Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Writing Your Career Resume 4-H Volunteer Distance Education February 1, 2011 By: Dale Pracht Bill Heltemes

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Steps to Building a Resume Laying the foundation. Building the resume. Finishing the resume.

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Laying the Foundation Assess Yourself on Paper What are your Objectives? –Kind of job you are looking for and when you are available What have you accomplished? –Skills, Abilities, Work Experience, and Extracurricular Activities/Leadership

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Laying the Foundation … Your work and volunteer experience s are important –Allow you to build and demonstrate many skills that employers are seeking (leadership, teamwork, reliability, time management, communication, etc.)

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Laying the Foundation What Resume Format is most appropriate? Chronological Organized by date in reverse date order Most commonly used type and more acceptable by employers Functional Format Organized by skills

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building the Resume Personal Data Section Objective Education Section Work Experience Activities and Honors Add references on separate page

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Avoiding common mistakes –Spelling and grammatical errors. –Formatting, fonts, length, paper quality. –Translate “4-H Speak” to business English

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Use white or off-white paper (checkout resume paper at area copy centers, i.e. Kinkos, Copy Corner, or Graphics Center on campus) Use 8 ½ x11-inch paper Use a font size of 10 to 14 points Use non-decorative typefaces

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Choose one typeface and stick to it Avoid italics, script, and underlined words Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading Do not fold or staple your resume If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Resume Review & Advice After you have completed your resume and cover letter feel free to ask us to review them. Have others review your resume for typos and formatting suggestions

Building Your Resume from the Ground Up In Conclusion…. It’s now time to build your own resume… Lay the foundation Build your resume Finish your resume