Quickly Writing a Resume from Scratch

Imagine you've just started your job search, you haven't yet crafted a resume and you learn about a job fair taking place tomorrow that features plenty of companies from your desired industry. Whether you're writing your resume from scratch or revamping an old version, it doesn't have to be a time-consuming process. Follow these five steps to quickly piece together a resume that gets you noticed.

1. Write an Outline

Before you even begin writing your resume, draft a quick outline to determine what sections you need to include and the appropriate order in which to arrange them. Every resume should include a header section with your name and contact information as well as sections for education, work experience and skills. The order of the sections you include depends on where you are in your career. If you're a recent grad, start with the education section and mention any volunteer work or internships. For someone with more experience in the industry, it makes sense to highlight work experience and relevant job skills.

2. Fill in the Sections

Now it's time to start adding relevant information to each section heading. When writing your resume, list your education, work experience and volunteer projects in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent positions. Be sure to include job duties for each work experience, and list any memberships you held while at a college or university.

3. Include Your Accomplishments

In addition to listing job duties, you should also include specific and quantifiable accomplishments during previous work experiences. Rather than just stating that you were a great salesman at your last job, tell how you increased widget sales at ABC Corporation by 30 percent. It's not necessary to include a lot of these bullets; just opt for the accomplishments of which you are most proud.

4. Edit for Length

When writing your resume, don't worry about length until you are finished filling in all the sections. After it's written, go back and edit your resume to fit it to one page. Cut out any information that isn't relevant to the job for which you're applying. Take out bullets that aren't interesting, and let go of skills that aren't impressive, such as Microsoft Word proficiency.

5. Polish the Layout

After you've finished writing your resume, it's time to apply the polish. Consider the amount of white space on the page, ensuring that your resume isn't too wordy and that keywords pop out at the reader. Make sure tabs are aligned and that there are no spelling or punctuation errors. Replace boring words with strong action verbs.

Writing your resume from scratch may seem like a daunting task that's bound to take a few hours. When you're facing a time crunch, follow these five tips to put together a successful resume that covers all the important information you need to convey to a hiring manager.

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