Building a resume could be complex if you don’t have the right construction tips, according to Bruce A. Hurwitz, vice president of New York City-based Joel H. Paul & Associates, Inc., a national executive search firm for the nonprofit sector.

Hurwitz gave some resume writing cornerstones during the recent Fundraising Day in New York held by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater New York Chapter:

• The look. For printed resumes, ditch the lavender, perfume-sprayed paper. Stick with plain white, 12-point font, black ink and white space. Basic is better for resumes.
• The length. Some would suggest no more than a page, but Hurwitz insists putting as much as necessary to properly show who you are. Don’t make it a novella – two to three pages should do.
• Blast from the past. Don’t go back more than 20 years in work history, especially if it includes your supermarket checkout gig when you were too young to drive.
• Email documents. Name the document with your name followed by “resume.” That should get the point across.
• Contact information. Your full name, address, phone numbers and email should be at the top. Don’t use unprofessional email addresses such as ILuvMiPetz@email.com.
• Tell the truth, the whole truth. Don’t lie or embellish – it will catch up to you.
• Objective. If your objective is “to get this job,” think about eliminating that space.
• Use bullets. It makes the information look clean and organized.
• Categorize. Don’t just jumble all your information. Set categories, such as work experience, education, awards or honors, and languages – and place information in its right spot.

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