I am trying to become shift leader or manager in a restaurant and need help with my resume.?!

A good resume can make all of the difference when you are applying for a job - even with places that just hand you an application to fill out, I always provide a copy of my resume (or at least bring one with me, so I can copy down the pertinent information directly to the application).

Avoid resume writing software or any of the various templates that are out there. Don't pad your resume, but make sure to call attention to key skills, experience, education, or other things that might give you a leg up on other prospective employees. Employers commonly see hundreds if not thousands of resumes, and if you can make yours stand out in any way, it might get your foot in the door.

Start by simply compiling all of the information in a word-processing program - once you have it typed in you can start rearranging and formatting. Get your entire work history, including employer(s), dates of employment, your job title, and a short description of your responsibilities, highlighting anything that might transfer to the job you are attempting to apply for. I have my standard resume, but I will usually alter it for specific jobs.

Make sure to have explanations ready for any gaps in your employment record, or if you worked at a lot of different places during a short period of time.

Compile a list of skills that you have gained from various jobs - you can even include information about extra-curricular type activities (if applicable) to help round out their impression of you.

Once you've got all of this information down - start it off with your name, and contact information, and then form a 'Mission Statement' (or whatever you want to call it). Employers read a lot of stupid cut-and-paste lines, so try to make yours stand out. Mine usually read something like 'My goal is to procure gainful employment in whatever field that uses my skills and abilities in whatever'.

Employers like goal oriented people - they tend to be self-starters. If you can give them a good first impression of how you are doing your current job (looking for a job) then they might feel good about how you would do the job they are hiring you for.

Finally - and possibly most importantly is your list of references.

You can talk your self up to an employer all you want, but nothing will get their attention like a good (or bad) reference. Make sure to contact former employers, fellow employees, or even friends prior to using them as references so that they will know to be expecting calls, and to make sure they aren't going to sell you down the river over a grudge you didn't know existed.

It's a tough job market right now - so your best bet is to make the best possible impression on the people who are going to make the decision to hire you. Don't kiss *** or suck up - most people hate toadies, they want someone they can rely on, and whose hand they don't have to hold.

Good luck!

Years of writing resumes, applying for jobs, interviewing, and beating out other people for jobs (mostly in the Technical/Engineering field).

Here's what I have used...


----- PERSONAL RESUME OF ----
MY NAME HERE

Center it on the first page