Résumés Sell Yourself in Writing Joliet Junior College Career Services

What is a Résumé ? A personal summary of your professional history and qualifications. It describes your abilities, your experience (paid and/or unpaid), and your education. An effective resume should get you an interview.

First Steps: Know what you want – Research positions – Know qualifications, required skills and education requirements – Key words and industry jargon Key words Know what you have to offer What are your key accomplishments? What are you most proud of? What makes you unique as an employee? Did you receive any awards? Did you undertake new initiatives? – Volunteer experience – Academic Achievements – Clubs/Organizations – Computer Skills – Languages

Cash Applications Specialist The Cash Applications Specialist will handle day-to-day responsibilities related to applying cash. Responsibilities: Apply cash to individual accounts using the invoice and policy number to properly apply cash Apply deductibles with the required claim number Print copies of checks Assist with billing and month end Requirements: Some college coursework required 2-3 years of cash application experience Insurance and accounting experience preferred Must understand debits and credits Intermediate Excel knowledge is a must Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment Keyword Example CareerBuilder.com Relevant Keywords: Accountant, Analyst, Bookkeeper, Controller, Collections, Financial, Accounting, expenditures, accounts payable, accounts receivable, ledger, CPA, C.P.A., AP, AR, A/P, A/R, certified public accountant, reconciliations, journal entries, AP/AR Manager, AP/AR Supervisor, Staff Accountant Financial, accounting, debits, credits, Excel, certified public accountant, Audit, GAAS, GAAP, CIA, CPA, finance, liabilities, compliance, non compliance, Manager, policy, invoice, bank, claim, business systems analyst, financial analyst, analyze, analysis, analyst, process analyst, business process analyst, chief financial officer, finance, Credit Analyst, credit, profit, loss, P&L, loan, treasury, analyst, investment, billing, *

Your full name (Bold) Complete address Contact number (professional voic message) address (professional address) Heading A Résumé Includes… *

Objective To obtain a challenging position that utilizes my education and skills AVOID VAGUE STATEMENTS AVOID STATEMENTS THAT FOCUS ON YOU A position where I can advance professionally Clearly lets the employer know you are looking for

BE SPECIFIC, CLEAR AND CONCISE Objective (cont.) To obtain an entry-level accounting position at ABC Financial Seeking a customer service position that will utilize previous retail and sales experience CPR and First Aid certified lifeguard seeking a summer position at the Joliet Park District To obtain a part-time position in retail or fast food

Can replace or be used in addition to the objective One short paragraph or a bulleted list of qualifications Emphasizes skills you possess that aren’t obvious from past experience Professional Summary *

Names and locations of schools or programs Graduation date / expected graduation date Degrees, certificates or licenses awarded Major G.P.A. (if 3.0 or above)* Education A Résumé Includes… *

Only include this section for 3 or more relevant courses Do not list every course taken List recent courses relevant to your objective Do not include course numbers Relevant Courses A Résumé Includes… *

Summary of Qualifications Gain attention of the reader State your skills, values and interests Excellent place for keywords and requirements from a job description

Tailor your skills Sample Job Description: Retail sales experience preferred Must have excellent computer and keyboarding skills Equally effective working independently and on a team Must enjoy working with people Bilingual (English / Spanish) skills a plus Summary of Qualifications: Two years of retail and customer service experience 2008 Customer Service Excellence Award recipient Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Ability to type 55 WPM Excellent oral and written communication skills Speak, read, and write English and Spanish fluently *

Internships, full or part-time, seasonal, leadership experience, volunteer work… Name of employer, City, State Dates of employment (month and year) Job titles Duties and major accomplishments List most recent experience first Experience

About Bullets Describe more than just your duties Include what IMPACT or CONTRBUTION your actions had Quantify whenever possible – Add numbers (money, number of times you did something, how much of something you accomplished)

Bullet Examples TURN THIS: Cooked burgers Cleaned floors Stocked food Delivery Sales Took payments INTO THIS: Prepared menu items according to customer specifications Cleaned food preparation areas and cooking surfaces Stocked food and beverage stations Maintained health, sanitation and safety standards Assembled and delivered newspapers to a community of 430 people. Never missed a delivery day Increased subscriptions by 30 as a result of a direct mailing Proactively checked accounts payable and performed collections Use Action Verbs *

Honors and Activities Highlight relevant activities you have been involved with and honors you have received Generally placed after the education and experience sections of the resume

Sell Yourself Emphasize the positive and sell your strengths Highlight your accomplishments Use action verbs Use key words Limit first person pronouns (I, me, my) Avoid wordiness – Use phrases not complete sentences – Be Direct Don’t forget to…

Be Direct I staged an extensive campaign to cut costs and increase overall profits from fund-raisers by 10% in the course of one year’s time - OR - Increased fund-raiser profits by 10% in one year

Design an Attractive Layout Microsoft Word / Resume Builder on CCN 1” margins on all sides Choose font and font size (Times 12) Avoid fancy type or difficult to read styles Use capital letters, boldface, bullets and indent Try to limit to one page Resume paper is best

Proofread Carefully Make sure verb tense is consistent Check spelling, punctuation, grammar and word usage (ask a friend)

Spell Chequer Eye halve a spelling chequer, It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue, Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word, And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write, It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid, It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite, Its rare lea ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it, I am shore your pleased two no. Its letter perfect awl the weigh, My chequer tolled me sew.

For more information and sample resumes, please visit: or contact Career Services at: Campus Center Phone: (815)