Page 8 - The Editors of VGM Career Books - Resumes for Computer Careers, Second Edition (2002)

Introduction

our resume is a piece of paper (or an electronic document) that
serves to introduce you to the people who will eventually hire you.
YTo write a thoughtful resume, you must thoroughly assess your per-
sonality, your accomplishments, and the skills you have acquired. The act
of composing and submitting a resume also requires you to carefully con-
sider the company or individual that might hire you. What are they look-
ing for, and how can you meet their needs? This book shows you how to
organize your personal information and experience into a concise and well-
written resume, so that your qualifications and potential as an employee
will be understood easily and quickly by a complete stranger.
Writing the resume is just one step in what can be a daunting job search
process, but it is an important element in the chain of events that will lead
you to your new position. While you are probably a talented, bright, and
charming person, your resume may not reflect these qualities. A poorly
written resume can get you nowhere; a well-written resume can land you
an interview and potentially a job. A good resume can even lead the inter-
viewer to ask you questions that will allow you to talk about your strengths
and highlight the skills you can bring to a prospective employer. Even a
person with very little experience can find a good job if he or she is assisted
by a thoughtful and polished resume.
Lengthy, typewritten resumes are a thing of the past. Today, employ-
ers do not have the time or the patience for verbose documents; they look
for tightly composed, straightforward, action-based resumes. Although a
one-page resume is the norm, a two-page resume may be warranted if you
have had extensive job experience or have changed careers and truly need
the space to properly position yourself. If, after careful editing, you still
need more than one page to present yourself, it’s acceptable to use a sec-
ond page. A crowded resume that’s hard to read would be the worst of your
choices.

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