Skip to main content

How To Make a Great Resume

One of the most important things when looking for a job is your resume, but writing a
resume can be tough especially when your dyslexia or learning challenge makes it difficult
to write well. So, here are a few tips to help you create a resume employers are looking for:
           A resume must be well-organized, error-free and neat. These are the sections you want to
have, and in this order: the header, career objective/ job summary, skills, experience,
education, certifications. The header should have your name, present address, email, and
primary telephone number at the top of the page.
          In your career objective/job summary communicate the type of position you want while
summarizing your career. This should highlight the skills you have acquired throughout your career. It should only be one to two sentences long.
          The skills section is really important because employers use this section to look at your
resume quickly. In fact, it is so important it will get its own paragraph below. For experience, you should list any full/ part-time jobs, self-employment and volunteer work you have done. You should include these: the job title, dates of employment, company name, city, and state. If you have so much experience that the resume is getting too long, tailor your resume to the job. Only keep the jobs that pertain to the position you are looking for.
          Education should be listed in reverse chronological order (so should experience). If you are
older and worried about age discrimination leave your graduation dates off. Include the city
and state of the job as long as it's not part of the title. Do the same with jobs. If the job you
listed is one you had 25 years ago, leave it off.
          List any professional affiliations and activities with certificates. You once again order them in
reverse chronological order and by importance to the career objective. Make sure to spell
out the organization's name and do not say a member of.
          If you are a fast food worker looking for a better job, customer service is a great skill. Customer service teaches people how to be nice in the worst of situations. And if you worked in fast food, you have likely been crossed-trained. Each time you have been trained in a new position it is a new skill. Working in a fast food restaurant also teaches you how to work in fast-paced environments which means you can cope with changing environments. Market the experience you have into skills even if the only experience you have is volunteering. 
          If you're a college student or a parent there will likely be gaps in your resume and that's
okay. When explaining the gaps keep it positive and honest when talking about why you left
your job before. Be honest about why you were let go while not saying anything negative about your boss or the job before. (It was a bad fit.) If you left a job to be a stay-at-home parent or because of
school don't be afraid to explain why; just make sure it doesn't negatively reflect on the
employer. Emphasize the skills/activities you learned from being a parent. If you
volunteered during the gap emphasize that! Volunteer work is experience! And if you did
volunteer during the gap, you don’t have a gap. Simple use the volunteer work as your job
continuation.
            Here are some resumes do's and don'ts:  Do use action verbs. Make sure your sentences
are short and concise. Use white space liberally because you want it to look neat without looking crowded. List your skills like columns instead of a list straight down. You can also do this when talking about work experience. This way it will still look neat without a lot of white space and save
on space. It should also be easy to read. A resume shouldn't be any more than a page but if
you have to go any longer don’t make it more than a page and a half. Try not to use a lot of pronouns like I. You also don’t need to bring references to the job interview, but keep a list of them on hand. (Be sure and call each reference to let them know you are using them as a reference for a job before you give them to a prospective employer.) Do not list references on your resume. Keep your resume concise; eliminate clutter with non-essential information. Be honest, do not make any misrepresentations. Do not include any personal information like your social security number, age, sex or a photograph, etc. And do not disclose your dyslexia on your resume. If you need accommodations when called in for an interview, call ahead.
              Making a resume just right can be a frustrating experience especially when it comes to
formatting, but there is no way getting around it. A resume is needed in order to find
employment. Employers need it so they know you have the experience and skills for the job.
But this guide helps to create a resume employers will pay attention to. Dyslexics are creative, hardworking, out-of-the-box thinkers and innovative employees. Any
employer would be lucky to have you! Happy job hunting!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dyslexia Is an Advantage Even When Job Hunting

Research by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire found that dyslexics are great at pointing out things that are out of place like weeds in a garden. Researchers found that dyslexics could point out  visual representations of causal reasoning at faster rates than non-dyslexics.  Which means they can point out things that don't make sense in painting or photographs a lot easier and faster. In one study  astrophysicists  with dyslexia were able to pick out black holes from the noise faster than non-dyslexics. In another study with college students, dyslexics were better at memorizing blurry images that looked like x-rays. These are great advantages in medicine and science.  So, if dyslexia can be a gift, why does it make it harder to find employment. Dyslexics can have a tough time getting a job. Where do you even start? You can start by listing your strengths in your resume. Employers want to know your strengths and skills right off the bat to see if you fit the posit

Dyslexia Jobseekers

Dyslexia can be difficult for a plethora of reasons and finding a job is no different. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, but not everyone knows that, so here are a few things you, a person with dyslexia, should know when looking for a job.           Play to your strengths. Research job requirements and apply to jobs that match your strengths and abilities. Many dyslexics are creative, visual thinkers and have a good eye. Find your strengths and use them to your advantage by applying to jobs that fit them.  And consider all your options. Do you want a typical 9-5 job? Many people with dyslexia don't want to fit into that category since it often stifles their creativity. But that's okay. Not everyone can handle the same type of job. Do you want a job in graphic design or architecture? How about computer programming, teaching, law, personal training, research? Do what you are interested in instead of what will impress your family or even the job your family wants

Welcome!

Welcome to Dyslexia Now Blog! This blog is in affiliation with a non-profit called Jobs For Dyslexics! We help adults with dyslexia find the jobs of their dreams and spread awareness around dyslexia. This blog will have resources dyslexics can use to get jobs and advocate for themselves.