RECO Professional: Top 10 Résumé Writing Tips

At RECO, we are proud to offer employment resources to our clients through our unique program, RECO Professional. In most cases, pursuing purposeful employment involves creating a résumé. As a representation of your strengths and experience, a well-crafted résumé speaks to your accomplishments and enthusiasm as an employee.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or expanding an existing one, here are some tips to get your résumé looking its best.

1) Create an objective or summary.

Your objective should be a mini-bio of your employment history, in addition to a brief summary of your career goals. Cater your objective to the job you are applying for, highlighting skills that pertain to the position. Your first impression matters, and your objective will provide a potential employer with his/her first impression of you as a prospective employee.

2) Stick to familiar fonts.

Employers can be quick to dismiss résumés that are composed in a wacky font, so it’s best to stick to the tried-and-true options. These include Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, and Times New Roman. Use bold and italic lettering in headings; stick to regular for the body of your text.

3) Proofread.

Check your apostrophes, contractions, and tense (three of the most common grammar mishaps on résumés!). Read your sentences aloud for clarity; it’s a simple tip to catch errors you might otherwise miss.

4) Highlight key skills.

Emphasize skills that are needed in the field you are applying for. Include any computer programs that you are proficient in, customer service skills, languages, etc.

5) Pay attention to length.

One page is a commonly acceptable length. Include a brief objective, employment history, education, and special skills. Maximize the space by using a 12 pt. font.

6) Focus on accomplishments.

For each of your job descriptions, make sure to include specific accomplishments. Adding accomplishments quantifies your former responsibilities, and provides a sense of your strengths.

7 ) Craft lists in reverse chronological order.

Include your most recent employment first, and work backwards from there.

8) Use action verbs.

Use words that convey action. For example, instead of writing “responsible for,” consider verbs such as “administered,” “coordinated,” and “instituted.”

9) Break text into bullet points. 

Separate your individual accomplishments with bullet points, assigning one sentence to each.

10) Enlist a second editor.

A second pair of eyes can work wonders when editing a résumé. Ask for a quick read-through from a friend, relative, or mentor.