Resume Writing Made Easy

What comes to mind?

You?

Resume – what is it? a brief account of a person’s education, qualifications, and previous experience, typically sent with a job or college application.

Why do you need a resume? You are creating a brand for yourself Highlight skills, accomplishments, experiences that are not easily visible on an application – Qualitative not quantitative Shows the person you are, not simply what you can do or have done

Step One Write down 10 adjectives that YOU think describe you – Keep your audience in mind, but don’t make a list based on what you think they want to see – This is about YOU creating your brand Tells who you are

Step Two Describe how you work Consider these questions/thoughts. – Detail or big-picture oriented – Jump right in or analyze first – What drives you to work – What gives you satisfaction in work Jot down your thoughts

Step 2a Using a complete sentence, put your thoughts together Example: I am an objective-oriented worker who collaborates to improve outcomes, to answer questions, to overcome obstacles, to increase knowledge, and to reflect on performance. – By staying focused on the objective, goal, or purpose – Reading, research, observation, planning, writing, monitoring, and reflection

Step Three How do you interact with people? Consider – Talker or listener? – Leader or contributor? – The same with everyone or every situation? Why? Jot down your thoughts

Step 3a Using a complete sentence, put your thoughts together Example The ways in which I interact with people, whether serving as a collaborator, leader, mentor, or observer are determined by the circumstances of a situation and the communication process that will best meet the goals of a particular interaction. – Intuitive – Flexible – Team player – Goal oriented

Step Four What does your work and your interactions with others produce? Consider – Past experiences – Conflict or collaboration? – Improve situation? – Create something? – Lead to more discovery or better solution? Jot down your thoughts

Step 4a Using a complete sentence, put your thoughts together Example The ways in which I work and interact tend to produce high quality results that improve knowledge, inspire creativity, promote inquiry, and nurture collaboration.

Step Five What do you want to create when doing your work in the best situation possible? What skills/knowledge will you use to make that creation possible? Consider – What do you want to do – What do you want to be able to contribute Jot down your thoughts

Step 5a Using a complete sentence, put your thoughts together Example Generate an environment that builds expertise in how to define and accomplish objectives for all teachers and students using evidenced-based practices, mentorships, collaboration, and creativity.

Step Six Do not use complete sentences and answer the following – Who I am (what do you want to be/do?) – What things about skills or knowledge will I use in this job? – For whom will I do this job? – What outcome do I want produce when I do this job? Jot down your thoughts

Step 6a Using phases, put your thoughts together. Example Passionate Teacher Development Leader and ELA Educator adept at using evidenced-based practices, collaboration, and creativity to improve teacher performance and student achievement.

Step Seven Write down a list of your areas of skills and/or expertise Consider – School subjects – Extra-curricular activities – Job related skills – Media/computer skills – Hobbies

Example List  Research  Writing  Curriculum integration  Curriculum creation  Literacy education  LEP education  Response to Intervention  Interpreting standardized test data  Classroom Management  In-service training  Individualized instructional planning  Assessment of student’s strengths/weaknesses  Collaborative learning  Differentiated instruction  Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)  Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

Step 7a Using phrases, put those skills together Example Skilled at translating curriculum standards into learning objectives, engaging students in learning process, creating formative and summative assessments, literacy education, and utilizing data to inform teaching. Excellent leadership, collaboration, and flexible communication skills that generate inquiry, improve knowledge, and inspire innovation.

Step Eight Put all your phrases together Passionate Curriculum Writer and Lead Teacher adept at using evidenced-based practices, mentoring, collaboration, and creativity to improve teacher performance and student achievement. Skilled at translating curriculum standards into learning objectives, engaging students in learning process, creating formative and summative assessments, literacy education, and utilizing data to inform teaching. Excellent leadership, collaboration, and flexible communication skills that generate inquiry, improve knowledge, and inspire innovation.

Did you notice? Using your thoughts and sentences, you just created your brand (oh, and your summary statement for your resume) CONGRATULATIONS What you just did takes a lot of effort and thought. You just completed the hardest part of your resume.

Step Nine List all the high school activities/groups/organizations/athletic teams that you were a part of during your years in high school, so far

Step 10 List all the outside of school activities/groups/organizations/athletic teams that you were/are a part of during your years in high school

Step 11 How long were you involved in this activity? Were you actually involved in the activity or did you just sign up because your best friend did? What was your job/role in the activity? What accomplishments/important things did you do or were a part of in the activity? Did you hold a leadership position? Did you like the activity? Did you love it? What did you learn from this activity? Is it relevant to what you think you want to do after high school? Explain the connection

Step 11 Mark school related activities Mark non-school related activities Mark athletics