Writing a resume from the outside in

With many documents we write, the best place to start is from the top. That is not always the best strategy when writing a resume. Too often people get gridlocked shortly after they finish the heading and are trying to remember the tasks of their most recent job. A better strategy is to write the resume from outside in. Complete the readily known peices first. The heading with your name and contact information is an easy place to start. Then establish your section heading: summary, experience and education. Complete the education section next with type of degree and college – no dates. Then move into the “experience” section and capture your job titles, employers and years. Then write a short job descriptions after the job titles. The meatiest part of the resume is the accomplishment bullets and summary which highlight the skills you want to promote to the market. This is the part the will take some time to craft and word smith, but by now you have the majority of your resume outlined and you are on a roll. Don’t get stalled when writing your resume – tackle from the outside in.

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