A resume is very important. Every suggestion regarding format, content, or font is directed only to one resume objective: making the applicant stand out, get an interview, and later on landing the job desired. 

In achieving that primary resume objective, secondary resume objective recommendations exist in facilitating its achievement. In achieving one secondary resume objective to the next, you gain resume credibility to achieve the primary resume objective. 

 

First: Grabbing attention isn’t just about icebreakers 

The first resume objective to remember is that the way the resume looks matters. This begins with using clean paper. Usually, a photo is attached on the upper right hand corner of the paper. It is recommended to paste the photo completely or add it via a word processor and print it with the resume instead of stapling it. For type-written resumes, the challenge in achieving this resume objective is formatting the document to have maximum visual impact. 

This means that margins must be observed and properly used. Divisions must be neat and symmetric. “Widows and orphans”, a term used for sentences cut midway and continued on the next page, must be avoided. One must either finish a sentence on a page, or transfer it entirety to the next. 

In achieving this first resume objective, the resume need not be visually over-the-top. Ostentatious use of colored paper, and inappropriate graphics and text are all in bad taste. These may help grab attention, but also invite the disgust of the employer and make it impossible to achieve the primary resume objective. 

Second: Pick and prioritize  

If applicants wrote everything in resumes, these would be full of irrelevant information, and would take employers forever to sort through. The second resume objective is for important achievements to be chosen from irrelevant ones and prominently featured. In achieving this resume objective, prominent or more widely recognized achievements will be placed on the resume; less recognized or trivial achievements will be removed. For example, if a person is applying for a job as a finance analyst, he will list certifications, works published in prominent financial magazines, and work experience in distinguished financial institutions. He will not list an award in gardening regardless of that award’s being received recently.  

Third: It’s your resume, don’t forget 

Don’t make the mistake of creating a shopping list of achievements. This does not help with the primary resume objective. What helps with achieving the primary resume objective is making sure that personal contributions to any achievement are elaborated. For each job or position filled, a short description may be supplied to give the employer an idea just how much value was added by the applicant. It is individual contribution, after all, that they look for in prospective employees. 

The resume objective of getting the applicant an interview and the job will only happen when each minor resume objective is followed, because the resumes that result from them are able to best represent the applicant and the value he can bring to any company.