How to write a resume?

A good resume can get you an interview.

There is only one purpose of a Resume: to • List your experience in using a

get you an interview with a prospective particular software programme,
employer. You need to present your skills accounting system, manufacturing set
and experience in the best possible way and up etc.
then stress why you fit the job. You need • Always include your specific
to impress the reader, whether the HR contributions to each job, listing
department or a recruitment company, so related responsibilities and
do not keep the best to last. It is achievements with each entry, rather
worthwhile to spend some time on than under a separate headline later in
preparing an effective and error-free the Resume.
document that will immediately impress an
• List any membership of relevant
employer. Use the KISS technique = Keep
professional associations or clubs.
it short and simple.
• Never give reasons for terminating or
leaving a job but be prepared to
1. Personal Details explain it during an interview.
• Your name should always head the
Resume.
3. Education
• Include your address, home and
• Employers like to see details of your
mobile phone numbers – also an email
educational qualifications, from
address.
University to degrees and professional
• Give your date of birth, not your age. qualifications (include the major
• Personal information should be kept to subject but not every thing studied).
a minimum. • Outline any work-related training –
• Don't include a summary of personal notice the word related !
characteristics. • If you can communicate in a foreign
language include this as well.
2. Employment History
• List the past employment details in
reverse chronological order, with the
most recent first, always giving the
most space to your most recent or
current position. Names of past
employers with a very short
description of the type of business the
companies are in, together with dates
of appointments (months and years
only) and a brief outline of
responsibilities are essential.

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 4. Hobbies and personal activities • Leave plenty of space between
• List only hobbies or personal interests paragraphs and allow adequate
that are directly related to the position margins.
– two or three lines will do – notice the • Use plain English. Avoid professional
world related ! jargon and abbreviations.
• Keep paragraphs short – preferably no
5. References longer than five or six lines.
• Avoid the phrase “References available • Your entire Resume should not exceed
on request”, since this is self-evident two pages in length.
and only takes space on your Resume
• Don't include the date the Resume was
which could be used more effectively.
prepared – this will shorten its useful
life.
6. Covering letter
• Never state specific career objectives.
• A thorough job analysis is the secret These are more effective when you
weapon. Do not ignore the stated include them in your cover letter.
criteria.
• Check that both your Resume and
• Forget about the standard opening of cover letter are completely free of
“I have seen your ad”. Use the power errors. Proof read both documents
impact technique to immediately catch thoroughly - and get a friend to proof
the attention of the reader. Right after read them as well.
Dear Sir, write 4-5 lines with a Career
Summary that includes the essential
reason why you fit the job. 8. General Advice
• Keep an on-going file of your
• Follow the opening by 3-4 short
achievements, no matter how
statements that are highlights of your
insignificant they may appear now.
background.
One day you may need it for the
• The closing: where the company can Resume.
contact you (e.g. a mobile telephone
• Before the interview re-read the
number) to discuss your valuable
resume a couple of times as the
contributions you can bring along.
interviewer will have done exactly that.
You must know what is in it.
7. Style
• Quality and presentation are essential
• Always print the Resume on standard so do not send out old printed paper
A4 plain white or pale coloured paper or photo copies.
and matching envelopes.
• Always send a brief cover letter with
the Resume you send out.
• Do not enclose copies of ID card,
house registration, school or university
papers. Instead bring it along for the
interview and be ready to hand over
copies if requested.
• Presentation is very important, so
make sure your Resume is typed and
not hand written.


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 Do not disqualify yourself
in the resume
Is there enough margins and white space in your resume?

For the purpose of introducing yourself to and bottom margins should be between 1.5
a prospective employer, but even more to 2.0 centimeters. The left and right
important to get you an interview, you margins should measure 2 to 3 centimeters.
need to consider carefully how you present Insert enough white space between the
yourself on two or max three A4 pages, the different paragraphs so it appears easy to
personal resume. read.

Remember that a resume only has one Your personal data should include your
function: to get you an interview. The nationality, your age or date of birth,
resume is in a way nothing else but pure marital status and gender. If you are
marketing and advertising of you as a absolutely sure that a picture of you will
person and employee. Here are some appeal to both male and female readers,
valuable tips on what to include – and what that no one will take offence to your
not – on that all important sales letter we hairstyle, glasses, clothing etc., go ahead
call a resume. and attach a photo. If you are in doubt
about who will be reading your resume and
what that person may like or not like, you
Use the standard Microsoft Word
should not include a photo. Do not take
document and please do not use Excel or
the risk and end up in No pile, simply
PowerPoint. On the top or at the very
because the recruiter has a preference for
bottom – for example by using the Header
another type.
or Footer function in Word - write you
name and address. There is no need to
write the words resume or CV as anybody The HR department or the Executive
easily recognizes what it is anyway. Recruitment company consultants are
Remember to include your mobile looking for excuses to put you in the No
telephone number and email address. Use a pile because of lack of qualifications, work
business like email address, experience, personal data and appearance.
[email protected] does not give Do not give them one.
the right impression.

Too fancy fonts can be difficult to read so

go for something like Arial, Century
Gothic, Garamond, Tahoma or Times
Roman. Do not be tempted to use
underline and italics but use bold-faced
type for your section headings. The top


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 What’s the problem with my resume?
Do’s and Don’ts for the perfect resume.

Considering that the HR department or the Thai Airways International it is a good idea
Executive Recruitment consultant will use to include a short sentence on the type of
only about 20 seconds to read each resume, business your employer was in.
you will understand the importance of
quickly pointing to your strengths related
To avoid committing job-search suicide, do
to the job you apply for. You need to catch
not use the so-called functional resume
the immediate interest of the reader within
format which employers and recruiters
that very short moment.
dislike. It is a format which only highlights
the job function, such as accounting, sales
Here is how to compose your resume that or public relations. The problem with this
will help you land the interview and type of resume is that you cannot see when
hopefully also the job you want. you did something at which company, the
exact information which is critical for an
employer. The risk is that the resume is
The recruiter reading your resume is
simply not read and there goes you chance
looking for how good you are and what
for a new job. Do use the chronological
you have done. If a few words and
format instead.
sentences spark an interest, your resume
will land in the Yes pile for a thorough read
a little bit later. You are on the way to the Achievements and responsibilities are not
interview. the same. What the employer wants to see
is when, where and a list of achievements
you managed. Describe what you have
Do not keep the best for last, as the
done to increase the sales with how much
recruiter reading your resume might not
percentage, in which way and with how
even get to the end of your resume before
much you were able to reduce the costs of
filing you in the No pile. It is essential that
sales. Strong words are achieved, delivered,
you up front state your case, state your
generated, increased, initiated, cut,
achievements and the value you can bring
decreased, and reduced.
to the company.

Last but not least use a Microsoft Word

After the personal data the next section
document and file it with your own first
should show your professional work
and last name.
experience. List always your jobs in reverse
chronological order, with the current or
most recent job as the first. The section
headline should indicate the period as
month and year, the company name and
your title or function. Unless you have
been working for Coca-Cola, BMW or

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 You only have 20 seconds
Use the KISS technique to write a brilliant resume

You may be in another job already but company, who is retained by a client to
wish to consider a career move should the assist with a search for staff. That is the
right position at the right company become person you must impress.
available. Or you may not be working at
the moment, what we call in-between-jobs. There is one important thing to keep in
In whatever case, you will need to register mind at all times when you are preparing
your interest by submitting a resume. your sales letter i.e. your resume: it is called
KISS, meaning Keep It Short and Simple.
You will hear some people use the word
CV rather than resume when describing Remember that it only has one function: to
the document used when applying for jobs. get you an interview. It is not the story of
CV is the abbreviation of the Latin word your life and it is not the place to comment
curriculum vitae. What is the difference on what you think about the Prime
between a resume and a CV? In fact there Minister, the current business climate in
is no universal agreed definition and it the country or how much you admire the
really depends on who you ask. company you want to work for.

In some parts of the world a CV is

generally recognized as a special format of
the resume for teaching or scientific
candidates. Others define a CV as a
detailed, lengthy and structured listing of
education, publications, projects, awards
and work history, a document which could
easily run up to 10 or 20 pages.

For the purpose of introducing yourself to

a prospective employer, it will be nothing
else but suicide to send more than 2 or
maximum 3 pages. That is why we use the
word resume and not CV.

Do you want to know a secret? Here is a

well kept one from a Headhunter and
Executive Recruitment company: Your
resume will be read in about 20 seconds.
That is all you get to sell yourself before
ending up in the Yes or No pile.

You will of course like to do everything

you can to end up in the Yes pile by
making the recruiter’s job easier, right? The
recruiter could be the Human Resource
Manager in the company, or it could be a
consultant at an Executive Recruitment


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The perfect cover letter
Mistakes you should not make.

Valuable Tips 10. Keep the font clean, Arial is always a

good choice, at point size 12 or 13.
1. Never handwrite a cover letter or Use 14 point if by fax.
resume under any circumstances. 11. Applicants who do not address the
2. ALWAYS create your cover letter and qualifications requested in the ad make
resume in MS WORD. a huge mistake. Identify key words
3. Cover letter and resume must be in and use them in your cover letter.
one document when emailed. Your 12. Dear who? Try to obtain the person's
combined document of cover letter name. Get spelling and gender right. If
and resume should be filed as: your not possible use company name or
first and last name. title, e.g. "Dear Siam City Cement" or
4. If you send the cover letter and resume "Dear HR Manager".
by email, use the cover letter text as 13. Do not start your letter with "I am
part of your email. applying for the job I saw in today's
5. General letters are worthless. Target newspaper".
each letter and resume to the particular 14. Do not spend time to tell the company
employer's needs. how great they are. Forget the
6. Long letters are losers. A one page superlatives and focus on what you can
cover letter is strongly recommended. do.
7. Do not use wild-coloured papers and 15. Good luck!
designs. And no photo please.
8. Employers want you to offer reasons,
skills and explanations of how you can
do the job. Must be summarized in the
cover letter.
9. Do not expect the employer to figure
out where they can use you. You must
specify one or two jobs you feel you
can do.

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