A perfect resume can help one stand out from all other applicants when applying for a job. It is the first step to get employed successfully. Everyone shall write a personal resume to start careers. However, someone may lack of the skills to write a resume, for they have never learned at school or got taught. Here are some tips to help people create a great resume.

Dos:

• Use resume templates. Start your resume writing by referring to a resume template if you totally have no idea about making one. A resume template will help you save a lot of time, and various types of resume templates can meet most of your needs.
• Customize your own resume based on the specific position you are applying for. Different positions ask for different skills and qualifications, so you should know about them first.
• Focus on your strength and advantage. You may lack of desired work experience, especially for fresh job-seekers who just graduate from colleges, but you may have good education, rich volunteer experience or impressive bobbies. Highlight your strong parts in your resume to attract the employers.
• Make your resume short, clean and focused. The average time for an employer to go through a resume is 30 seconds. Sometimes, they scan hundreds of resumes in several hours. A long tedious resume will make them tired and even impatient. So just make your resume short and one-page is best. Remember, short does not equal to simple. Your resume should be short, as well as focused.
• Clear format. When you have finished your content writing, you should choose a clear format to organize your resume. You can refer to this article written by  Lindsay Kolowich to get more tips about writing a good resume and choose a format.

Don’ts:

• Never use the same resume that worked in your previous careers when you're pursuing new ones. Instead, the resume should be rewritten to emphasize key qualifications for new objectives.
• Don’t use over-modified photos on your resume. Usually, a beautiful photo will leave a good impression to the employers. But if you looks really different from your photo, which means the photo is much more beautiful or handsome than yourself, it will leave a bad impression on the employers in the interview part. According to a new survey, most employers express that they may feel disappointed or even deceived if the applicant looks a big difference from his or her photo.
• Do not lie on your resume. All the details about your education, work history, other experiences, personal skills should be true.

How to write a personal CV?

1. Download a blank CV template or refer to other people’s written CV sample if you have no idea about CV writing.
2. List your personal info at the top of your CV, including name, address, email, phone number, etc.
3. Write your education background. You don’t need to write from your high school, only if you are not enrolled in a college.
4. Create your working experience section. If you have get hired before, you just need list your previous job details. If you are newly graduated, you can list your part-time jobs in high school or college.
5. List your personal skills, previous awards and achievement. This part is important to prove your abilities to the recruiters or hiring manager.
6. Write your publications. If you have any publications, you can list them in the reference section at the bottom of your CV. If no, just omit this part.

The difference between a good and bad CV.

A good-quality CV will make you stand out from the crowd, while a poorly written one leaves a bad impression and may result in loosing the interview offer.

• A good CV should be perfectly organized, so the layout is important. Make your CV layout to one side, two sides or at most three sides on a A4 paper. Two sides maybe the most appropriate, but if you have few experiences, you can layout one side; if you have too much experience, you can make three sides layout.
• The best format for a CV is starting from personal info, to education, work history, and ending with achievements or publications. This format helps the employer read comfortably and grasp the focuses quickly. While, if your CV is badly formatted, for example beginning with personal skills and achievements and ending with contact info, this may be hard for the employers to digest.
• Pay attention to the font size on your CV. Bolden the title of each part and your top contact info, which may be more readable and easier to find necessary information.

What is cover letter?

A cover letter is a one page document sent with your resume to provide additional information on your skills and experience. It’s the first thing that the employers will see. In other words, besides your resume, it’s also a good chance for you to show your personality even to impress the employer for a potential interview. In this letter, you should briefly introduce yourself, explain the purpose of writing this letter, demonstrate your experiences, skills as well as personalities that match the job requirements in details, express your desire for this job and the determination as well as confidence to act as well in the position.

Why is it important?

As you know, first impression is very important. Cover letter, as an introduction of yourself, is very important when it first comes to the employer for it will leave the employer a general impression and determine whether you can go to the next round. Generally, there are four reasons why it is important. Firstly, cover letter provides you with a chance to elaborate beyond your resume. It’s another way to selling yourself. Next, a cover letter highlights your skills and experience directly related to your desired position. Thus the employer can easily judge whether you are suitable for the position. Finally, the letter not only tells your accomplishments but also reveals the way you communicate. If you are good at communicating, you will get extra credit. If you want to get more chance for a job interview, please try to make your cover letter more attractive and impressive.

How to compose a cover letter?

Like other formal letter, a completed cover letter contains heading, date, addressee, salutation, the body, closing, signature and email subject line. The heading part is your contact information including your name, present address, phone number and email address. Be sure that this part matches the heading you use in your resume. The date simply refers to the date you submit your resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should contain employer contact information like name, title, company and address if you need. Next is the salutation part. This part is necessary because it shows that you are one with politeness. As to the body part, it’s extremely important. You’d better divide your body into three parts. In the first part, you should briefly introduce yourself and tell the purpose of this letter. Indicate the specific position or the kinds of position you are applying for. Express your interest to the position and why you want to apply for it. In the second part, you should highlight your experience and skills as well as accomplishments that match to the job requirements. Never list the items as you do in your resume. The third part should be the closing part. You can show your personality and passion for the job as well as your desire for the job interview. Don’t forget to express your thanks for the reader. Below the body part, you should put the complimentary close and your handwritten signature. Composing the parts mentioned above, you will get a completed cover letter.

How to find and use cover letter examples?

As an important part for job applying, cover letters may be searched or provided by many people. You can directly go to google search for what you what. While the search results will make you dazzling and your clicking to each site will waste you lot of time. So, why not searching what you want on this page and referring the cover letter templates and examples here to create customized cover letters for your own. We classified the cover letter templates and examples in different kinds. You can easily find the kinds you need. Refer to as more templates and examples as possible, and then you will have inspirations to make your own one. In addition, this page is designed for job seekers. You can also find information about resume, cv and job application form here.

Step 1. Research the company

Before filling in a job application form, please carefully research the company, the industry and the role you want to apply for and figure out:

• The skills they are seeking for
• What are your relevant skills to the job
• Are you suitable to this job
• What attracts you to the role

Step 2. Make Your Job Application Form Stand Out

All applicants will be asked to fill out the same form, so how to make your application form stand out is very important. The following are tips about how to fill in a job application form successfully. Using these tips to stress your relevant skills, abilities and valuable experience.

• Educational background: It is very important that you meet or exceed the minimum academic requirements required for the position you are applying for. And summarise key results or module results when introducing your education experience.
• Employment history: Ideally at least three examples of work are needed for your application form. If you have had many jobs, the examples you use should be the most recent and/or relevant to the job you are applying for. Highlight your responsibility and ability in the jobs.
• Interests and achievements: Figure out what skills employers are looking for, and try to connect your hobbies and activities to them. Showing you are a sociable person also helps, as it shows you can work well with others.
• Personal statement: Don’t write a highly detailed chronological version of your career to date, just pick out examples of skills or achievements that are relevant to the job.
• References: At least one of your two referees should be referred to, including your current line manager, and if you’re a recent graduate, your referee should be an academic at university, usually your personal tutor.

Step 3. Check your application

Before sending your application form, there are still five things you need to do.

• Check your spelling and grammar.
• Have someone else check it for you. Ask your tutor or careers advisor for advice.
• Never lie on your job application form.
• The words and sentences should be succinct, positive and clear.
• Print the form and keep a copy.