Resume– a summary of a prospective employee’s qualifications for a professional position including education, skills, abilities and experience; a picture or snapshot of an individual on paper.
Frequently asked questions about resumes
1. Why do I need a resume?
2. What is the difference between the resume and the international curriculum vitae?
3. Who will view my resume?
4. When do I need to write my resume?
5. After I write my resume, will I ever have to re-write it again?
6. How do I write a resume?
Guidelines for Resume Writing
• Design an attractive, straightforward, easy-to-read format.
• Write a well-developed and realistic objective.
• Actively sell your qualifications by focusing on accomplishments and results.
• Provide information which is relevant to the specific job, supports your, candidacy, and focuses on skills and experiences needed to do the job.
• Be concise, factual, and positive in listing your education, experience, and accomplishments.
• Weigh your choice of words—use action verbs (see list on page 3) and be specific in describing work experiences.
• Don’t make your resume too long—or too short.
• Have your resume critiqued by someone who knows you and who will be objective in his or her opinion.
• Proofread for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
• Use a high quality white or off-white paper and laser printer.
• Keep a separate list of references and make them available upon request.
• Always send a cover letter on matching paper with specific reference to the company’s needs and your qualifications for the job. A personal letter is always best, so make an effort to get the name, title, and business address of the individual making the hiring decision.
• If you are a new graduate with no experience, emphasize your training, skills, course work, relevant club memberships, internships, and special abilities.
• Be creative—remember that there is no one specific way to write a resume.
PARTS OF THE RESUME
Heading
List your contact information at the top of the resume:
Name
Address
Phone Number
E-Mail
Address
Objective
Brief, specific statement of your career goal or job aspirations Examples:
• Òî join the management staff of an organization which can fully utilize the
services of a Professional Engineer
• A position in corporate communications with emphasis on writing and editing employee publications and external house organs
• Òî join an organization where I can use my skills and expertise in personnel
administration, recruitment, and training
• Management Trainee
• Financial Analyst
• Sales/Marketing Management for a high-technology corporation
Work Experience
For each relevant job. list your experiences chronologically with your most recent job first:
Dates of Employment
Name and Location of Company
Your Job Title
Responsibilities and Accomplishments
Education
List each school you have attended, beginning with the most recent and work backwards. Give:
Name and Location of School
Dates attended
Major and /or Degree Awarded
Relevant Courses (Business Management, Economics, Accounting, Business
Communications. Computers, Law)
Activities / Skills / Honors
List computer skills, foreign language proficiency, awards, club memberships and offices held
TOP 10 REASONS TO HIRE ME
Activity 1
This exercise will help you think, about your career objectives, determine what you want to do, and why you are qualified to do it. While this may be challenging, it can be a big help in:
• Exploring career possibilities
• Presenting your strengths to employers
• Showing an employer you have a sense of career direction
• Building confidence—a key to successful information gathering and job searching Qualities refer to your personality (assertive, sincere, hard-working).
Skills refer to your ability to deal with data, people, things, or ideas (editing publications, researching information, coordinating events, managing people, translating foreign language).
Examples of Top Ten:
• Committed to marketing career. Have targeted this field since my second year; gained work experience; met with professionals in the field.
• Academic preparation. Soon to complete degree at University with a Business Administration major; have received high grades in marketing-related courses.
• Competent in handling market data. Completed courses in Statistics, Survey Research, Economics, and Price Analysis.
• Enjoy speaking before groups. Provided campus tours and information sessions to prospective students: presented to managers at department store.
• Strong interpersonal skills. Experienced in communications as a result of being in several different jobs; completed course in Business Communications.
• Computer literate. Confident with MS Excel. Word, Publisher. Netscape.
List YOUR "Top 10 Reasons To Hire Me" in the spaces below:
RESUME BUILDING EXERCISE
Activity 2
List jobs you have had and /or the activities, on and off campus, that you have been involved in. Use the following list to jog your memory or suggest new activities for you. Under each activity, describe, in “resume language,” the skills you need. Refer to the list of words in 'Choose Words That Convey Action and Competency' (page 3 in this packet) to describe your skills, abilities, and activities with specificity. Follow the sample below as a guide.
Full- or Part-Time Work Experience Workshops Attended or Presented Student Associations
Computer Training or Experience Work Study Jobs Research Projects
Student Government Positions Residence Hall Activities Offices Held
Student Clubs and Organizations Seminars Attended or Conducted Volunteer Work
Leisure Activities and Hobbies Class Projects and Papers Study Abroad
Professional Memberships Training Programs Sports
Internships and Field Experiences Community Public Service Programs Special Projects
SAMPLE ACTIVITY: Career Center Assistant (Work Study Position) Skills: Assisted students to research career information and locate materials Entered confidential data in Access program for statistical reports Developed outstanding flyers and handouts to advertise Career Center events
ACTIVITY ONE: Skills:
ACTIVITY TWO: Skills:
ACTIVITY HREE:
Skills:
ACTIVITY FOUR: Skills:
ACTIVITY FIVE:
Skills:
CHOOSE WORDS THAT CONVEY ACTION AND COMPETENCY
CONCRETE NOUNS AND POSITIVE MODIFIERS
(to enhance the personal summary and objective sections)
ability
actively
capacity
competent
competence
consistent
effectiveness
pertinent
proficient
qualified
resourceful
substantially
technical
versatile
vigorous
ACTION VERBS
(to describe education, experience, and accomplishments)
accomplished
established
operated
revised
achieved
expanded
ordered
reviewed
adapted
expedited
originated
scheduled
administered
facilitated
organized
simplified
analyzed
found
participated
set up
approved
generated
performed
solved
budgeted
increased
planned
structured
completed
influenced
pinpointed
streamlined
conducted
implemented
prepared
supervised
contributed
initiated
produced
supported
controlled
instructed
programmed
surpassed
coordinated
interpreted
promoted
taught
created
improved
proposed
trained
delegated
inspected
proved
translated
demonstrated
launched
provided
used
designed
led
purchased
utilized
developed
lectured
recommended
won
directed
maintained
reduced
wrote
earned
managed
reinforced
eliminated
mastered
reorganized
evaluated
motivated
revamped
SAMPLE RESUME—RECENT GRADUATE WITH MINIMUM EXPERIENCE
TREVOR GREEN
Lyviv Street 123
Berdyansk, Ukraine
Telephone: 380-11-111-1111
E-Mail: greentv@usb.net
JOB OBJECTIVE
Entry-level position in sales utilizing my training and skills as a recent university graduate with major studies in Marketing, Management, and Advertising
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Marketing, University of Ukraine May 2004
President's List, Honor Graduate
ACTIVITIES
• University of Ukraine Marketing Club, Active Member
• University Student Sales Association, President
• Elkhart Noble, provided marketing and advertising consulting and support
• Volunteer for Area 10 on Aging, a senior citizen service organization