How do you write a good resume?

Reading time: 6 minutes

Recruiters usually look at your resume first before reading your cover letter. The purpose of your resume is therefore 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 should you actually include on your resume, that introduction to yourself? At a minimum, 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 phone number (including mobile), and your email address.

Education:
List all the programs, courses, and training sessions you have completed here. Start with your current or most recent program, training session, or course. This will appear at the top. Next, list your previous programs, training sessions, or courses, with the oldest appearing at the bottom. Also 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 position first. Have you held many different jobs? If so, only describe your responsibilities for the job that is relevant to your future career.

Skills:
Here, you should list the skills you have that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you have a forklift operator’s license, you can include that 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 always make for good conversation topics 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.

The finishing touches

When you're ready to send your resume, double-check it for the following points. That way, you can be sure your resume looks its best:

• Make sure your resume is no longer than two 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 application (for example: jan.devries@email.com).
• Always have someone else review your resume. They might spot a mistake that you missed.

Be honest

It may go without saying, but be honest when writing your resume. Many people are tempted to make certain aspects of 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 an invitation to an interview, but you’ll eventually be found out.

Are you stuck or not sure where to start? No problem—you can apply to UBN even without a resume. At UBN, we’re happy to help you. Have you just finished writing your resume and are you ready to apply? Then take a look at our current job openings.

View our job openings here