Your first draft should be inspired by the sample resumes you have viewed and analyzed. They will probably influence your choice of content and the order of your information. Let them. Later on, you can go back and determine the best order of presentation, and omit unnecessary entries.
Resume Software
You will find plenty of resume building software to tempt you as you create your draft. Resist the temptation and use a basic word processing application. Most come with resume templates. While attractive, these lock you into a format, and that can limit how you present yourself. Also, prospective employers have seen these templates used over and over. You might eliminate yourself from consideration just because a hiring manager dislikes a particular format. Give yourself the greatest control over your resume by starting with a blank page.
