I have never written a resume

[resy]

...and now I need to learn. Obviously there's google but are there any specific resources  (websites, etc) that do a good job in demonstrating how to build a good one?

[Kaivalagi]

When I was first writing my CV, I would check university careers websites for their advice. Some of it is quite basic, but that may be helpful if you are drafting one for the first time.

[Pooperman]

If you know someone who works in HR, ask them. They look at resumes as part of their job. They can tell you what they look for. The best tip I can give is that the best way to get a job is to email the company (or companies) you are interested in directly. The email is the cover letter, attach the resume. Be engaging. Your resume doesn't have to be perfect, the engagement is what should matter more (at least from my experience). When I was unemployed, I sent several hundred job applications. I used recruiters. I directly emailed companies I was interested in working for. Here were my results: job applications (no replies), recruiters (several interviews, none to final stage), direct emailing (100% interview rate, 2 to final stage, one resulting in an offer of employment).

[cdnpink]

One website I really like is askamanger.org
she is  hiring manager and really lays out concrete ideas for imlroving and writing resumes.
good luck!

[LibrarIan]

The public library I used to work at had an on-demand resume help service. Perhaps yours has something similar? The university I attended had something like that as well, so perhaps you could hit up your local campus.

[Luke Warm]

how important is a cover letter when submitting a resume? especially for an hourly tech job?

[Glenstache]

Always have a cover letter. It is what differentiates you from someone mass-distributing resumes. It also allows you to frame your experience and make your case.

This is really important: you cover letter and resume should have no typos, no spelling errors, and good grammar. Have someone proof read it to look for you.

[dbanta]

After looking at lots of resumes for interview-ees, I prefer resumes that give a summary (1-2 pages) of work history and employment.  Make me want to read your resume and highlight what is most important to you.  This gives me a feel for what you value and what I can ask you additional questions about.  I dislike the resumes that go into excrutiating detail.  If you are proud of your leadership on 1 particular project you worked on, just highlight that instead of all 4 projects you worked on.

I usually refer to an applicant's LinkedIn profile if I want additional details or history.

[Maiden]

Your post brought me out of my long time lurking! I work in HR, specifically recruiting at the moment. Depending on the field having a LinkedIn profile is not a be-all/end-all. Just be aware that your future employers will Google you and it is helpful to have control over how you are represented.  Not a huge problem if you have a common name and are difficult to find, but if your name is more unique it is possible that things you may not want your employer to see will come to light in the top 10 search results. For a test, google yourself and see what comes up! For LinkedIn it is sufficient to replicate your resume information--or at least job title, company and dates employed. If you add a picture make sure it is current and a good professional representation of you (not a wedding shot or casual picture).

Also (depending on on the company) your resume may be going through an applicant tracking system (aka "Black Hole"), so make sure to figure out keywords that best describe your skills and put them in your resume. I also recommend looking at the job postings that you are interested in to see what qualifications/keywords the company is looking for and make sure they are well represented in your resume. When I job seek, I amend resumes to make sure those qualifications are highlighted so the hiring manager knows I am a best fit--aim to have 75% of the qualifications if the list is long. If the qualification list is shorter aim to be at 100%.

Good resources I have found are Liz Ryan and tutorials on About.com. Templates on Word/Microsoft.com are a good place to get started, but make sure your resume does not blend in too much or look exactly like the templates.

[SuperSaver]

I got my BS in Management/ Human Resource a few years ago and I help others write resumes in my spare time for fun. A useful tip if you are submitting a digital resume is know how to title/name your document. A lot of applicants will send in Resume.doc a lot.

A better option is "Last Name_ResumeOct2014.doc" or "Last Name_Resume2014.doc" perhaps even a "Last Name_Company NameResume.doc" It shows its not a generic resume and is descriptive, is more memorable if a person is reading many resumes that you named your document differently, comes across professional and shows it is a current resume.

[resy]

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELPFUL ANSWERS! Great pointers, will start working on my resume this weekend :)

[marty998]

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELPFUL ANSWERS! Great pointers, will start working on my resume this weekend :)

No caps, no caps! And no exclamation points either (yes I see the irony there :P )

List 5-6 tasks that you did in your previous job and max 3-4 earlier jobs. Don't feel as if you have to go all the way back to day 1 job 1 when you were 16. Always include a couple of achievements/projects that you drove/led/initiated.

My employer is big on 'culture' these days. If you organise socials, team events, team initiatives etc it counts for a lot. People spend half their life at their desk, so they want to hire someone who is going to make that time better not worse.

+1 on the cover letter. A well written cover letter will eliminate a lot of the competition.

[resy]

OK! Lol ;)

No, seriously, you guys are very helpful.
I must say, I am in a unique situation as I have never had a real job. For the padt 10 years I have been a housekepper for very wealthy people with a very small crew (2 other people tops helping me). Not really a "business" (although ai am registered, tax paying, etc) I meant from financial point, my income has ranged from 20k to 50k. No big bucks there.

Anyhow, I am figuring out how to translate my skills without other formal employement...

[domustachesgrowinhouston]

Use a decent email like "JSmith@yahoo.com". Seems obvious, but ive seen quite a few with emails like "tickle_my_butt@yahoo.com" or something absurd like that. And +1 for grammar, spelling, etc. if people dont have time to spellcheck and proofread their resume, i cant imagine theyll have time to do a good job either - those resumes go straight to the trash.

[Luke Warm]

sorry to dredge this up again. about cover letters, say i'm wanting to relocate and i'm sending out resumes to several different employers. do i word the resume to reflect the fact that i'm relocating and i'm just looking for a job or do i word it such that this is the place i want to work and i'm willing to relocate to do so?

[Lookilu]

Use a decent email like "JSmith@yahoo.com". Seems obvious, but ive seen quite a few with emails like "tickle_my_butt@yahoo.com" or something absurd like that. And +1 for grammar, spelling, etc. if people dont have time to spellcheck and proofread their resume, i cant imagine theyll have time to do a good job either - those resumes go straight to the trash.

+1