5 Things to Remember When Writing Your Resume

With the current unemployment rates in both Canada and the U.S. many young graduates and even seasoned veterans are left pounding the pavement looking for work.  In order to secure a job you not only need connections but a resume to present yourself as well.

Here’s our look at 5 quick resume writing tips:

1. Cut it short – There is a stark difference between a resume and curriculum vitae. One main difference is length.  While a CV can be upwards of 3 pages long and contain details about your professional and academic life, a resume should be 2 pages at its longest and contain some academic qualifications but mostly work experience.

2. Profile it – Include a profile in your resume. A profile should act like a snapshot of your entire resume. Make sure to highlight job specific skills that you have acquired and bold font the skills themselves. Often times hiring managers will not go through your resume and may even rely solely on your profile to give them a quick introduction to you and your work experience.

An example of a phrase used in a profile can be found below:

e.g. Project Management skills acquired through work for a NGO heading projects in Africa

Note how the phrase alludes to work experience and a position listed in the resume.

3. Create a Master Copy – When writing your resume it is always helpful to have a working copy that you can use as reference. This document should contain all your experience in a brief manner. Once you have a working or master copy you can use it as a guide and create a customized resume specific to the particular job you are interested in. This way you can emphasize job specific experience as needed.

4. Edit and re-edit – You can never spend too much time proofreading your resume. In fact spelling and grammatical errors are the most common mistakes job seekers make on a resume. These errors can be costly as hiring managers will notice them, even though they may not spend too much time on your resume. Proofreading can be a cumbersome task to perform alone,  so it’s a good idea to have  a friend, relative or peer look over your resume. A new set of eyes is always welcome as they will notice errors you may have missed. This also gives you a chance to see how reader friendly your resume is and how others perceive it.

5. Nothing but the truth – Often times job seekers feel the need to over embellish their experience or qualifications. This can be risky as one can get carried away. The last thing you want to do is list experience, academic credentials or skills that you do not actually possess. Hiring managers and HR personnel will find out eventually and it will not bode well for you. Of course it’s alright to re-word your experience :

e.g. Canvassing donations can be rephrased as “community outreach and fundraising”

Remember to stay true to your skill set. Sometimes you may not actually have the skills for the job so instead of fibbing on your resume try to look for opportunities that do match the skills and experience you have to offer.


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