When creating a resume, whether you are doing it with resume software or on a word processing template, the first thing you need to create is a resume outline. A resume outline is simply all of the items which you wish to highlight in your resume. A resume outline includes personal information, employment experience, education, and accomplishments.

Creating a resume outline is no different than creating an outline for any other document. You will have headings and then fill in the information under the headings. The first heading in a resume outline is the personal information, although you do not usually put this as a heading. The name of the person applying for the job, their contact information including their phone number and e-mail address, is usually put at the top of the page. It can be at the left, right or center of the page, but should be at the top. The font should be easy to read so that the perspective employer will have no problem contacting the person for a job interview.

The next headline is objective. This can be underlined or simply stated. This is one of the most important aspects of the resume outline as it clearly states what position the person who is writing the resume is applying. What do they hope to accomplish by sending this resume? This should be clearly stated at the top of the resume outline, under the name and address of the individual.

Depending upon experience, the next part of the resume outline should be employment experience. This can change in the case of someone seeking an entry level job who has just graduated from school. Strengths want to come first in a resume outline and if the strength of the person who is applying for the job is their education, than that should be listed first. In most cases, however, employment experience is the strength. Employment Experience should be highlighted in bold and underlined.

Under the employment experience in the resume outline a list of all of the places where the employee worked that pertain to the job for which they are seeking must be listed. The name of the company and how long they worked at the company are crucial, as are the tasks and duties they performed. Any promotions that they received should also be listed here. In most cases, it is helpful to bullet point all tasks and knowledge gained in employment experience as it is easier for the prospective employer to read.

Other employment experience should also be listed in the resume outline. While it is not necessary to go back to high school years of employment, all relevant employment should be listed in the resume outline. It is usually not necessary, however, to go back more than 10 years. It is also no necessary to list the part time jobs you held in high school unless they pertain to the position being sought.

After the Employment Experience part of the resume outline comes the education headline. This can also be bolded and underlined as it is very relevant. Make sure that you put the most recent educational experiences first. If you have a post graduate degree, it is not necessary to put down your high school education.

Other important aspects of the resume outline include any major accomplishments, awards or clubs to which you belong that are relevant to the position to which you are seeking. You should also put down any military service as well as your discharge information.

It is not necessary to put down on a resume why you left a certain job. This is something that will be discussed during an interview. It is also considered taboo to put down any salary qualifications or past salary in your resume. Some employers will ask that you state your salary requirements in your cover letter. While this is fine to do, it is never to be put on a resume outline.

When creating a resume outline, remember to make certain that you include personal information, career objective, employment experience, education, accomplishments and awards, certifications and, if applicable, military service. While the old rule of thumb is to make a resume one page and as short as possible, make sure that you include each of the above in your resume outline so that all of your experience, education and accomplishments can be properly highlighted.