Resume Tricks and Tips
- Ash Denton
- April 9, 2022
Let’s talk resumes. What should my resume look like? How many pages should it be? What if I don’t have continuous work history? A resume can be the deciding factor between you and another candidate when applying to jobs, so you want yours to be the best it can be. St. Joseph the Worker is here to provide you with all the tools you need to create and submit a resume worthy of your new career.
Below is a sample resume. This resume is a perfect example of what your resume should look like. It is one page, single spaced, and includes work and education history. Note the summary of skills at the top of the resume. This is a great way to highlight your transferrable skillset to a potential employer in a clear and concise manner.
How do I write a summary on the top of my resume?
In order to write a summary, you want to consider the skills you already have that can be beneficial in the new career you want. For example, if you are looking for a job in customer service, include how many years of customer service experience you already have. You can also include your level of proficiency in operating systems, such as Excel, Word, and Outlook.
How much job history should I include?
At St. Joseph the Worker, we try to go back 10 years on employment history if you have it. This shows your skillset while still being relevant to a potential employer. What if you don’t have 10 years of work history? That’s alright! You can still build your resume on what you have. It’s important to show the employment that you have had and how it can benefit you in your future career.
What do I include in the bulk of my resume?
In the main employment history section of your resume, you can include all the job history you have spanning back 10 years while keeping the resume to one page. If you have had more than 3 jobs, just include the last three jobs but be detail oriented about your job responsibilities. You want to be focused on performance measures showing success, such as, raises received, promotions gained, and valuable takeaways from your previous jobs.
Education is the other important piece of the bulk of your resume. You want to show that you have an education history. If you do not have any educational history, you can always leave it out and add another job to the bottom of your resume. Just remember to keep it to one page.
What if I have been incarcerated or to rehab?
Fair chance employers understand that people have a past, and that’s okay. If you have gaps in your resume, that’s also okay. If you were in prison, oftentimes you had a job while there. If this is the case, you can include that in your resume and describe your job duties while incarcerated. If you were facing addiction/seeking rehabilitation services and have a gap in your resume, it is okay to be honest about your past while keeping some of your privacy. For example, you can build the resume as is and then discuss with an employer in your interview if they ask about the gaps. Check out our blog on interviews here to learn more about how to discuss having a past.
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Below is a sample resume. This resume is a perfect example of what your resume should look like. It is one page, single spaced, and includes work and education history. Note the summary of skills at the top of the resume. This is a great way to highlight your transferrable skillset to a potential employer in a clear and concise manner.
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Ash Denton
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