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The Basics of Resumes

Explore how to craft a professional resume by understanding its key components and structure. Learn to use ChatGPT to enhance wording, format, and customize your resume to job requirements. Gain skills to proofread and improve your resume with actionable tips, ensuring it effectively showcases your qualifications and experience.

Purpose and structure

Your resume serves the purpose of highlighting your suitability for a specific job or career opportunity. It provides a concise snapshot of your professional background, accomplishments, and skills. The structure typically includes sections like a contact information header, a professional summary or objective statement, key skills, work experience (chronological or functional), education, and additional sections for certifications, awards, or relevant volunteer work.

Here's a general idea of what goes in each section:

  • Contact information: Start with your contact information, including your name, phone number, email address, and, optionally, your LinkedIn profile or personal website.

  • Objective statement: Craft a compelling professional summary or objective statement that offers a glimpse into your career goals, expertise, and value proposition. This is much more important for people with a long career (over five years).

  • Key skills: List the most relevant ...