How do you write a good resume?

Reading time: 6 minutes

Usually, a recruiter looks at your resume first before reading your cover letter. The purpose of your resume, then, is to quickly show who you are and what you can do. A good resume can help you stand out from other candidates and increase your chances of getting the job.

What information should you include on your resume?

So, what kind of information do you actually include on your resume—that introduction to yourself? In any case, your resume should include the following:

Contact Information:
To enable us to contact you, it is important to include your contact information on your resume. This should include, at a minimum, your first and last name, your address, your city, your date of birth, your (cell) phone number, and your email address.

Education and Training:
List all the educational programs, courses, and training programs you have completed here. Start with your current or most recent program, training, or course. This will appear at the top of the list. Next, list your previous programs, training, or courses, with the oldest appearing at the bottom. Be sure to include the years and whether you earned a diploma or certificate.

Work Experience:
Job postings often ask about your work experience. List your work experience here by employer. Again, list the most recent one first. Have you had many different jobs? If so, explain what you did only for the job that is relevant to your future position.

Skills:
Here, you should list the things you’re good at and that are important for the job you’re applying for. For example, if you have a forklift operator’s license, you can list it here.

Interests:
To make your resume even more personal, you can conclude it by listing your interests. Be sure to mention only relevant hobbies and interests that give the recruiter a better sense of who you are as a person. In addition to making your resume more personal, hobbies and hidden talents are always good topics to discuss during the interview.

Have you gone through the points above? If so, add a photo of yourself. Adding a photo isn’t required, but it can make your resume stand out and give it a personal touch. Just make sure it’s a neat, professional photo of yourself and avoid vacation photos.

Dotting the i's

When you're ready to send your resume, check it one more time for the following points. That way, you can be sure your resume looks great:

• Make sure your resume is no longer than 2 pages.
• Make your resume clear. You can do this by adding subheadings, for example.
• Make sure you have a professional email address that includes the name you're using for your job application (for example: jan.devries@email.com).
• Always have someone else review your resume. That person might spot a mistake you didn't notice yourself.

Be honest

It may go without saying, but be honest when writing your resume. Many people are tempted to make certain things on their resume sound better than they actually are. Don’t do this. If you list qualities on your resume that you don’t possess—or don’t possess to a sufficient degree—you might get invited to an interview, but you’ll eventually be found out.

Are you having trouble figuring it out or don't know where to start? No problem—you can apply for a job at UBN even without a resume. At UBN, we're happy to help you. Have you just written your resume and are you ready to apply? Then take a look at our current job openings.

View our job openings here