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Skills, talent, experience, and education are universal. If you’re good at something, you’re good at something. Hard work and dedication beat both talent and location. However…
There’s a big chance that you’re probably not the only one applying for your dream job. So following certain rules to help you structure your resume is not such a bad idea.
You don’t really think about significant differences when a German, UK or Canadian resumes are mentioned, and you’re right.
The differences are not significant, but they do matter. It’s simply a way for you to show your future boss that you’re organized, and you’re not afraid to do extra research.
Preferred Resume Format in Canada:
1. Contact information
2. Professional/career summary
3. Work experience
4. Education / professional development
Technical skills and volunteer experience should be added to the appropriate section.
Would you hire yourself?
Achievements and awards are always welcomed and a great addition to your skills and experience. But we sometimes tend to lose ourselves in this (not so productive) state of mind and point of view. Before you write your resume, make sure you always have this statement in mind:
“It’s not about who I am, but what I can do to make this company better.”
What you did is the starting point, but what you can and you’re willing to do will take you to the finish line.
Your history and abilities should share the spotlight.
I don’t follow rules…I’m creative!
Just think about your favorite Ad for a minute or your favorite movie. It sure looks like it was done in one take, and everything and everybody fits perfectly. Unfortunately, that’s not the case…
It took a lot of cuts and edits to make that movie perfect. Because that’s how creativity works. That left side of your brain is widely appreciated by many companies, but it might lose on value if it’s not supported by results and data.
And yes, we’ve all seen those humorous resumes (like the one below) all over the net.
But that’s nothing but a laugh for the whole office.
You should follow your creative mind by any means. But make sure there’s a skill, example, and proof to back up your comedian attempt!
Do some cherry picking
We humans are not meant to do just one thing and have just one hobby. Even though we only have enough time in life to master one skill and profession, that doesn’t mean we won’t try and test ourselves doing a variety of different things.
Some people could have equal passion for two different things and professions. And sometimes, we’re good at doing a specific job that we’re not so passionate about, and we suck when it comes to our preferred choice and biggest passion.
But that’s just how life works and that’s how a resume should be structured as well.
The perfect resume is not about quantity but about quality. Don’t hesitate to do some cherry picking, and some up your key abilities.
Bear in mind that you’re not the only one applying for a specific job, which means that the employee responsible for reviewing your resume will review at least 5-10 resumes, probably in one hour.
And you don’t want him or her to remember you by that skill or achievement that has nothing to do with the job requirements.
