It used to be that there were just a few set rules for writing resumes. The existence of those rules however remain no longer - making the traditional rules useless.

Today, writing a resume can be compared to baking a cake. In a lot of instances the ingredients are basically the same.

What determines the final product is how all the ingredients are put together, quantities, and order of the certain ingredients that go into the writing of your resume. There are items that rarely or never go in, and then there are those items that can be added with a special touch of course depending on your very personal tastes.

Do you think that this sounds complicated?

Ingredients of a Resume

# * Name - Yes this is obvious but I have seen resumes where people have forgotten to include their name. Remember to include your name the way you would introduce yourself to someone else. (ex. Hi I am Sammy Wight) Do not use your initials, there is no need for Mr., Mrs. etc. unless you might have a name that it is hard to tell if the name is female or male.

# * Address - Just put your complete address here, no abbreviations . You want this to be accurate as this may be how the company needs to contact you.

# * Telephone Number - Your telephone number must always be included, with area code.
# Remember you do not know where your resume is going to be screened. You can also put a daytime number and a evening number if that applies to your situation. * Email Address - Set-up and email address with your own name if you do not already have one. No employer is going to email someone who has an email of hotspicy at whatever.com

# * Job Objective - this is a short one or two sentence area on your resume about the kind of job you want and how you can contribute to the company in return for such a job.

# * Employment Dates - This is a must as many resume readers will not be comfortable if a resume has omitted this part. Show a steady work history here in cronological order.

# * Keywords - Many companies today screen resumes using electronic means. This means a human won't even look at your resume unless they find certain words in them. Examples of how to title a keyword are to put in your resume are: Special Knowledge, Keyword Preface, Keyword Section, Areas of Expertise. This area could increase your chances of getting attention.

# * Job Titles - This area will provide a generic identification and not reflect exactly what you may have been called in the past. You could be a bit vague here unless you are applying for a job like a Heart Surgeon.
# * Company Name - Include the name of your employers here, but there is no need for the addresses. You could include the division of the company as well.

# * Responsibilities - This is the meat of the resume. Here you can list your responsibilities but also your special achievements and contributions too. This is a key area.

# * Endorsements - Quotes from previous employers regarding your work.

# * Professional Affiliations - Memberships with associations and societies related to your field.

# * Languages - Describe any other languages you are fluent in.

# * Education - this area can be more or less important to you, it depends on if you just graduated or have been in the working field for a long time.

What can never go into a resume?

# * A Title - This is redundant so do not include it.

# * Availability - This is also redundant why? Because if you are not available for work why are you wasting some ones time here.

# * Reasons for Leaving - This is something that can be discussed in an interview.

# * References - This is considered to be inappropriate.

Learning how to write a resume in the appropriate way for the type of job you are looking for is a must today. The competition is fierce nowadays so one must take every advantage they can and you will be noticed for the first most important step, getting an interview.

Good Luck!