Having a well organized, well written resume may be the single most important factor in helping you gain the adequate and fulfilling employment you desire. It certainly is the key to making it past the initial weeding out of applicants and advancing to the interviewing phase of the hiring process, and is an opportunity for you to be in control, showcasing all your skills, experience, training and education relevant to the desired position, something which may not happen in an interview. An easy to follow, forthright, and attractive resume says as much about an applicant and their style as a communicator and potential employee to an employer as does a resume printed on astrobrite paper and accompanied by a singing telegram. (We don’t suggest the latter)

What many people, particularly people who are new to job seeking in their chosen field of employment, don’t realize about the importance of resumes in obtaining a desired position, is that it is okay, and even advisable to have many different versions of your resume, each tailored to the particular requirements and qualifications of a position you as the applicant are interested in. It is likely for instance, that an individual seeking employment will submit a resume for several different positions, each focusing on a different set of skills and abilities that the applicant possesses. Having one all-encompassing resume that is not tailored to any of the specific positions applied for may result in the applicant’s resume being discarded from consideration for each position rather than considered for any of them.

In resume writing, just as in any other serious endeavor, a little research is important. Find out the details of any position you are seriously interested in applying for. Call the human resources department of the company with which you are seeking employment and ask about the priorities of the employer. Are they more interested in finding an employee who is intimately familiar with all the computer programs he or she will be required to use, or are they willing to train someone with excellent communication skills and experience with customer service on the more technical side of his or her new position? What is the culture of the office/place of employment? What type of personality are they seeking? Does the employer admire risk takers, or would they prefer hiring more conservative employees?

Finding answers to all these questions, and anything else that may be relevant, can then help you as the applicant understand exactly what the employer is looking for, decide if the position is a good fit for you, and present yourself accordingly through the organization and focus of your resume. For example; imagine you are interested in a position with an advertising company, and through your inquiries you find that the agency is primarily interested in hiring someone who is creative, a good writer, and has well developed people skills, and you feel this describes you perfectly. However, your education as a social worker or geology major is hardly as asset to you for this particular position, and therefore you will want to create and organize a resume that focuses on your creativity, writing abilities and experience working with people rather than your formal education or the summer you spent rock hunting in the Sahara Desert.

Certainly you would not want to exclude your educational information altogether. That could imply to your potential employer that you have no formal education, which is never to your advantage. But it may be prudent to list your education toward the bottom of your resume, after your potential employer has already been impressed with other skills and talents that you have to offer the advertising agency. Of course if you studied advertising in college, especially a college with a well known advertising program, you would want this information to be included at the very top of your resume, even if your actual experience in the field of advertising outside of college may be limited.

The general rule to follow with writing your resume is play to your strengths. Accentuate the positives you have to offer—and understand that they will be different depending on the position you are interested in applying for. Plan accordingly, and organize a new resume for each position accordingly.

Now that we understand how important resumes are in the job application process, and the necessity of custom designing each resume to the position for which you are applying, the next questions to ask yourself are “What should my resume include, and how shall I format it?” These questions, again, depend on you as an individual and the position for which you are applying. There are several resources available online giving resume writing examples and free resume help. Taking what you know about the position for which you are applying, these free resume writing examples available online can take you step by step through the design and content of your resume.

Though resumes are usually fairly simple and straightforward, resume design is an art form. If you are artistic or have graphic design skills, and the position for which you are applying is an artistic position, this may be your first test. You certainly don’t want to go overboard; the selection committee for any company with which you apply is not likely to be wowed with an overwhelming collection of your finest anime characters penciled into the margins, or a resume so colorful it looks like a flier advertising the circus coming to town. However, keep in mind that the individual or committee responsible for reading through resumes and weeding out those they are interested in interviewing will likely have gone through dozens of resumes. You want yours to be memorable, and getting free resume design help is a good way of ensuring that your resume stands out from the pack.

Using subtle and appropriate color is generally ok, as is choosing an eye-catching font for headings and subheadings—but again, be careful not to go overboard. You want to be taken seriously as an applicant, choosing a dramatic Olde English Gothic lettering style is not only hard to read, but will make you look ridiculous. The free resume writing example templates available online are good guidelines for ways you can personalize your resume without coming across as obnoxious.

Information that should be included in a resume is also typically pretty basic. Most employers want to see your relevant work experience (there is usually no need to include that high school job at the local car wash) listed in order of most recent to least recent. Employers are also interested in your skills; computer, machinery, written, language, etc., your leadership experience, and your formal education including degrees, majors, minors and extra curricular activities. Aside from these general basics, if there is any other pertinent experience, certifications, awards, publications or achievements you wish to include, you may do so, but with caution. Don’t submit a three page resume listing every award you won from the age of twelve on, the employer simply doesn’t care. For additional ideas and specific guidelines on what to include in your resume, see an online resume help site.

It is true that job hunting, and employee hunting for that matter, are a different game in our modern world than they were for our parents. Many individuals, both would-be employees and employers, rely heavily on online resources to match the right individual to the right position. If you are seriously searching for employment it may be worth your consideration to post your resume with an online resume service. There are of course disadvantages to this, it is difficult to tailor your resume to the position you wish to apply for as we discussed earlier, but the advantage to posting with an online resume service is that your resume is much more widely distributed and submitted to employers and companies offering opportunities you may not have been aware of.

In the case of an online resume you will want more than ever to consult the free resume writing examples available online, as you are trying to create a resume for all occasions and positions. Find a free resume help website that is reputable and professional, and you should have no trouble developing a clean, well written, well presented resume to help you to the employment you desire.