For most people, nothing is more frustrating than trying to condense their lives onto a single page.  However, professionals everywhere will tell you that where resumes are concerned, one page is the limit.  Consider this rule to be written in stone: Your resume must nor be longer than one page.

Before you start panicking, there are several tricks to help you fit more onto that one page; For example, using elite type instead of pica type on most typewriters will allow you to fit almost 12% more information onto the page. Better yet, have your resume professionally typeset. A typeset resume serves two purposes: It looks more professional and can fit almost double the information on each page. If you are serious about pursuing your dream job, the $25 to $50 it will cost to have a resume typeset is well worth the investment.

In resume writing, the key to success is ACTION! Try to use action verbs to describe your past experience. Action verbs grab a reader's attention. They have force and demonstrate that you are a "leader" type of person. Typical action verbs that appear in resumes include developed, presided arranged researched, planned, coordinated, directed, managed, supervised, implemented, and trained. An example of action verb usage in a job description might be:

• ASSISTANT MANAGER; ACME RESTAURANT, Anytown,
  USA. Hired and trained restaurant personnel. Implemented and
  organized new system for employee scheduling. Supervised all
  aspects of customer satisfaction. Responsible for accounting for
  more than $5,000 in receipts nightly.

You can use action verbs to describe your past work experience and
to detail your educational background.

• ANYSTATE UNIVERSITY. Anytown. USA. Candidate for B.A. degree in Communications (degree expected June 2000). Presided over class social committee. Researched the effects of television advertising on teenagers.

THE RESUME HEADING: Resume experts disagree whether or not to label your resume with a bold "RESUME" at the top of the page. As a general rule, any employer with half a brain will recognize a resume for what it is. Thus there is really no need to waste space with a title.  The one exception is if you do not want your current employer to know that you are searching for another position. In this case, labeling your resume "CONFIDENTIAL RESUME" signals a potential employer not to contact your present boss.

Your resume should start with your full name, address, and phone number (with area code). Don't use nicknames or suffixes such as "Jr." The address and  phone you list on your resume should be accurate and current. If you are away from home frequently or are afraid your roommate won't give you messages, use an answering service or an answering machine with a crisp, businesslike message. Try not to use your Jimmy Buffett cassette as background music to your answering machine message. A post office box is useful if you don't have an established address or if you move frequently.

Aside from the heading, the other categories of information on a resume are fairly routine. As a general rule, all resumes should include headings for "Education," "Experience," "References," and "Interests." Other optional sections include "Job objective," "Personal information," and "Other." The following section will help you draft your resume entries for each section.

• EDUCATION: List all schools attended starting with high school. Your most recent school should appear first with previous schools appearing in reverse chronological order. If you have graduated from a school, be sure to note what degree you earned (e.g., high school diploma awarded June 1997; B.A. in Communications awarded June 1999). If you are still in school, your entry should state what degree you expect to earn and when (e.g., high school diploma expected June 2000; B.A. in Communications expected June 2002). If you did well in school, feel free to indicate your grade point average. If you received any awards or were elected to any positions while in school, include this information and highlight it. Obviously, if you do not feel that including your grade point average will help your resume, omit it.
  
• EXPERIENCE: The experience category on your resume is where you should list all your prior work experience. List all jobs starting with your present or most recent positions. All previous employers should be listed in reverse chronological order. In addition to actual employers, you can include any volunteer work, community service, or other experience you feel is pertinent. For example, if you are short on work experience but served as a scout troop leader, list that as experience and emphasize your organizational and leadership qualities. While some career counselors suggest this section be entitled "Work Experience" or "Employment Experience," the more general title "Experience" is broader, allowing you to include volunteer and social experience.
  
• REFERENCES: Depending on how long your resume is, you can either list your references by name, address, and phone number or merely state "References available on request." Before listing a person as a reference on your resume, obtain their permission to do so. References can either be former employers or respected members of your community who know your abilities and character. Your mother, while probably an enthusiastic supporter, is a poor choice.
  
• INTERESTS: This final section gives you a line or two to list a few of your hobbies, interests, and favorite activities. The purpose of this section is to set you apart from other applicants by demonstrating your individuality. If you enjoy hiking, tennis, and sailing, say so. If you prefer writing poetry and cooking, list that. Should you later have either a personal or phone interview, your interests often become a point of focus for discussion with the employer. If you have an unusual hobby or interest you should not hesitate to list it. One of my good friends enjoyed drawing with charcoal in his free time.  The last line on his resume was "aspiring charcoal artist." While this might seem like a rather bizarre entry, he found that every potential employer with whom he interviewed spent at least a few moments talking about what charcoal drawing was like.  If you can get an employer interested in you as a person on any level, you are halfway to landing your job in paradise.
  
• JOB OBJECTIVE: As noted above, a job objective section is optional
  on a resume. If space is a problem, this is the first section you should cut. Since your cover letter should address what type of position you are looking for, there is really no reason to repeat that information on your resume.  Also, as you may be simultaneously applying for several different types of jobs with different employers, a job objective statement might force you to print several different versions of your resume.
  
• PERSONAL INFORMATION: Once again, this is an optional section.
  While some applicants list their age, marital status, and health, this type of information is generally more a hindrance than a help. Information that you might want to include in this section is any first aid or lifesaving certificates that you hold.
  
• OTHER: This last optional category allows you to list any additional information you think will help your case. If you won your local beauty pageant, were an eagle scout, served as chairperson of your church youth group, or have any other honors that don't seem to fit into any other category, list them here.
  
  Copyright 1999, Jeffrey Maltzman