First impressions are the most important element of finding a new job. Your resume is the first piece of you that is seen by a future employer or recruiter. It needs to provide the relevant information to get to the first stage – a face to face meeting. Following are 10 top tips to writing a resume that will get you that meeting;

1. Keep the resume concise and to the point, it’s not a time to write your first novel.
2. Make sure the content is relevant to the job you are applying for, if the role has a digital focus – include all major digital work
3. Layout the information in bullet point form that can be expanded upon in person, ensuring it is clear and makes sense without explanation
4. This is a sales tool, so don’t copy and paste your last job description, you need to have your marketing channel experience listed along with clear ‘Responsibilities’ and ‘Achievements’
5. To avoid the tedious ‘housekeeping questions’:
   1. Ensure the dates of your past jobs are correct and the month and year of start and finish are noted, this avoids questions at interview time. For example, if you have a particular role from 2003 to 2004, that could represent either 2 months of work or 2 years.
   2. Include all jobs and if there is a gap where you travelled, include a bullet point to cover this
   3. If you did shorter contracts, make it clear it was a contract not a permanent role
   4. Always include your education
6. Your achievements are important, keep these brief and positive without confidential data, for example ‘Increased response rates by xx%’, ‘Converted XX% in sales’. If you have done this for a past employer, it will increase the confidence that you can deliver for a new employer.
7. Write your resume in the first person, not the the third person.  Using the third person maked it sound as if someone else is talking about you – you need to talk about yourself!
8. Ensure your contact details are included – you would not believe how many people leave this off!
9. A short summary of your skills and past employers is worth including, as long as it is not too long.
10. Your personal interests are relevant and important to include, so don’t leave them out.

We do have a template on our site, please feel free to use it!