You cannot – repeat: cannot – underestimate the importance of your resume. This is your first impression. This is your chance to capture your potential employer’s attention, to pique his or her interest. This is your ticket into the job of your choice. It does not matter what job you are applying for – whether you want to work the drive-thru at Burger King or apply for an entry level position at a sales office, you have got to have a good one. Otherwise, you are not even going to get your foot in the door.

First of all, let’s discuss what your good resume is so important, what it is supposed to do, et cetera. Succinctly, its purpose is to list your accomplishments, your skills, and your qualifications, especially as they pertain to the job for which you are applying. In a way, it is your way of promoting yourself. In fact, resume writing is an act of self promotion. You have to show your prospective employer that you are unequivocally right for the job. Not only that, but you have to outline your experiences and your accomplishments – otherwise, how will he or she know that you are truly qualified for the job? Furthermore, the document also serves as an example concerning how well you can communicate and how good you are at organization.

Most importantly, remember to keep it short. It should only be one or two pages, in total — and preferably not an entire two pages. The real details are reserved for your resume. That is where you will have a chance to shine. Having captured your potential employer’s attention when your resume writing skills, you now get to reel him or her in with all the special skills, accomplishments, et cetera, found in your resume – which, by the way, can be longer than two pages.

Before beginning, you first need to choose what kind of good resume format you want to choose. There are several at your disposal. Your choice really depends on the amount of work experience you have had. A chronological resume is probably the most common format, especially for people who have a substantial work history. When you use this style, the important emphasis is placed on your work experience and past history. The key here is that you write down your experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent position. That goes down first, followed by the position before that, et cetera.

Another style of resume is the functional format. It employs a non linear style, which puts the emphasis your skills and accomplishments. Conversely, you write a summary of your past work experience, carefully linking it to the skills and achievements you present. As you can imagine, those skills – which can include your educational experiences – go first. This is extremely popular among people who have held jobs in a lot of similar positions. Rather than having to list each individual job, you can save room – very important in resume writing – by simply providing an overview of your work history. This saves you from looking redundant.

The writing a cover letter to a company exhibits the best of both worlds, so to speak. Put simply, it is basically the functional format, plus a brief section devoted to your past employment history. Your educational qualifications and achievements go first, followed by accomplishments and skills, followed by your work experience. There are plenty of resume templates available in the internet if you need help. These will not only show you what goes where, but it many cases you can actually use them yourself, and simply fill in your own personal information, educational background, and work history.