- Don't be humble -- Your resume is, in essence, your own personal ad. Humility is a wonderful attribute but, when it comes to your resume, keep it in check. The only way to make the work you've done sound important is to believe it is, so try not to approach reusume writing with the notion that you haven't amasses enough experience, or enough valuable experience, to get a job. Likely you have, you just need to believe it.
- Discussing valuable von-work related experience -- There are some experiences that might not relate to the kind of job you're applying for but might, nonetheless, impress an employer. In general it's a good idea to include any volunteer and/or community work you've done. No matter the job, all employers like to see candidates who display compassion and community-minded behavior. Many also think this points to someone who will be a valued employee.
- Copy edit your work -- Typos and grammatical errors on resumes drive employers crazy and, in the media business, they can sometimes be dealbreakers. It's easy to dash off a resume via email without reading it over, but that doesn't mean you should ever do that. It's essential you don't have any spelling errors or other mistakes on your resume, so look it over yourself and, if possible, let some friends and/or other professionals do so. Hopefully they can catch any mistakes you might have missed.
More Resources
- There's a lot on the Internet about resume-writing. This piece from the Detroit Free Press outlines some good tips for crafting a journalism-geared resume.
- This sample resume offers one outline. The resume itself is a bit brief, but it features a fine format and general outline to follow.