How to write your resume

The longer your resume - the better. Don't try to squeeze it in one page.  Good resume of experienced programmer may easily be 3-5 pages long (I've seen longer).

Don't play with fancy formatting in MS Word - plain text is good enough. And it is easier to send over email or post on the Internet. And it may be easier to scan (many companies scan resume into the computer - although in my experience in last several years, resume is almost always delivered electronically (email or web page)).

Put your name and contact information right on the top. Don't forget email and telephone. Keep all contact info in one place, because usually agents will cut this header off and substitute it with contact information of their agency.

Then you may put the following info:

Objective (optional): - only if you want to state what you want (or don't want) in your future job. Agents prefer to cut this off because it narrows the marketability.

Summary: - this is the most important part of the resume. Nobody reads the whole resume - but everybody reads the summary. So put 90% of your time into perfecting it. Imagine that a manager called your agent and told him that he needs an experienced java programmer (at least 3 years) with unix, Oracle, and financial experience. In one phrase he defined what he needs. Another example - imagine that you are asking a manger if he may be willing to consider interviewing your friend. "What kind of programmer is he?"  "Well, he is a C++ programmer on Windows platform."  Again, in just one phrase you defined main features.  This is exactly what you should do in summary - in a short telegraphic bulleted style define your major qualifying points: how many years of experience you have, what main languages, databases, frameworks.  Try to include the skills and key-words which are in demand on the market.

Skills: - list all your skills, subdivide them by topics, for example:
   LANGUAGES:
   DATABASES:
   PLATFORMS:
   INTRA / INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES:
   XML/XSL TECHNOLOGIES:
   ENTERPRISE APPLICATION INTEGRATION:
   OTHER SKILLS:
Remember, you are been hired as a tool (like a hammer). So manager needs to know on which platforms you punched the keyboard, which tools you used, etc. Be specific. List all (even small) utilities you used. Even MS Office.

Professional Experience: - start with your current or most recent job - and go back in time. For each job state when, where, and in which capacity you worked. Then describe different projects you worked on.  For each project give brief definition - and mostly concentrate on technologies used and your functions. Manager needs to know not just that you were doing reports - but exactly - on which platform, using which tools. Be specific about your practical skills.

Education: - list when, how long, major subjects, degree earned

References: - available upon request.

Below are some tips and instructions which I got from some agencies - you may use them too:
 

How to write a resume - tips # 1

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Think of your resume as your marketing brochure. Think of yourself as a product with unique features and benefits, and the employer or recruiter is a customer who needs this product. Your resume should be like a sales tool, telling the reader why they should want to meet you for demonstration of who you are.

Use your resume just to get the interview. Don't go into detail about every item on your resume. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview. Again, think sales brochure. No one has ever been hired because they had a really detailed resume.

Use bullet points. In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb the contents.

Use numbers, dollars, and percentages. Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume and grab the reader's attention. Think along the lines of number of people supervised, increased sales by $X amount of dollars, decreased departments payroll budget by X% percentage points.

Lead with your strengths. Since resumes are typically reviewed in less than a minute, take the time to determine which bullet points most strongly support the type of job you are applying for. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.

Pump up the positive. Leave off negatives and irrelevant points off of your resume. Stick to the point. Your accomplishments related to your career history is what the reader is looking for. Irrelevant personal information is not.  You will not get an interview because you are a champion clog dancer.

Get your resume "out there." Think of getting your resume out as a numbers game. The more the better. Apply for more jobs than less. Part of getting your resume out there is combining all of the resources that are available to you. Not only do you want to send your resume off to individual jobs that you see on the jobboards or in the newspaper, but you want to post your resume to as many resume databases as possible. Get your resume in front of as many Search Firms as possible. Consider using a resume distribution service, which will email your resume to 1000's of recruiters in your industry for a small fee.
 

How to write a resume (don't know the author):

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How to write a resume (don't know the author):

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Major Resume Components
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HEADING: At the top of your resume should be your name, present (local) address and/or permanent (home) address. Include apartment number and zip code, and phone numbers with area codes. A daytime phone number is a must. Include your e-mail address if you have one.
Objective (optional): Use only if you are very clear about the job you seek, otherwise, do not include one. State your objective clearly and specifically in a phrase such as "drafting position in supervisory capacity with manufacturer of mechanical or electrical products". It is possible to have two or more resumes with different job objectives, or you may use the cover letter accompanying your resume to state your career goals.
Education: Degrees earned (or to be completed) should be listed in reverse chronological order. Generally, you need not include high school unless that is the extent of your formal education. For each degree give the following:
Name and location of school attended
Degree, and (expected) year of graduation
Major; minor or concentration if relevant
Grade point average (optional)
 Research/thesis topic (if applicable)
Relevant courses (optional)
Scholarships, honors, awards (optional)
Extracurricular activities (optional)
 

TECHNICAL SKILLS
Operating Systems: VAX/VMS, MS-DOS
Hardware: Digital VAX 11/785, IBM PC-AT
Software: ABT Project Workbench, Goldengate, Professional Write, XyWrite, IBM Script, Lotus Freelance Plus

Experience: Depending upon which format you choose, (see pp. 2, 3 and 4), organize your work experience either in reverse chronological order or by functions and skills.
Chronological. List your employment in reverse chronological order. Give position held, employer, and dates of employment. Describe each position according to job duties: list tasks performed, outcomes and achievements, emphasizing those requiring the highest level of skill, responsibility and i.e. judgment. Begin each phrase with action verbs (see p. 5). Quantify and qualify your accomplishments, "surpassed sales quota by 15%", "trained and supervised 5 employees", "maintained average case load of 85".
 

Functional Combined. Group your work accomplishments, responsibilities, and duties according to functional skill areas such as "Teaching and Training", "Managerial Skills", "Sales". Choose skill headings that support your job objective and briefly describe, using action statements, the work you did in each of the broad categories you identify. For example, if you did financial analysis and planning in previous positions, describe these responsibilities under the heading "Financial Planning" and treat your experience in this area as one complete unit. Your work history can be briefly listed in reverse chronological order in a separate section.
Other possible sections of the resume: The following information, although not always required or necessary, may also be included in a resume.
Professional certificates or licenses
Special skills and abilities (including language facility)
Publications
Major accomplishments
Selected achievements
Summary of qualifications
References
 Membership/affiliations
Interests
Additional training
Military experience (if applicable)
Professional and personal strengths
Community service

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Standard Resume Formats

The CHRONOLOGICAL format is the most widely used and accepted. Content is laid out in reverse chronological order preferably with no gaps in time. The format emphasizes major responsibilities and work experiences. The strong points of this resume are that the format is one which most employers prefer, is easiest to prepare, shows a steady employment history, and provides the interviewer with a guide for discussion during the interview. Its limitations are that it can starkly reveal gaps in employment history, it may put undesired emphasis on certain experiences you may wish to minimize, and it may be difficult to highlight your skills.

The FUNCTIONAL COMBINED format is designed to highlight the qualifications of the applicant with much less emphasis on specific work titles and dates. Therefore, this format is suggested for those who have a diverse work history or who are making a career change.

The strong points of this resume are that it allows you to highlight skills that are relevant to your job objective, minimizes gaps in time, and can be varied to emphasize or de-emphasize work history and job titles. The limitations of this resume are that it takes longer to prepare, can be difficult to read unless it is well written. It may also be annoying to employers who want to know what you did, where you did it, and when; the facts are included but not emphasized.

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Scannable Resumes

Many organizations are tracking applicants by scanning their resumes into computer databases. These resumes are retrieved through key word searches when openings occur.

What gets the attention of a computer is different than what gets the attention of a hiring manager. Scanable resumes are specifically designed to be scanned and are not necessarily visually pleasing.

We recommend that you call some of the companies you plan to send resumes to and find out whether or not they use an electronic scanner. Below is a list of helpful hints for your electronically scanned resumes.

Use industry jargon.
Nouns are better than verbs.
A computer search will target key words specific to your profession.
You need to use key words throughout your resume.
Use white or off white paper.
Avoid blues and grays because they minimize the contrast between the letters and the background.
Use 12 point type; using smaller type may confuse the scanner.
Use standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper
Do not fold the paper because words in the creases cannot be read easily by a scanner.
Avoid graphics, bolds, bullets, italics, underlining and fancy fonts because they will not scan well.
Avoid columns because scanners read from left to right.
Send original printed resumes because photocopies do not scan clearly.
Multiple page resumes are BETTER

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Action Verbs
When describing your Job Skills (i.e., what you do, what you did, etc.), always use action verbs. Avoid general statements like: "duties included" or "responsible for".

And remember: do not misrepresent your duties -- describe them as professionally and accurately as possible.

List below, by category, are a variety of action Verbs that you may find useful in describing your Job Skills.
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COMMUNICATIONS
acted as liaison, advised, advocated, arbitrated, authored, commented, consulted,  correspond, counseled, demonstrated, displayed, edited, guided, informed,  instructed, interpreted, interviewed, lectured, marketed, mediated, moderated,  negotiated, notified, presented, promoted, publicized, published, recommended,  referred, sold, trained, translated, wrote

ADMINISTRATION
administered, appointed, arranged, completed, conducted, consolidated, contracted , controlled, coordinated, delegated,  determined, directed, dispatched, dispensed, distributed, eliminated, executed, founded, governed, headed,  implemented, initiated, instituted, issued, launched, managed, motivated, obtained, offered, opened,  ordered, organized, overhauled, oversaw, prescribed, presided, provided, recruited, rectified, referred,  regulated, represented, revamped, reviewed, routed, selected, supervised, supplied, terminated

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
broadened, created, designed, proposed, developed, devised, discovered, drafted, estimated, improved,  initiated, invented, modified,  planned, prepared, produced

ANALYSIS
amplified, analyzed, calculated, compiled, computed, detected, diagnosed, disapproved, evaluated, examined, forecasted, formulated, identified(needs), investigated, programmed, researched, solved, studied, systemized, tested

FINANCIAL/RECORDS MANAGEMENT
audited, allocated, catalogued, charted, classified,  collected, condensed, documented, expedited, guaranteed,  inventoried, listed, logged, maximized, monitored, processed, procured, purchased,  scheduled, tallied, traced, updated

MANUAL
assembled, built, constructed,  delivered, installed, maintained,  modernized, navigated, operated,  repaired, replaced, restored,  rewired, trimmed

GENERAL
accomplished, achieved, assisted, completed,  contributed, delivered, expanded, handled,  increased, initiated, originated, performed,  provided, served, serviced,  strengthened, transformed, utilized