Occupational Certification
Certifications are available in many fields of work. They are an independent verification of expertise.

Although many are familiar with computer and technical certifications, a wide range exists. Certifications address occupations from interior design to automotive sales.

In addition, you can be a certified public speaker, self-help professional, life coach, and more.

This optional feature reflects your interest in staying current in your field of expertise. Prospective employers can see that you have fulfilled the steps to complete your certification.

Many times, that requires passing a series of standardized tests. Your certification may speak for your work abilities in a particular field. It also shows that you want to be a conscientious and well-qualified professional.

Avoid certifications that are conferred simply by paying a fee.

Examples of Certifications
MCP + Internet (Microsoft Certified Internet Professional)
CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). ISP Dial, and
Routing & Switching
CompTIA A+ (CompTIA Certified Computer Technician)
CMP (Certified Meeting Planner)

Renewals of Certifications
Once completed, you may need to renew your certification. If your certification has expired, either get it updated, or leave it out of your resume.

You may choose to indicate the beginning and ending time period you were certified instead.

Be prepared to provide your potential employer with information on the vendor or organization providing your certification.

When including your certification on your resume, make sure to spell out any acronyms which might be confusing, or not readily apparent to someone in the human resources department, who might be vetting your resume but not have the same technical expertise as the person interviewing you.

Occupational Licensure
Occupational licensure is important in many fields, particularly technical and health industries.

License requirements apply to specific occupations, many dealing with public health and safety. They are regulated by the states or Federal government.

License requirements vary by state. If a license is required by your state, unlicensed practice of an occupation is a criminal offense.

Licenses Examples:
Pennsylvania RN, RN-111111-L, Exp. 12/08
Certified CPR instructor, Name of institution/State, 12/07– current

Pennsylvania CDL Class A with Tanker, and HazMat

Depending upon the type of license, you may need to renew your credentials on an annual or semi-annual basis. If your license has lapsed, you may leave it out of your resume. You may also indicate the beginning and ending time period (month and year) you were actively licensed.

If you are licensed to practice in multiple states, be sure to list each state. Although it is not required to include a copy of your license with your resume, be prepared to show the original to a prospective employer when you are interviewed, or are going to accept the job.

Education
Depending on the type of job you seek, this section may be even more important than your work history.

Accuracy with your starting and ending dates, degree titles,
and school contact information is crucial.

List your educational levels attained, starting with your most recent. If you have taken college classes, but are not pursuing a degree, list only any classes pertinent to the position you are seeking.

If you don’t have any college to date, list your high school or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) information if applicable.

Education Examples
Name of School. City, State. Degree, Major/Minor/Concentration.
Date received.

General Educational Development Diploma, Name of School, City,
State. Date received.

Be truthful

A potential employer may thoroughly research your educational background based on the information you provide.

You may be asked to provide your college GPA (Grade Point Average) and GPA for your major field of study.

Make sure you have this information with you during an interview, whether you provide it within your resume or not. A general
practice is to list your GPA if 3.0 or higher.

If you did not finish, or intend to finish at a later date, include the number of credits achieved, and how many left to complete.

Continuing education credits
For some careers, such as medical, continuing education (CE) is an essential part of remaining board certified, so mention any relevant courses you have taken recently to fulfill that requirement.

Contact Information
Your contact information serves two purposes. It tells the employer who you are and how to contact you for additional information, or to set up an interview, so you want to make sure that it is easy for a prospective employer to contact you directly or leave a message to which you can respond the same day.

Only provide information you are ready and willing for potential employers to use.

Make yourself available for their calls, and check your answering machine (or voice mail) and e-mail on a regular basis. Be ready to go in for an interview at a moment’s notice.

Stand out
Let employers notice and remember your name by using a larger font, all CAPITAL letters, and/or a bold-faced font. Use your full first and last name. Your middle name or initial is optional. Do not use nicknames.

Be sure to include your full address. Except for your state, spell out all abbreviations.

Supply a phone number where you can be reached at all times. If you prefer, you can include a day and home phone number, a cell phone number, and/or a pager number. Always include the area code.

If you include multiple numbers, provide a descriptive title for each (e.g., Phone, Cell, Fax). Limit it to 2 so you don’t take up too many lines at the top of your resume.

Email address
Provide an e-mail address that you can access from both home and work, if possible. Keep in mind that employer-provided e-mail accounts may be monitored, and it is very unprofessional to appear to be doing work using your current company’s resources and time.

You should therefore use a personal e-mail account for contact purposes. Set up one quickly and easily for free at yahoo or gmail and make sure it has an appropriate wording. BigDaddy or Hotmama are not going to make quite the impression you might wish!

Make sure the e-mail address you provide sounds professional.
If you provide information on a web page, update your page on a regular basis.

Make sure employers cannot access personal parts of your web site. Only provide information you are willing to share with employers.

Also, clean up your online act as far as possible. Over 30% of human resources departments will search for your name online to see what they can find. If you would not be ashamed to show it to your mom or dad, fine. If not, delete it or make the pages private.

The Summary Statement
Write a summary statement to show why you are the ideal candidate for your desired job.

The summary statement highlights your past accomplishments and emphasizes the professional characteristics that make you stand out.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Use action verbs and keywords to wow the reader.

The summary is optional. You can use it instead of or in addition to a career objective. Develop a career summary even if you choose not to include it in your resume.

As with the career objective, this process will provide you with clear focus as you develop the rest of your resume.

The details of your resume should reflect your objectives and your summary.

Before you begin to write a summary statement, do some research.

What is your potential employer looking for in a job candidate?

What special qualities and talents will you bring to the position?

Why are you the perfect candidate for the job?

What can you offer the company?