Another Look At Your Resume Prepared by: Ralph Bell

The Resume is not your biography. It is a prospectus for the future! The Resume has one purpose…to get you a job interview. Your resume should: Be eye-appealing Highlight strengths and minimize weaknesses Be logically displayed for a brief 30-second review Resume Building

Step 1: PREPARING A RESUME §Analyze yourself and your background §Identify those to whom you will submit your resume ( your readers) §Organize and prepare the resume

Preparing a Resume Analyze your Background §Experience §Education & Training §Profession & Personal Skills §Personal Traits

Preparing a Resume Experience Comes in Many Forms §Paid jobs §Part-time and seasonal work §Volunteer activities §Research §Applied §Unique offices held §Community project

Preparing a Resume Ask Yourself §What did I do on that particular job? §What experience did I gain? §Why was I hired for the job? §What special skill did I learn on that job? §Was I promoted or given more responsibility? §What special traits were required? (initiative, leadership, ability to work with details, ability to work with people)

Preparing a Resume Analyzing Educational Background §Colleges and dates attended §Degree and dates awarded §Major and minor subjects §Courses taken or skills pertinent to the job you are applying for §Internships, work-study programs, co-op §Extracurricular activities §Scholarships/Awards §Special training courses

Step2: ORGANIZING THE RESUME Begin Your Resume with… §Formal Name: Centered or at the far left margin, in Capital letters or bold type §Address: campus and permanent §Telephone number: campus and permanent § Address

Organizing the Resume Objective §Objective - concise statement of the work you want to do ( This section in not necessary if you include a cover letter) §Example Obtain a summer internship in the engineering technology field to utilize my technical management and organizational skills.

Organizing the Resume Where To Go After Objective? §Choice one: Education This is done if you have little or no relevant work experience §Choice two: Work Experience If you have relevant work experience, you should chose to lead with this

Organizing the Resume Education Section §Name of school, city, state, degree, major/concentration, date of graduation, GPA (if above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) §Relevant Courses Example Thermodynamics, Statistics, Physics, AutoCAD, Process Planning, Technical Writing §Honors & Award Example Deans list 19xx-20xx, Scholarship Awards, etc.

Organizing the Resume Work Experience §List full-time, part-time, Co-Op, Internships, Volunteer Jobs, Summer, etc. §Include : - company name, -city, state, -job title, - beginning/ending dates of employment, - responsibilities/ accomplishment

Organizing the Resume Community & Campus Activities §Prove to the employer that you can “play” hard as well as work hard! §Examples: -Special Olympics Youth Basketball Coach 1996 to present- Northwest Special Recreation Association -Participate in Softball & Basketball leagues

Organizing the Resume Special Skills & Reference §Special Skills : what separate you from the pack? Foreign language skills, computer skills etc. §References Available Upon Request? ? Leave it off. Takes up precious room where you can sell yourself. We all know you have references who will put in a good word.

Step 3. Resume Writing Checklist Do… Prepare and edit resume on a computer- Be concise, keep it to one page (with few exceptions) Write with your audience in mind Be positive, emphasize strengths Be creative but keep it professional Spell out everything, omit abbreviations Relate information to career objective. Does your resume have a definite focus?

Resume Writing Checklist (Cont’d) Do… §Use active language §Is your resume easy to read? §EDIT and PROOFREAD. Check for misspellings, verb tense, punctuation and grammar §Did you give it to someone else to critique and proofread? Be open- minded about constructive criticism §Use an attractive layout. Make sure it is visually appealing and has adequate white space §Be consistent with spacing patterns, capitalization, punctuation, order of information presented and format of highlighting §Use laser or jet printer on quality paper

Resume Writing Checklist (Cont’d) §Don’t … §Don’t use the pronoun “I.” §Don’t include age or date of birth, height, weight, marital status, race religion, or political affiliations. §Don’t explain why you left your jobs. §Don’t include salary information unless specifically requested. §Don’t include references on the resume itself. If submitting, provide on separate paper with person’s name, title, employer, address, phone number, and address

Putting IT All Together! §To See Sample Resumes: §Click here