Writing a Résumé

tips and advice on how to write a resume

the resume-screening phase by the organization’s human resources department is the first phase in the hiring process. although many people think the candidate has no impact on this phase, proper resume writing and editing and attention to detail can help you pass this hurdle. many places of work make use of a special unit – either through an outside company or an in-house department – whose sole task is resume screening, therefore your resume must be streamlined and focused. the jobnet staff has collected a number of resume-writing tips gleaned through our wealth of experience. below you will also find a link to a sample resume.

length – resumes sent by e-mail should by no more than two pages long, and no more than one page if sent by fax. every job opening brings in dozens or even hundreds of applications per week. long resumes are tiring and could lead the person in charge of screening to disregard your candidacy.

 

personal information should appear in full – list first name and last name along with several means of contact: landline, cell phone and e-mail. be sure to include your place of residence. if the location is problematic, i.e. far away, you can add a note saying you would be willing to relocate or are very mobile.

 

goals – a section on your goals is recommended. this will help the people who process your resume understand which job you are applying for and gauge your suitability for it. this section must include the kind of position you hope to reach. note this only if you have a focused goal.

be sure to include your id number along with the rest of your personal data since at most placement and personnel companies, and at many companies that maintain a computerized recruitment system, resumes are entered into the database using the candidate’s id number. in other words including your id number on the resume increases the chances the hiring company will respond to your application. 
 

employment history should be listed in reverse chronological order, i.e. starting with your current/last place of work and proceeding backwards in time, because your most recent jobs are more relevant and of greater interest to the person screening your resume than jobs you held 10 or 15 years ago or more. if you are dealing with a period of time spanning a number of years you need not list the months. note the name of the company + its main area of operations + your official job title + your responsibilities (use bullets). your resume must be detailed, yet focused, efficient and not taxing to read.

 

in the education section, be sure to provide precise details. did you graduate? what degree or certificate did you receive? list entries as follows: * years of study * name of academic institution * degree received. you can also list your high-school studies, but this is optional if you have any college or other post-high school studies to list.

 

if you want to work in your primary field of educational background but have not acquired job experience in this area, place the education section before the employment history section in order to emphasize education relevant to the position you are looking for.

 

military service - if you did not serve in the idf or national service, note the reason rather than making no mention of the matter.

 

additional qualifications – be sure to include informal courses or courses not directly pertaining to the job, but which should be added to your resume nonetheless. in the case of technical professions list the tools, programming languages, protocols, etc. with which you have experience. 

 

hobbies – not mandatory. if you do include a hobbies section, keep it short.

 

common mistakes:

• insufficient details on the tasks you carried out at your previous jobs. this point must be related carefully in order to clarify your suitability for the job and get you past the initial screening.
• typing and syntax errors – having someone proofread your resume is strongly recommended.
• overloaded – dense or lengthy resumes will tire out the resume screener, who will simply put them aside.
• fonts – don’t play around with different types of fonts. choose a single, official-looking, legible font. avoid flamboyant, ornate fonts. as a general rule use a 12-point font with 1.5 line spacing. if you send your resume by e-mail, do not use animation, graphics features, too many colors, flashing letters/border or altered backgrounds. this contributes nothing and the person reading your resume on the computer screen will find it bothersome.

for additional guidance and instructions on how to write your resume, refer to dr. yefet’s article on the topic.

to see a sample resume, click here.