listed, including those for mini courses like a computer or software course, first-aid, small engine repair, or any other training that might be useful in the job you are applying for.

7. Interests / Activities

Briefly outline a few of your interests and activities that demonstrate something about you. Be sure to mention achievements or awards you may have received. If you have volunteer experience that is relevant to the job, make sure you put it in. Transferable skills, or skills that you developed through one activity but can be applied to another, are important.

8. References

A reference is someone that an employer can contact to find out more about you and your work ethic. References are not included in your resume, but you should have them ready.

If you need more info about resume writing (sample) or other types of writing, please go to our Writing tips section