Because it is the only area that they can control, many people will spend a lot of effort and time creating a resume. Psychologists will tell that people take a long time to make their resumes because they fear failure. Fear of rejection in a face-to-face interview is what drives people to spend so much time crafting their resumes, rather than calling potential employers on the telephone. A resume is not enough to get hired. You must interview. According to recruiters, 40% of hiring decision is made purely on the candidate’s personality. Your resume is just the first step in your job search journey. Don’t delay creating it.

What to include in your resume

It is best to keep it under two A4 pages as most resumes can be scanned in seconds. It should be simple to read and free from jargon. Why? Why? Because the HR department of the company will likely be reading your resume and may not have any knowledge about technical issues in your industry. Keep it simple with Times New Roman 10-12 font and black type on white paper. Simple Word Document formats are sufficient. Your employment and education history should be in reverse chronological order.

You could be denied employment if you include personal information. The company might not interview you if you have children and are married to someone who is able to travel. Avoid using fancy words and instead use words that are related to customer service, controller, and manager. Tell a story on your resume, as much space as possible. You could, for example, tell your resume that you completed a project 20 percent under budget or that you were responsible to increase company profits by 14%.

Courage & Initiative

Not only should you highlight your initiative on your resume, but in all aspects of job hunting. Networking is a major way to find jobs. Instead of waiting for your resume to be found online, get out there and talk to people you know. You should not stop trying to get noticed and find out information about hiring companies and people.

It is your courage that will get you the job, not your qualifications or experience. Even though you might be the best in your field if nobody knows about you, how are you going to get a job? Although everyone can submit a resume, it’s only interviews that will land you a job. Accepting rejection is part of the job, and you should keep trying until you succeed. Although it’s important to take time to build a professional resume, it is only one step on a long road.