Sample Resume “I’m a mother, who’s been at home raising my children and now I’m going back into the job market. I know I need a resume, but how do I get started?” Your first job will be to write an excellent resume. A great way to begin is by searching for a sample resume that fits your particular situation. The sample resume can tell you how to word different sections of your resume. As someone entering the job market after a long absence you want a resume style that will show off all the juggling, multi-tasking and management skills you used on a daily basis as part of managing a household and raising young children. Find a sample resume that is written in a functional or a combination style. Before you do that, do some research on transferable skills and begin to detail your own skills. Don’t forget the schedule juggling, management, peace-keeping, communication, mediation and other such life skills you’ve had to use almost every day. Once you’ve put all this together, then you are ready to see just how it will fit in the sample resume. A word about finding a sample resume that works. Don’t just grab the first one you see. Find a number of them that fit the industry you want to enter and the type of job you are seeking. Which one sample resume would attract your attention if you were doing the hiring? Why? Know why you think that, because that knowledge will be of great assistance in writing your own. Once you’ve settled on the sample resume that is most appropriate for you now you want to begin filling in the blanks. Start with the body of the resume. What are the overall categories of the professional skills that you want to highlight? And what accomplishments do you bring to your prospective employer? Employers what to hear how you will benefit them, not what your duties were. And they want to hear bout your achievements, not your responsibilities. Notice how the sample resume you’ve selected has accomplished that. The sample resume can also be a guide to how you format the overall resume. Notice which font was used on the sample resume you thought would attract you. How is it laid out? How much white space is there? White space is important because it invites people to read what’s contained within it. The objective and the summary of your skills will need to be modified for each job application. In your first draft, follow the sample resume, and create a general objective and summary, but be sure to modify it to reflect each specific job.