Dr LeahCim Semaj, psychologist and founder of The JobBank, has some important pointers for making an effective résumé.

Your résumé represents you, so you should try to make the most favourable first impression that you can. The résumé should present skills, qualifications and experiences in the best possible light. It will not get you the job but, if properly prepared, it should help you get the interview.

ETHICAL ISSUES

Ensure that your résumé tells the truth. Do not add qualifications or experiences that you have not had. It will be discovered sooner or later.

Ensure there are no periods that are unaccounted for. The person reading your résumé should be able to track your activities from high school to the present.

PRESENTATION ISSUES

Make sure the résumé is typed. Use good quality paper. Do not use folder leaves or ruled paper for your résumé The paper should not be torn or dirty.

Take the time to check through carefully. Check for spelling errors and missing data. Ensure that all corrections are done. Errors of this type do not give a positive impression of you.

FORMAT ISSUES

Try to make your résumé concise - a maximum of two pages. For recent graduates, one page is sufficient.

Going to the United States or Canada? Make the résumé one page. For persons with 10 years of working experience or more, you can create two versions of your résumé- a one-page version and a longer two- or three-page version that you would take with you for the interview.

CONTENT ISSUES

A potential employer needs to know what you can offer to his/her company and your résumé should focus on providing those details. Usually, he or she will not need to know your weight, height, state of health or marital status. If that is required, they will ask.

State where you can be reached quickly. No telephone? Give a number and a name where a message can be left for you. Make sure this person is reliable.

Provide an email address if you have one and make sure it sounds professional. Leave chachaboy@hotmail.com and hotbodybrowning@yahoo.com for correspondence with your friends. Your name is adequate - lisamariebrown@cwjamaica.com.

Identify your skills. Your skills or special abilities are those activities that you are especially good at. List those that would be useful in a work setting.

List your achievements based on the post(s)/position(s) that you have held. Rank each achievement according to its impact on, or importance to the organisation.

Give your work history. The reader should know the posts you have held, when you held them and in what companies.

Educational issues

Give information on your education and training by indicating the courses of study that you have successfully completed. If you are a recent graduate with a first degree, you can list some of the courses that would be relevant to the post that you are applying for.

Recently completed secondary education? You can list your passes giving subjects and grades and indicate the examining body and the proficiency level if done at CXC.

List the short courses you have attended, including in-house training programmes, give the date and the name of the trainer(s).

Provide the names of organisations or clubs you are affiliated with and give dates of membership. Also indicate any post you have held.

Make sure that a cover letter accompanies your résumé and ensure that you address the envelope properly (you might need to research the name of the human resources person). You do want to get your résumé in the right hands!

Source: www.jobbank-ja.com