Write a Great Resume to Start Your Careers

A resume is a written document which summarizes a person’s past performance in education, working history, personal skills, etc. It is mostly used during job application. The job recruiters use resumes to select the qualified applicants at the first section.

A perfect resume can help one stand out from all other applicants when applying for a job. It is the first step to get employed successfully. Everyone shall write a personal resume to start careers. However, someone may lack of the skills to write a resume, for they have never learned at school or got taught. Here are some tips to help people create a great resume.


  • Use resume templates. Start your resume writing by referring to a resume template if you totally have no idea about making one. A resume template will help you save a lot of time, and various types of resume templates can meet most of your needs.
  • Customize your own resume based on the specific position you are applying for. Different positions ask for different skills and qualifications, so you should know about them first.
  • Focus on your strength and advantage. You may lack of desired work experience, especially for fresh job-seekers who just graduate from colleges, but you may have good education, rich volunteer experience or impressive bobbies. Highlight your strong parts in your resume to attract the employers.
  • Make your resume short, clean and focused. The average time for an employer to go through a resume is 30 seconds. Sometimes, they scan hundreds of resumes in several hours. A long tedious resume will make them tired and even impatient. So just make your resume short and one-page is best. Remember, short does not equal to simple. Your resume should be short, as well as focused.
  • Clear format. When you have finished your content writing, you should choose a clear format to organize your resume. You can refer to this article written by  Lindsay Kolowich to get more tips about writing a good resume and choose a format.


  • Never use the same resume that worked in your previous careers when you're pursuing new ones. Instead, the resume should be rewritten to emphasize key qualifications for new objectives.
  • Don’t use over-modified photos on your resume. Usually, a beautiful photo will leave a good impression to the employers. But if you looks really different from your photo, which means the photo is much more beautiful or handsome than yourself, it will leave a bad impression on the employers in the interview part. According to a new survey, most employers express that they may feel disappointed or even deceived if the applicant looks a big difference from his or her photo.
  • Do not lie on your resume. All the details about your education, work history, other experiences, personal skills should be true.

Basic Resume Template

To attract the hiring manager's eyes, nowadays applicants prefer to use modern templates to customize their resumes with colorful grids or garish frames. Or someone even write more than one page to list all the details. While, for most industries, the HR prefer a clean resume, so a basic resume template with all necessary parts is enough for job application and employment. Make your resume short but focused, for in general, a manager scans a resume in 30 seconds.

Functional Resume Template

When applying for jobs, people need to write their resumes carefully. There are a lot of resume types for reference, such as clean, modern, professional, ATS-optimized, functional and chronological. A functional resume template is always compared with a chronological resume template. The former focuses on abilities and highlights every part, like education background, skills, employment history. While a chronological resume template is organized by time; people summarize their education and working experience in time order.

Professional Resume Template

Never underestimate the importance of a good resume! An individual resume is the “first impression” to employers before the interview. A good resume can generate more interview offers from the employers. It’s a great pity that poorly written resumes have increased in recent years. Sometimes, applicants receive few responses due to their bad resumes. Learning to choose a good resume template and customize one’s own perfect resume is essential. Different resume templates, like functional resume template, chronological resume template, combination resume template, simple resume template, modern resume template can be used to apply for different industries or even positions. People should choose the most proper resume template and then rewrite a better one for personal use.

Biodata Form

Biodata form, also known as the Biographical Data form, is a kind of individual document, which can be used to prove a person’s past performance by keeping record of some basic personal info, like name, address, contact info, family info, academic details, past employment details, activity details and more. In some countries, a biodata form is just like a personal resume. In India, Pakistan, and other South Asian countries, people use biodata forms to apply for a job or position. This document is used to show a candidate’s past behavior, so it has the same function as a resume in job application.

Tips for Making a Good CV

A curriculum vitae, commonly known as CV, is a written document of one’s previous experiences. In UK, Ireland and other commonwealth countries, a CV is like a resume. People use CVs to apply for job in those areas, which are same as resumes. Besides personal info, education, working history, extending skills and experiences, people can also list all their public works, like books, articles, papers and more at the bottom of their CVs.

How to write a personal CV?

  1. Download a blank CV template or refer to other people’s written CV sample if you have no idea about CV writing.
  2. List your personal info at the top of your CV, including name, address, email, phone number, etc.
  3. Write your education background. You don’t need to write from your high school, only if you are not enrolled in a college.
  4. Create your working experience section. If you have get hired before, you just need list your previous job details. If you are newly graduated, you can list your part-time jobs in high school or college.
  5. List your personal skills, previous awards and achievement. This part is important to prove your abilities to the recruiters or hiring manager.
  6. Write your publications. If you have any publications, you can list them in the reference section at the bottom of your CV. If no, just omit this part.

The difference between a good and bad CV.

A good-quality CV will make you stand out from the crowd, while a poorly written one leaves a bad impression and may result in loosing the interview offer.

  • A good CV should be perfectly organized, so the layout is important. Make your CV layout to one side, two sides or at most three sides on a A4 paper. Two sides maybe the most appropriate, but if you have few experiences, you can layout one side; if you have too much experience, you can make three sides layout.
  • The best format for a CV is starting from personal info, to education, work history, and ending with achievements or publications. This format helps the employer read comfortably and grasp the focuses quickly. While, if your CV is badly formatted, for example beginning with personal skills and achievements and ending with contact info, this may be hard for the employers to digest.
  • Pay attention to the font size on your CV. Bolden the title of each part and your top contact info, which may be more readable and easier to find necessary information.

Blank CV Template

In most commonwealth countries, like UK, a CV is a written document used to apply for jobs by job-seekers. The CV contains all the detailed info about an applicant, including personal info, education, working history, qualification for the position, etc. It has the same function as a resume in the United States and a biodata form in India. Here are some samples of blank CV templates. People can download them and customize their own CVs to get employed.

Functional CV Template

A functional CV is a popular CV format which highlights one’s abilities and experiences on the CV. You don’t need to list all your working history in time order. You can just summarize them in a paragraph and focus on your ability and what you did, rather than when you did that.
Functional CV templates are one of the most common CV types. Many people prefer making a functional CV when looking for a position or seeking for employment.

General CV Template

Usually, it is recommended that you’d better create your CV according to the job you are applying for. However, if you not only want to apply for certain type of jobs, or you do not have much time to modify your CV one by one, then, you can use a general CV. You do not need to modify your CV when apply for different jobs. A general CV is the one that can be used to apply for all kinds of jobs. It includes your basic information, educational background, work experience, skills and achievements.

Professional CV Template

A professional CV must be tailored to the job you are applying for. You should highlight your relevant work experience, abilities and achievements to the position you want to apply for in your curriculum vitae. Use more industry related words and statements related to the position instead of generic phrases like “dedicated worker” or “friendly personality”. A professional CV should be neat and presentable, quickly demonstrates your professionalism, and clearly explains how you can enhance the performance and growth of any potential employer.

CV Templates

A CV(Curriculum Vitae) is very similar to a resume but more comprehensive, more detailed and longer. A CV usually contains multiple pages. When applying for some certain types of positions, often in academia, science and education fields, you will need a CV. It should contain a comprehensive list of your academic and employment achievements instead of a brief summary. A CV template can help you quickly create your own curriculum vitae much easier which includes your academic or educational experience as well as publications, awards and affiliations.

Get Good Cover Letter Advice

What is cover letter?

A cover letter is a one page document sent with your resume to provide additional information on your skills and experience. It’s the first thing that the employers will see. In other words, besides your resume, it’s also a good chance for you to show your personality even to impress the employer for a potential interview. In this letter, you should briefly introduce yourself, explain the purpose of writing this letter, demonstrate your experiences, skills as well as personalities that match the job requirements in details, express your desire for this job and the determination as well as confidence to act as well in the position.

Why is it important?

As you know, first impression is very important. Cover letter, as an introduction of yourself, is very important when it first comes to the employer for it will leave the employer a general impression and determine whether you can go to the next round. Generally, there are four reasons why it is important. Firstly, cover letter provides you with a chance to elaborate beyond your resume. It’s another way to selling yourself. Next, a cover letter highlights your skills and experience directly related to your desired position. Thus the employer can easily judge whether you are suitable for the position. Finally, the letter not only tells your accomplishments but also reveals the way you communicate. If you are good at communicating, you will get extra credit. If you want to get more chance for a job interview, please try to make your cover letter more attractive and impressive.

How to compose a cover letter?

Like other formal letter, a completed cover letter contains heading, date, addressee, salutation, the body, closing, signature and email subject line. The heading part is your contact information including your name, present address, phone number and email address. Be sure that this part matches the heading you use in your resume. The date simply refers to the date you submit your resume and cover letter. Your cover letter should contain employer contact information like name, title, company and address if you need. Next is the salutation part. This part is necessary because it shows that you are one with politeness. As to the body part, it’s extremely important. You’d better divide your body into three parts. In the first part, you should briefly introduce yourself and tell the purpose of this letter. Indicate the specific position or the kinds of position you are applying for. Express your interest to the position and why you want to apply for it. In the second part, you should highlight your experience and skills as well as accomplishments that match to the job requirements. Never list the items as you do in your resume. The third part should be the closing part. You can show your personality and passion for the job as well as your desire for the job interview. Don’t forget to express your thanks for the reader. Below the body part, you should put the complimentary close and your handwritten signature. Composing the parts mentioned above, you will get a completed cover letter.

How to find and use cover letter examples?

As an important part for job applying, cover letters may be searched or provided by many people. You can directly go to google search for what you what. While the search results will make you dazzling and your clicking to each site will waste you lot of time. So, why not searching what you want on this page and referring the cover letter templates and examples here to create customized cover letters for your own. We classified the cover letter templates and examples in different kinds. You can easily find the kinds you need. Refer to as more templates and examples as possible, and then you will have inspirations to make your own one. In addition, this page is designed for job seekers. You can also find information about resume, cv and job application form here.

Cover Letter Format

What is a cover letter? It’s a letter sent with, and explaining the contents of, another document or a parcel of goods. Usually, a cover letter is sent with a resume. It’s very important when you are going to apply for a job. It contains several parts such as heading (also the addresser information), date, the addressee information (often employer information), salutation, the body part, complimentary close and signature etc. Cover letter format is a document that presents you with a detailed information about each part. Like a blueprint, cover letter format will tell you what each part is about. With a cover letter format in hand, you can easily finish your cover letter or ensure whether it is a completed one.

General Cover Letter Template

General cover letter template can be customized to your use for different situations. In case you are going to give your resume and cover letter to a number of potential employers for different jobs in a job fair, you can use a general cover letter. If you do not aim at one potential job or do not know the different jobs ahead of time, you’d better prepare a general resume and cover letter before. The following general cover letter templates will give you some inspiration when you are going to make a general cover letter by yourself. Since cover letter is the first chance you have to impress the potential employer, it is always advisable to personalize your general cover letter.

Resume Cover Letter Examples

Along with your resume, cover letter is another necessity when you apply for a job. A resume cover letter provides you with an opportunity to impress a potential employer and to stand out from the crowd. A smart cover letter will get your foot in the door and give you the chance to enter to the interview. It serves as the first introduction to an employer and it is a chance to tell your experiences, qualification in details and convey your strong candidate as well as your understand about the position and company or enterprise’s culture. Due to the importance of cover letter, you need to pay more attention. With some well-written resume cover letter examples to refer to, you could make a satisfactory cover letter which can draw the recruiter’s eyes for your own.

Cover Letter Examples for Jobs

Hunting for jobs? One important thing you should know is to create your own resume and cover letter. Although there are some templates and examples to help creating customized cover letter, you’d better personalize your cover letter for the target job opportunity for different kinds of jobs and companies require different kinds of qualifications and skills. In your cover letter, you can mention specifically how your qualification match the position you are applying for by connecting your qualifications and the job requirements. Focusing on telling them what you can do for the company with your skills and experiences instead of rewriting your resume. You can view the cover letter examples for jobs for more references and then create your own.

Cover Letter Template

As we mentioned before, cover letter is important in determining whether the job applicant will obtain a chance for the job interview. You should seize the chance to impress the employer by promoting yourself. Like other letter, your cover letter should also adhere to the formal letter formatting stands. The heading and salutation are necessary and the body part should focuses on the yourself, the job and the company. Actually, clear-written cover letter templates or examples may show you in detail. This page displays you with a collection of cover letters of different kinds or for different jobs. You may be inspired by the cover letter templates provided here if you are going to create one for your own.

Make Your Job Application Form Stand Out

Many job seekers struggle to write a job application form that they feel confident with and can draw the attention of employers. Here is the guidance aiming to help candidates write a successful job application form and maximize their chances of being invited to job interviews.

Step 1. Research the company

Before filling in a job application form, please carefully research the company, the industry and the role you want to apply for and figure out:

  • The skills they are seeking for
  • What are your relevant skills to the job
  • Are you suitable to this job
  • What attracts you to the role

Step 2. Make Your Job Application Form Stand Out

All applicants will be asked to fill out the same form, so how to make your application form stand out is very important. The following are tips about how to fill in a job application form successfully. Using these tips to stress your relevant skills, abilities and valuable experience.

  • Educational background: It is very important that you meet or exceed the minimum academic requirements required for the position you are applying for. And summarise key results or module results when introducing your education experience.
  • Employment history: Ideally at least three examples of work are needed for your application form. If you have had many jobs, the examples you use should be the most recent and/or relevant to the job you are applying for. Highlight your responsibility and ability in the jobs.
  • Interests and achievements: Figure out what skills employers are looking for, and try to connect your hobbies and activities to them. Showing you are a sociable person also helps, as it shows you can work well with others.
  • Personal statement: Don’t write a highly detailed chronological version of your career to date, just pick out examples of skills or achievements that are relevant to the job.
  • References: At least one of your two referees should be referred to, including your current line manager, and if you’re a recent graduate, your referee should be an academic at university, usually your personal tutor.

Step 3. Check your application

Before sending your application form, there are still five things you need to do.

  • Check your spelling and grammar.
  • Have someone else check it for you. Ask your tutor or careers advisor for advice.
  • Never lie on your job application form.
  • The words and sentences should be succinct, positive and clear.
  • Print the form and keep a copy.

Basic Job Application Form

A basic job application form is the one that can be used to apply for a position in all fields. No professional questions are asked towards the open position. A basic job application form only collects basic and general information of the applicants, including personal information, educational background, work experience and personal statement. A basic job application form can be used by employers in all fields to employ people. Also it can be used by applicants to apply for all kinds of jobs.

Blank Job Application Form

A blank job application form is the application form which should be filled in relevant information by the applicants. It’s a fill-in-the-blank form for collecting information about job applicants. The job application form is intended to be printed and filled out by potential employees. Employers use it to collect basic information of all applicants, including personal data, address and contact information. There are also fields for educational background, employment history and job related questions that employers want to ask applicants.

Job Application Form

The job application form is the form that employers ask all job applicants for a position to fill out. It provides a consistent format with the same questions that must be answered by each person who applies for an open position. It can be filled out offline in a paper format or online. The job application form allows the employer to compare applicants on a like-for-like basis. And a job application form is your chance to show employers that you're perfectly suited to the role and deserve to be shortlisted for an interview.