Whether you’re creating your first resume or revamping your current one, understanding the main components of a resume is a must. It allows you to ensure the content meets the hiring manager’s expectations, making it easier to secure new positions through a temp agency in Washington or on your own.
Here is a look at the five main components of a resume.
Contact Information
The first section on any resume needs to cover your contact information. Ideally, you need to list your first and last name, phone number, and email address at a minimum. That ensures the hiring manager can reach you if they’d like to schedule an interview.
You can also include your LinkedIn URL if you’d like, or add your current city and state. However, those are generally optional.
Resume Summary
A resume summary – also called a professional summary – is a concise overview of what you bring to the table. Generally, it outlines your core experience and a handful of key skills, preferably aligned with what you see in the job description.
Functionally, a resume summary is the written equivalent of an elevator pitch. As a result, you usually want to limit yourself to around three sentences.
Work Experience
The work experience section is usually the largest component of every resume. You want to list your past positions in reverse chronological order, outlining the employer’s name, the company’s location, your job title, and your employment dates as a heading.
After that, include three to five bullet points that highlight the skills you used in the role. Ideally, you want to start each entry with an action verb and focus the content on achievements. Additionally, quantify the details whenever possible.
Skills and Capabilities
This section can be positioned after your work experience or before it, depending on your preferences. Here, you want to create a short bullet-pointed list of the capabilities you possess that align with the target job’s requirements.
Make sure to include a mix of hard and soft skills, as that’s the more compelling approach. Additionally, limit yourself to a handful or two of capabilities, as anything more than that can negatively impact the look of your resume.
Education and Training
Finally, the education and training section is usually the last component of your resume. The only exception is with recent college graduates just starting their careers, as they may want to list it above their work history.
In most cases, you simply need to list the school’s name, degree or certification obtained, and the month and year you graduated or earned the credential. Extra details – like your GPA – aren’t necessary unless the job announcement specifically lists a minimum GPA in the requirements, so it’s usually best to leave it off.
Ultimately, the resume components above are the five main areas you need to complete when creating or updating a resume. That ensures you have a solid document for your application, making it easier to land new, exciting positions through a temp agency in Washington or other means.
Work with A Leading Washington Temp Agency
If you’d like to find out more about how you can stand out as a candidate or are ready to explore new opportunities, the staff at Alpha Consulting wants to hear from you. Contact us today.
