Just saw this Listicle somewhere and thought I should share. My Greatest joy is that you be employed. At least that would reduce idle minds who may consider strapping IEDs as alternate occupation. Check it out

1. ) Don't Lose Touch: Correct Contact Information

This may sound ridiculous that we'd even type this, but you wouldn't know how many people have made this mistake. You have to put contact information that's correct and that will last. If you are applying to a position while you are still in school with a school e-mail address or telephone number, the employer may try to reach you after you've graduated and not be able to do so. Think ahead: Make sure you include an e-mail address and telephone number that will work in the future.

"One of the best jobs I've ever had was one I got a year after I applied," revealed Patrick. "I applied for a job I really wanted, went through the interview process and everything, and just didn't get it. They told me they'd keep my resume on file for three months; and after that time had passed, I thought that, that ship had sailed.

"Almost a year to the date of first putting in my resume to the company, I got a call for another position and this one was even better than the original position I had applied for. When I asked them how they knew about me (It was even a different HR person.), they said my resume came up with the rest of them when they did their query. It was a fluke but I was thrilled.

"I got the job, and stayed with that company for a number of years. I'm so thankful I didn't change my telephone number in that year or else I wouldn't have even known about the position!"

2. ) They Know What You Want: No Objective Needed

Why do you put together a resume? You're trying to get a job. Why would you give someone your resume? You're trying to get a job. They get it. You don't have to spell it out for them.

An objective is best used if you are looking for a specific position, or you specialize in something that needs some sort of explanation. But that's not you. Saying something about how you want to get a job is obvious. Use your limited space more effectively: Skip the objective blurb altogether.

"Especially at the beginning of your career, you don't want to have some lame objective statement like 'looking to find a challenging career in...'" commented Jay. "Not only do you not have the experience to be able to define what type of job you might want, you don't want to limit yourself to a career path you may not know much about.

"Many oil and gas companies have some sort of recent graduate program where you learn about all aspects of the company and at the end of it, the company and you decide where you want to go. It's about what the company needs, but it's also about what you want. I've found that most of the time, they're willing to give you at least a glimpse before you have to nail down exactly what you want to do."

3. ) Spit it Out: The Inverted Pyramid

It'd be great if every potential employer spent as much time studying your resume as you did putting it together. (Or would it?) The truth is: Most hiring professionals take a cursory glance, gleaning what's important in a matter of a minute (or less), and make the first cut.

You want to make it to the next level, right? Well, you've got to really make your best attributes shine on that little piece of paper. Don't get us wrong. Don't make your resume distracting, but you want to definitely think about how you are going to list all your best qualities, specifically in which order.

On your resume, you want to use the inverted pyramid concept: Put the bulk of the information at the top of your resume, and trickle it down to the bottom, so if someone doesn't read all the way to the bottom, they haven't missed an important point.

If your school and GPA are super impressive, put that information directly beneath your name and contact information. If your skills and accreditations are what are remarkable about you, list that first. The order of a resume isn't set in stone, so make your resume work for you.

"I always customize my resume to the position I'm applying for," said Elaine. "Depending on what they want, I rearrange the order of my resume to better reflect someone that I feel best fills the position.

"So, if I am applying for a job that looks like it needs strong leadership abilities, like something that might grow into a management position, I list my outside interests and accomplishments at the top, like president of this or that and board member of whatever group. But if it looks like they really want someone with a little experience, I list my internships first.

"I try to make it so that if anyone took a quick glance at the top half of my resume, the person that they see is who they've described in the job description."

4. ) The Perfect Recipe: Include Just the Right Amount of Information

Resumes toe a fine line when it comes to the amount of information you should disclose, and what you should save for a cover letter and an interview. On the one hand, you want to include enough to perk someone's interest, but on the other, you don't want to say so much that there's no reason for them to call you (which is the ultimate opportunity to sell yourself, but that's fodder for another article).

An important note: At this point in your career, you should not have a resume that is longer than a page. (We don't care what you've done; two- and three-pagers are reserved for veterans of the industry, not wordy newbies. You have to earn that second page.)

"What I did when I was looking for my first job, is look at the job descriptions of the positions I wanted, and then I crafted what I included in my resume around that," said Joe. "I didn't really know what to expect from the industry or the position, but I did know that I wanted to be an engineer with a certain type of company. So, I researched what they wanted and modeled my resume off of that."

"Now, I'm not saying that I lied. Everything on my resume was true, but I did look at the different skills and prerequisites they listed, and made sure to include that on my resume. That made it a lot easier to pare down what I had to one page."

5. ) Keep It Clean: Don't Detract

White space is important on a resume. So is organization and balance. Don't let your resume design deflect attention away from what really matters: you. Simple and clean is the name of the game when it comes to resumes. Follow a template, keep to the same font throughout, use bullets, and align your margins. It's pretty easy, so don't make it too hard.

"I don't know what I was thinking. Oh yes I do: I wasn't," recalled Marian. "When I was getting ready to go to my university's big career fair, I went to the copy store with my roommate to print out a ton of copies of my resume on nice, thick resume paper. I let my roommate convince me that purple paper was the way to go. She said, 'You don't want your resume to get mixed up with all the other muted white ones, use this lilac one.' I did, and I was sorry. I was almost embarrassed to give it out after a couple of booths. Everybody I handed it to said something like, 'Oh, wow, purple,' yet they lacked true enthusiasm.

"Guess what. I didn't get a job at that career fair. After that, I have let my experience and attributes make my resume stand out, rather than the color of the paper."

6. ) References: It's a Give and Take World

Don't list your references on your resume. There's no need. If you need a space-filler at the bottom of your resume, put a quick "References available upon request" line. If you have too much stuff on your resume to fit that, don't worry. It's fine to leave it off.

It's completely commonplace for a potential employer to ask for references, but that's quite a few steps down the line. Your resume gets your foot in the door. Interviews reel them in. Many times, references are just icing on the cake. It takes time to track down your references, and companies aren't going to do it if they aren't serious about hiring you.

"If you put your references in with your resume, not only is it something else a potential employer has to rifle through, but it also doesn't give you the opportunity to re-connect with your references before your potential employer does," said David.

"It's always nice to call up your references when you use them. Of course you have to ask them before you even list them, but once you've got their permission, it's a good rule of thumb to give them a heads up that so-and-so at whatever company might be calling to ask about you. That way, they're ready for it."

7. ) Keep It Real: Be Positive, Not Deceitful

You're right. They may not find out you can't do it until it's too late. They've hired you, so what are they going to do now? Fire you. It's that simple. Don't lie on your resume.

If you have a little experience working with a program, but you aren't proficient with it, you can still put it down, but use the appropriate descriptor, such as "experience with" or "knowledge of." Don't say you can do something you can't.

At the same time, this is your time to shine, and you should be almost boastful on your resume. You're not on a date this is the place to list out your best qualities. Make sure you include all your awards and honors, all your accolades, because that's a good way to sell yourself.

"It was hard for me to put together all of the stuff that I was supposed to have on my resume; it really did seem like I was bragging," said Angie. "I guess I'm kind of reserved, but I do think that the extra stuff really did help me stand out from the rest of the applicants."

Writing a strong resume is one of the first steps in obtaining a long career in the oil and gas industry. What's important to remember when you are applying for a job is that it should be a good match for both of you, meaning the company and the applicant. Beyond money and benefits, you want to be happy at your job, you want to fit into the group, feel comfortable in the company atmosphere, and be able to grow. It's similar to applying for college: Do your research; pick your favorites; and apply, apply, apply. You'll land the position that's right for you.

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