Affordable Writing & Editing : Resume Tips

Résumé Tips

Following these tips will help ensure your résumé will be seen and considered.

Don’t assume that the résumé alone will get you the job; a résumé is only the start. Hopefully it will get you in for an interview.
Don’t send more than one résumé to a potential employer unless requested to do so.
Don’t address a résumé “To Whom It May Concern.” Always get someone’s name — a manager, department head, etc. — for the envelope and cover letter.
Don’t send a résumé if you think it will arrive on a Monday or Friday (unless requested to do so). It simply won’t get the attention it deserves.
Don’t correct or revise your résumé with erasures or ink (or even White-Out); it’s not only sloppy, it’s unprofessional.

Do target the right employer for you, the one that will best use your skills, the one with which you have the best chances.
Do use a cover letter; address it to a specific person at your target company. Tailor the letter to the specific business and position.
Do follow up your résumé and letter with a phone call. Try to speak to the department head with whom you will be dealing (rather than a personnel manager).
Do have your résumé printed by a quality reproduction house. Use 24-lb. white, buff, or ivory bond paper (preferably with a cotton rag content). While you are at the print shop, pick up some matching blank paper and envelopes for cover letters.