If you are looking for your next job in business, or have recently graduated in business, finance or marketing, then there are things that you need to consider when formulating your resume. Business is an industry which requires specific traits and skills, and these things need to be clearly seen in your resume if you are to stand a chance of being accepted into a business role.

General rules
The best business resume examples know exactly what the employer wants to see. Be clear and decisive with your objectives, and be specific with your resume summary. For your academic experience, list in bullet points the key roles and skills below each qualification, with an emphasis on business principles. Don’t forget to include extracurricular activities and anything outside of education which relates to business. If you have won competitions and awards, state this in the summary section.

When listing your achievements, make sure you highlight how your business acumen helped. For example, stating that you increased productivity in a team leader position, or helped to cut costs for an academic assignment tells the employer that you have the right mind for business, and that you are a critical thinker.

Structure and formatting
You need to think about what type of resume is the most appropriate for you. Go with a reverse-chronological format if you have lots of relevant work experience, while you should go with a functional style if you are a graduate or are changing career paths. In terms of sub-structure, you are free to choose what you think is most appropriate, as long as it is consistent. The most common structure has the objective and summary sections, followed by education, work history, and then a skills section which relates to academia and work.

Consistency is also the key word when it comes to grammar and punctuation. If you use the past tense in one section, then don’t change the tense in other sections. Use grammatical techniques to avoid the use of first person (for example – “Educated at…” instead of “i was educated at…”). Use a professional font like Times New Roman or Ariel, and don’t worry about making the boarders small to fit as much onto one page as you can. Once you have a draft, check with business resume examples to ensure that what you have is appropriate.