Tools for Writing Resumes in Microsoft Word

Tools for Writing Resumes in Microsoft Word
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In these times of ever-increasing economic turmoil where cutbacks, downsizing, layoffs, and general job instability are the order of the day, you need to know how to use what you’ve got in order to make a stellar resume. For most of us who enter into the ranks of the newly unemployed, that means what you have is Microsoft Word and some time on your hands. Sure, you could hire yourself a professional resume writer and pay for a shiny new resume, but when you are living on your savings only you should probably keep your costs to a minimum and take a DIY approach to more things in your life. Luckily, with a solid word processor in your hands you can make professional-looking resumes for yourself. It will even be a relatively quick and painless process for you to do so.

In this series, I will be acting as your guide to making a resume in Word so that you can go from unemployed and unhappy about it to sitting at your new dream job, somewhere on cloud nine.

The series will work in order from the least complicated formatting to the most complex. This means that the series will start with making a resume from templates, and then work forward until we reach the most difficult type resume to format: a full academic CV, or Curriculum Vitae.

  1. Your work history, all of it. Yes I know that a lawyer, nurse or computer programmer is unlikely to really list that college job at a fast food joint on their resume but you can self select entries later. For now, list it all. This includes internships.
  2. Your education, include high school and anything above that level to your list.
  3. A list of your skills. This could take a while to do but be as complete as possible.
  4. A list of any relevant volunteer or community work.
  5. A clearly written objective or summary.
  6. A list of the computer programs you are familiar with. Be honest here. Also, if you know any coding languages, then list them here as well.
  7. A list of any service to your country in a branch of the armed services. I knew that many people just list this under employment, but I feel this is special and deserves special mention.

Now that you have had your chance to get all of your information in order and you are ready to write your resume, you are going to have to figure out which of the types is right for you. It will depend on your industry and role. I will be covering this, and more, in future articles of this series.

This post is part of the series: Word Resumes

If you need to make a resume and you are going to use Microsoft Word this guide can help you to get the job of your dreams.

  1. An Introduction to Making Your Resume with Word
  2. Using Templates to Make Your Resume in Microsoft Word
  3. Making a Resume Freehand in Microsoft Word