Do you need a professional resume that is guaranteed to land you a job interview? This 1,500-word article is a detailed, in-depth guide to writing a resume, with tips for building the resume, writing a cover letter, and obtaining personal references.

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Where do you envision your dream job? Whether you have recently graduated from college or been in the workforce for many years, the best way to land a job interview is to have prepared a professional, up-to-date resume.

Also known as a Personal Data Sheet, Curriculum Vitae, or Qualifications Brief (QB), the resume is a self-designed information sheet written about oneself. The purpose of a resume is to introduce an applicant to the employer and to obtain a job interview. “Resume” comes from the French word meaning “summary”. Thus, the resume must be a summary about oneself.

Personnel and Human Resource managers say that about a third of all resumes contain false and misleading information. Resume fraud has become a huge problem lately – a lot of job applicants are using “creative” resources to come up with their own truths. However, resume fraud is a crime that may be punished with time behind bars.

On a brighter note....

Sending a resume to a prospective employer will land more job interviews than responding to an opening without one. This is true even if a resume has not been requested by an employer.

The paper resume is worth more than a million e-mails. Some companies receive thousands of resumes via e-mail each year. To stand out from the rest of the pack, an applicant must either mail or hand-deliver a resume.

However, most employers prefer the resume to be delivered in person. This shows that the applicant is serious about obtaining a job with their company.

The resume must be typed and printed on professional stationery. There are various stationery weights available: Substance 24 is the heaviest, used by lawyers, and the most expensive; Substance 20 is of medium weight, less expensive, but most commonly used; and Substance 16 is the flimsiest. Never use Substance 16 stationery for a professional resume.

The stationery you choose may be either a soft color or plain white. White stationery looks crisp and professional, but it may seem boring to an employer hiring in the Interior Design or Graphic Design field. Neutral cream or beige colored stationery are appropriate choices when applying for jobs in almost any field.

The stationery may have a watermark, or a faintly visible pattern in the paper. Hold the stationery up to the light to determine which side to print the resume on. Print on the same side that the watermark is on.


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