A resume is a summary of your life to date and includes details of your education and work experience. A resume is also called a CV (Latin: Curriculum vitae) in some countries, especially in the UK.

The rule to resume writing is: there is no hard and fast rule! You can choose to list your career history in chronological¹ order, to highlight your skills, or even to target your resume to one particular job. However, always include a cover letter with your resume.

Make sure your resume is up-to-date. Always use a PC to compile it, and try not to clutter² it up with different font styles or clip-art. Sober and simple is best for most jobs, although, there is more flexibility³ for jobs that call for creativity. Keeping it simple also helps you to edit and personalize your resume for each future job that you apply to. If possible, use the company's language ?reflect the qualities that they emphasize in advertisements and pamphlets etc.

A resume should always include:

• Contact details
• An educational history
• An employment history
• Your skills, talents and interests
• References

Don't forget to spell- and grammar-check your resume and get a qualified⁴ friend to go over the grammar for you. You can write brief and concise⁵ descriptions of your experiences as well as what you have achieved through these experiences. You can illustrate⁶ this with certificates, diplomas, degrees, awards, and/or portfolios⁷.

The educational history should be brief. If you have a master's degree, your high school grades are irrelevant⁸. Don't use superficial adjectives, such as "excellent sales results." Try to turn this around by using positive verbs instead, such as "achieved 200% increase in sales."

Here are some adjectives that always look good on resumes:

• Self-starter
• Initiative taker
• Independent worker
• Team player
• Accountable
• Reliable
• Organized
• Good communicator

For example: "planned sales strategy with team of three and coordinated⁹ implementation¹⁰."