A résumé is a brief summary of your experience, education, and skills. It is a marketing piece, usually one or two pages long, designed to make an employer want to interview you. Good résumés match the jobseeker’s abilities to the job’s requirements. The best résumés highlight an applicant’s strengths and accomplishments.

There are four main steps to creating a résumé: Compiling information about yourself and the occupations that interest you, choosing a résumé format, adding style, and proofreading the final document. You may also want to prepare your résumé for computer scanning, e- mailing, and Internet posting, especially if you are pursuing a computer- intensive field.

Gathering and organizing the facts

Start working on your résumé by collecting and reviewing information about yourself: Previous positions, job duties, volunteer work, skills, accomplishments, education, and activities. These are the raw materials of your résumé. This is also a good time to review your career goals and to think about which past jobs you have liked, and why.

After compiling this information, research the occupations that interest you. Determine what duties they entail, what credentials they require, and what skills they use. Your résumé will use your autobiographical information to show that you meet an occupation’s requirements. You will probably need to write a different résumé for each occupation that interests you. Each résumé will emphasize what is relevant to one occupation. Remember: Even if you do not have many specialized and technical skills, most occupations also require abilities like reliability, teamwork, and communication. These are particularly important for entry- level workers.

The next step is to organize the personal information you have assembled. Most résumé writers use the following components.

Contact information. This includes your name; permanent and college campus addresses, if they are different; phone number; and e- mail address, if you have one. Place your full legal name at the top of your r?sum? and your contact information underneath it. This information should be easy to see; reviewers who can’t find your phone number can’t call you for an interview. Also, make sure the outgoing message on your answering machine sounds professional. If you list an e- mail address, remember to check your Inbox regularly.

Objective statement. Placed immediately below your contact information, the objective statement tells the reviewer what kind of position you want— for example, “Seeking a position as an administrative assistant.” Some objectives include more detail, such as “Seeking an administrative position using my organizational, word processing, and customer service skills.”

Objective statements are optional and are most often used by recent graduates and career changers. “I like to see an objective on a résumé because it shows focus,” says Jannette Beamon of Dell Computers’ Central Staffing Division in Round Rock, Texas.

But writing objectives can be tricky. A vague statement, such as “Seeking a position that uses my skills and experience,” is meaningless. And an overly specific objective can backfire, eliminating you from jobs you want that are slightly different from your objective. If you decide to include an objective statement, make sure it fits the job you are applying for. “Tailoring is expected,” says Beamon. “A statement should show that you know the type of work the company does and the type of position it needs to fill.”

Qualifications summary. The qualifications summary, which evolved from the objective, is an overview designed to quickly answer the employer’s question “Why should I hire you?” It lists a few of your best qualifications and belongs below your contact information or objective statement.

A qualifications summary, like an objective, is optional. It can be particularly effective for applicants with extensive or varied experience because it prevents the important facts from being lost among the details. Most résumé writers choose either an objective or a summary, but some use both.

Education. List all relevant training, certifications, and education on your résumé. Start with the most recent and work backward. For each school you have attended, list the school’s name and location; diploma, certificate, or degree earned, along with year of completion; field of study; and honors received. If you have not yet completed one of your degrees, use the word expected before your graduation date. If you do not know when you will graduate, add in progress after the name of the unfinished degree.

The education section is especially important for recent graduates. Include your overall grade point average, average within major, or class standing, if it helps your case. The general guideline is to include averages of 3.0 and above, but the minimum useful average is still widely debated. Graduates should also consider listing relevant courses under a separate heading. Listing four to eight courses related to a particular occupation shows a connection between education and work. College graduates need not list their high school credentials.

Experience. Résumés should include your job history: The name and location of the organizations you have worked for, years you worked there, title of your job, a few of the duties you performed, and results you achieved. Also, describe relevant volunteer activities, internships, and school projects, especially if you have little paid experience.

When describing your job duties, emphasize results instead of responsibilities and performance rather than qualities. It is not enough, for example, to claim you are organized; you must use your experience to prove it.

Job descriptions often specify the scope of a position’s duties— such as the number of phone lines answered, forms processed, or people supervised. If you worked on a project with other people, tell the reviewer your accomplishments came from a team effort. Also, mention any promotions or increases in responsibility you received.

Use specific accomplishments to give your experience impact. Note any improvements you made, any time or money you saved, and any problems you solved— for example, were you praised for handling difficult customers? Were you always on time or available for overtime? Did you save time by reorganizing a filing system? Did you start a new program? Mention quantifiable results you accomplished, such as a 10- percent increase in sales, a 90- percent accuracy rate, a 25- percent increase in student participation, or an A grade.

Activities and associations. Activities can be an excellent source of additional experience. “A lot of students in high school or college don’t have much concrete work experience,” says Alicia Mallaney, a recruiter for a management consulting firm in McLean, Virginia. “They should list their involvement in school or extracurricular activities— employers look for those kinds of things because they show initiative.”

Activities might include participation in organizations, associations, student government, clubs, or community activities, especially those related to the position you are applying for or that demonstrate hard work and leadership skills.

Special skills. If you have specific computer, foreign language, typing, or other technical skills, consider highlighting them by giving them their own category— even if they don’t relate directly to the occupation you’re pursuing. “At Dell, most of our applicants list programming and computer application skills in their own section,” says Beamon. “But now, most occupations, even outside the computer industry, require computer skills. People in every industry are listing those skills separately.”

Awards and honors. Include formal recognition you have received. Do not omit professional or academic awards. These are often listed with an applicant’s experience or education, but some list them at the end of their resume.

References. Usually, résumés do not include names of references, but some reviewers suggest breaking this rule if the names are recognizable in the occupation or industry. Most résumé writers end with the statement “References available upon request.” Others assume reference availability is understood and use that space for more important information. Regardless of whether you mention it on the résumé, you will need to create a separate reference sheet to provide when requested and to carry with you to interviews.

A reference sheet lists the name, title, office address, and phone number of three to five people who know your abilities. Before offering them as references, of course, make sure these people have agreed to recommend you. At the top of the sheet, type your name and contact information, repeating the format you used in your résumé.

Other personal information. Your résumé should include any other information that is important to your occupation, such as a completed portfolio or a willingness to travel. Your résumé is your own, and you should customize it to fit your needs. However, some information does not belong on a résumé. Do not disclose your health, disability, marital status, age, or ethnicity. This information is illegal for most employers to request.

Tips:

• Good résumés show how your qualifications fit the requirements of the jobs you apply for.
• Most occupations require abilities like reliability, teamwork, and communication.
• Good résumé objectives focus on the employer’s needs.
• Nonwork activities add experience to your résumé.
• Tailor your résumé for each occupation or job of interest.
• Use action phrases— not complete sentences.
• Highlight specific achievements.
• Include quantifiable results where possible.
• Identify increases in responsibility.
• Mention special work related skills.
• Identify coursework relating to the employer’s needs.