Begin the résumé with a section on personal particulars. Mention your name, address, age, languages known and contact details. Nationality and travel document details need to be given only if applying for a job abroad and could be mentioned as a separate section at the end. If you want to apply for more than one post, prepare a résumé for each position and carry copies for each one.

The objectives

This section is often quite important as the reviewer might decide at this stage if he or she needs to read any further. This section should present your short-term and long-term goals. Give, in brief, you background and career objectives. Include professional as well as academic achievements. List your key personality traits that best complement your objectives, preferably tying in with skill requirements of the job applied for.

Make sure that the things that need to stand out are on the front page of the résumé . Choose appropriate heading that reflects the message you want a prospective employer to receive.  Summarise your background describing your strengths using concrete examples from past achievements and enumerate precisely what you can do well.

Honesty pays

Always be honest. Do not write anything in you résumé which may put you in an awkward position in the interview. Employers will feel more comfortable hiring you if they can verify your accomplishments. There is a difference between making the most of your experience and exaggerating or falsifying it. A falsified résumé can cost you the job later.

Work skills

Prospective employers are looking to carefully determine your skills and how they fit into the job requirements. List out work experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent. If applying for your first job, include any part-time experience, apprenticeship or projects that you may have undertaken.  In each job, responsibilities and significant achievements and how you delivered them need to be detailed.

The wonder years

Keep the section on educational qualifications very brief. Begin with the most recent qualification and work in reverse chronological order.  Mention the programme of study and highlight the courses taken, practical work and experience, special projects completed as research work and presentations.

Include a small section to highlight awards, scholarships, workshops attended, membership of professional bodies as well as interests and hobbies together with special achievements -- both in academic and professional life.  You must describe the computer skills you possess.  It is a key requisite in every job today.

Employers are keenly interested in activities that enable you to develop skills or effective ways to working.  However, do not include a long list, instead list fewer activities.

Reference

Most organisations ask for references. It is advisable to give the names of two individuals known to you personally, people who can vouch for your character, competence and commitment. Obtain their consent before giving their names. Care must be taken to mention the correct address and office and residence telephone numbers, in case the prospective employer wishes to check with them.

Once the contents are in place, turn to aesthetics. Format the résumé -- segregate each sub-head into a separate section, align paragraphs and use bold lettering to highlight points that reflect the message you want to employer to receive. Read and re-read the résumé to ensure there is no spelling or grammatical mistake.