Tips for Your First Resume

An entry-level resume is the beginning of your career, so you might think you don’t have much to offer. You couldn’t be more wrong! Many things are part of the assets you offer to a potential employer, and work history is just one of them; an important part, but not the only part.

Do your homework before you write your resume. Take advantage of the wisdom you can pick up from the experts. Look at what resumes typically do and do not have on them, and make a list of what could be on yours.

Ask some people what you are good at. Don’t just ask your friends, talk to teachers and other folks you know. Are you part of any volunteer efforts? In any clubs? You are looking for things you take for granted, like the ability to figure out how to do things on a computer. You’d be surprised how many people do not know tech stuff.

Write your test resume. You can easily find a template online and fill in the blanks. Which blanks did you have trouble with? Do you have experience that could compensate? Make a copy of your test resume and start playing with it. How can you tweak it to say the things you are good at? Include coursework, internships, volunteer activities, early career experience, as well as skill sets that will help you find a job in the Healthcare IT industry.

When you are ready, have someone who is good at proofreading check it for you. It is very easy to miss your own mistakes because you know what you were thinking. Somebody else is going to see it quickly.

Know how you will distribute your resume and make a secure file to keep it in. Some employers want paper, others want your resume submitted online. Keeping your resume lets you revise it for future use as you need it. It’s always good to have a paper copy to bring to the new job because it makes filling out the forms that first day a lot easier

Your first resume is important, but remember that future resumes will get better as you develop your skills.

About the author

Erin Kennedy

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of nine best-selling career books.

   

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