How to Write Perfect Resumes

Think your resume is nothing more than a few sentences and a handful of bullet points? Think again. Perfect resumes are crafted with care, each line contributing to a larger snapshot of who you are, what you do, how you're prepared to blow your prospective employer out of the water with your one-of-a-kind skillset.

Okay, maybe we've oversold it a bit. Still, your resume is the document that does the heavy lifting in a job search, the meat and potatoes to your cover letter's amuse-bouche. It's not something you slap together in 30 minutes—in fact, you'll probably want to tailor at least a few items to each potential job on your list.

Sound intimidating? Don't worry, it's not that bad. And no, we won't use the term "amuse-bouche" again in this article.

Perfect Resumes: The Key Elements

1. Contact Info
2. Career Summary
3. Relevant Skills
4. Work History
5. Education and Certifications

1. Contact Info

This is pretty basic. If someone has any interest in hiring you, they need to be able to get in touch with you first. That's why you need to include your contact details, preferably at the top of your resume: name, address, phone number, email, the whole kit and caboodle. Even if you submitted a spot-on perfect resume through Monster or another site where your account may auto-submit some basic information, don't expect an HR person or hiring manager to do any digging. They're more likely to go with someone who didn't forget to include their cell number at the top of their resume.

2. Career Summary

Before you dive into your job history, it's a good idea to write a sentence or two that serves as your resume's personal statement. Beneath your name and contact information, consider leading with a well-branded resume headline to give hiring managers a sense of who you are professionally. Then write a few sentences that summarize your background and career highlights. Add your industry experience and credentials that set you apart in your field.

3. Relevant Skills

The emphasis here is on the word relevant. Remember what we said about tailoring each resume to the job at hand? Most job listings will mention a few of the key skills the employer is seeking out, and your resume is the ideal place to note that you have those abilities in spades.

Perfect resumes judicially highlight skills that are applicable to the job at hand; your resume shouldn't be a laundry list of your talents. So when you're trying to decide which skills to mention, pick and choose based on which are most closely aligned with the role. While you may indeed have many talents, the likelihood that an employer needs to know about both your fluency in Javascript and your award-winning sourdough skills is probably pretty low. If you need some job-specific guidance, check out Monster's library of sample resumes.

4. Work History

Now we're getting down to the detail-rich, Ben and Jerry's–like core of your resume. This is the part where you list, one by one, the jobs that make up your career history. But rather than simply enumerating your basic job duties (scrubbed dishes, prepared amuse-bouches—oops, sorry), a better approach is to frame each position around a measurable accomplishment.

But take care not to simply write down your job duties and daily tasks—mention your successes and achievements. Numbers are always good to have, so quantify each accomplishment you put on your resume whenever possible. Examples include increases in sales, reducing turnaround times, and number of people you oversaw and/or trained. Don't forget to include any company commendations or industry awards you won for your work.

5. Education and Certifications

Speaking of awards, feel free to give those their own section, along with any professional certifications you may hold (if you have a few of both, we'd prioritize the latter). As with your skills breakdown, be judicious and only include items that are relevant to the job. Finally, under a separate heading, don't forget to include some details about your education history, leading with the highest level of education you've completed (including degree, if applicable). Unless you're currently a student, you can probably leave your GPA out—and even then, it's typically not an absolute must.

Your Perfect Resume Needs This

Now that you have all the elements in place, it's time to get your resume double-checked. After all, you're going to be competing against other people with impressive qualifications, so take every advantage you can. Want some help with that? Get yourself a free resume evaluation from Monster. We'll run your resume through our rigorous checklist to see if yours ticks all the boxes. It's quick and easy and can give your candidacy the extra polish it needs. Sounds pretty perfect to us.