This is the second post in a series of materials about successful employment.
In the first publication, the authors of Skillbox, together with Anna Zelenaya, leading employment specialist at the Career Development Center, explained where and how to look for a job. Now let's move on to the second step - preparing a resume.
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Anna, what is included in the generally accepted resume structure?
First, I'll tell you in brief. We'll go from top to bottom. The first block of the resume is the header. It includes:
- a photograph. I can tell you from personal experience: many employers do not consider resumes without photographs. People
- have the impression that the candidate is hiding something;
- contact information;
- place of residence;
- additional information.
After the header comes Blocks:
- Resume objective;
- Work experience;
- Education;
- Advanced training;
- Key skills;
- About me.
Tell me more about what should be in each block.
Let's start with the headline. The face must be clearly visible in the photo. It's important that the photo meets business standards: no beach photos. If the candidate is applying for a management position, they must wear business attire. Representatives of creative professions, for example, designers or PR specialists, can deviate a little from the office style, but within the bounds of decency.
In the "Contact information" section you must indicate:
- Full name;
- Gender;
- Age;
- Year of birth;
- Phone number;
- Email address;
- Skype;
- LinkedIn profile, if any. For IT specialists, this is a must;
- A link to Behance is for designers.
In the “Place of Residence” section, indicate the city and country of residence, citizenship.
Additional information depends on the vacancy and the company: you may have to indicate whether you have a work permit abroad or a category B driver’s license. Sometimes people also write about their readiness to relocate and the location.
In the block The resume objective indicates the position the candidate is applying for. It is also important to indicate the desired work schedule and type of employment: full-time, remote, internship, or part-time.
In the "Work Experience" block, you should write about the period of work, companies and their activities, the employee's position and functions.
In the "Education" block, the applicant adds information about the type of education they received: higher, secondary, or specialized. If you have improved your qualifications through courses or training, be sure to note this in the next block of the same name. Important: Courses must be related to the position you are applying for.
In the Key Skills section, list skills related to the position you are applying for. Don't list everything you can do—that's unnecessary information.
In the About Me section, don't write "I love fishing"—no one will be interested in that. You should indicate what will be useful in your future job: skills or hobbies. For example, a candidate for a job in game development loves computer games. This hobby will be a plus, because the applicant will be able to evaluate the product from the consumer's point of view.
Don't write adjectives"proactive", "sociable" and things like that. This is a subjective assessment that does not relate to professional skills. I know employers who are driven crazy by the adjective "sociable" (laughs).
Should you always follow the generally accepted structure?
In most cases, yes, because it provides all the information important for the recruiter and the employer. When a candidate creates their own resume, they may skip one section, which will raise questions.
Creative professionals can deviate from the accepted standard. For example, a designer might not use a job site but send their resume directly to the employer. It's great when a candidate can take a creative approach: submitting a resume as a presentation, with a portfolio and links to projects. This demonstrates innovative thinking. But at the same time, it's important to include all the necessary information in the resume.
Are there any specifics in creating a resume for specific specialists?
It is important for a designer's resume to include a link to their Behance profile. On this platform, designers and artists can publish their work.
It is important for an IT specialist to be present on platforms such as LinkedIn, Stack Overflow, Habr Career, GitHub. This is useful not only for a resume: many recruiters search for candidates not only on job sites, but also on professional platforms, LinkedIn, in groups and communities.
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Even knowing the structure of a resume, many candidates make mistakes when writing it. We'll talk about pitfalls and common mistakes in the next post.
- If you don't yet know what you want to become — Catch the professional test.
- To learn more about career consultations, go to Website of the Career Development Center.
You can read useful tips on finding a job here.