How to write a good resume

In order to make the potential employer interested in inviting you to an interview, look into following tips and instructions.

Importance of an adequate resume

The resume (working biography) is your first contact with potential employer. Based on the look of your biography, potential employer makes a first impression about you and decides whether or not they will take it into further consideration. Please have in mind that most employers don’t have much time to spend reading the biography so it is necessary to present all important information in concise and transparent way. Biography must satisfy certain general form which is expected in business world. If this is not the case, you might be discarded as an unprofessional candidate. Adequate preparation of the resume can help you to better prepare for the job interview because it gives you the chance to think of all important points in your career.

Structure and form of a resume

• Desirable length is 2-3 pages.
• It is not recommended using more than one font (another font can eventually be used to emphasize section headings).
• You shouldn’t be using various pictures/illustrations, different colors for certain words and background colors.
• Font size should be moderate or smaller (for example Arial 10) so biography could be more transparent.
• Using too much text effects should be avoided (for example, underlining and bolding at the same time).
• Be careful about grammatical and spelling rules.
• We recommended to prepare biography in both Serbian and English.

Resume writing style

You should adjust your resume to the requirements of the advertisement for position which you are applying and to by paying attention to key words required in the advertisement and highlight appropriate information in your biography accordingly. Describe in more details aspects of your qualifications which are most important for the job you are applying to, and focus less on the rest.

Avoid narrative writing style, rather use incomplete sentences (usually in third person singular) such as: Attended training for… Was in charge of… Achieved results…

Content of a resume

A good resume should contain following sections:

• Personal information: name and surname, address, telephone number, e-mail. (It is not necessary to state: nationality, marital status, number of children.)
• Formal education: name of the institution, orientation, acquired tittle.
• Work experience: experience should be written starting from the last / current position.
• Additional education: if there is a lot of courses, it is recommended to write only most important ones for current work place.
• Knowledge of foreign languages: it is mandatory to write level of knowledge (for example, advanced, medium, beginner).
• Knowledge of computer work: you should write headings of programs that are actively used (for example Word, Excel…).
• Extra skills and qualifications, for example driving license C category, blind typing etc.

Your photo

It is not necessary to your biography contains your photo unless it is explicitly required in concourse. If you want to put your photo in, make sure you look positive and professional. Do not use cutouts of photos from different events where other objects or people can be seen. Take a picture especialy for the CV using neutral cover and good lighting. If you don’t have an adequate photography for you job biography, it’s better not to include it at all.

The most common mistakes in writing a resume

• Writing in the first person
• Poorly described previous work experience (e.g. copy-paste from workplace systematization)
• Too much content or too lengthy text
• A lot of different fonts, inconsistent style
• Incomplete, inaccurate or illogical data (for example, omission of dates)
• Too much details about attended courses
• Unenforceability personal achievements
• Too much of personal information
• Uniformed or creative resumes
• Unprofessional e-mail address
• Grammatical and spelling errors
• Using abbreviations that are not familiar with others

Following these instructions will assure you that your biography will be taken seriously. Good luck!