If your education includes a college degree it is not necessary to include information about high school. If you have completed your education recently (less than five years ago) and your degree is relevant to the position for which you are applying, you should place your educational background near the top of your resume. Otherwise, you may place it at the bottom. If you completed your education more than five years ago and worked outside the field in which you were educated, but are now seeking to enter that field, you should also place your educational information at the top of your resume.
How long is too long?
A rule of thumb is to stick to a one page resume. Employers need only see a snapshot of your background -- something that will make them want to learn more about you. However, if there is something you must include, for example, special awards and achievements, publications, or a grant you procured, you can run onto a second page. This rule differs for a curriculum vitae (CV) which is used by academics. In general a CV is several pages long as it includes a list of publications.
What about personal information?
Do not, under any circumstances, include personal information such as height, weight, age, marital status, or religious background. In the United States, it is not legal for an employer to request this information. As for other countries, you would need to ascertain whether this information is necessary.
Where do I put salary history?
Sometimes a prospective employer will require a salary history along with a resume and cover letter. If that is the case, you can include the salary history as an addendum to your resume.
How do I handle a brief period of employment?
Every so often a job comes along that just wasn't meant to be. You begin a job that you soon discover isn't for you. Rather than continue at the job you decide to cut your losses and quit. If you do decide to place that job on your resume, a short period of employment might raise a lot of questions. On the other hand, you should never lie on your resume. Rather than include specific dates on your resume, include only years. For example, for each job you list, state the years or year that encompassed your tenure there. Of course, when you fill out an employment application, you are going to have to include the actual dates of employment.
How do I make sense of all the advice?
You will hear the opinions of many experts, each giving different advice. The bottom line is that you must produce a resume that makes you proud. Your name is right up there on top, it represents you, and will affect your chance of getting the interview. You get my point. Read through all the information, listen to what everyone has to say, and then decide what you want to do.
Do not forget to proof read your resume -- over and over again. Have someone else do it as well. Before you send it out, put it away for a day. Take it out again and look it over. You will probably pick up errors you didn't see yesterday.
Keep your resume up-to-date. Even if you are currently employed and have no intention of job hunting, add any new skills to your resume. If you work on a special project add that as well. You may not remember some important additions if you have to write a resume under pressure.
Now that we've covered all the basics of resume writing, now we'll briefly address some special issues, specifically resume banks, cover letters and resumes for creative jobs.
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Resume Banks, Cover Letters and Creative Resumes
Putting Together a Solid Resume
