Basic Guidelines for Resume Writing

1.Use 8½ × 11 white or off-white paper, 20-pound bond or better.
2.Never use the pronoun “I.”
3.Make all headings uniform—the same font and size.
4.Font size for body text and headings should be between 10 and 12 points,except for your name, which can be in 14- to 24-point type to make it stand out.
5.If the resume has two or more pages, number each page and include your name.
6.Don’t use a staple or paper clip.
7.Don’t print on both sides of the paper.
8.Don’t get too cute with too many novelty graphics, gothic fonts, shadowed letters, or fancy borders; this is not an art project. Above all, you want your resume to be readable, so avoid any special effects that clutter it up or make it look unprofessional.
9.Prepare the resume yourself using a word-processing program so that you can update or customize the resume on short notice.
10.Use a high-quality ink-jet or laser-quality printer, if possible.

How Long Does It Take to Write a Resume?
A simple chronological resume may take as little as two hours, but a functional or combination resume will take from 5 to 15 hours.You don’t sit down over a cup of coffee and write your resume like you would a personal letter.It takes a great deal of thought, information gathering, creative writing, and editing.Many resume-writing experts even suggest that you work on it an hour or so at a time and then come back to it the next day. (You can see why professional resume writers don’t come cheap.)