1. How to Write an Effective Resume
Resume Workshop
How to Write an Effective Resume
Rationale: Welcome to “Resume Workshop.” This presentation is designed to help students understand more fully the expectations readers have when reading a resume. The thirty slides presented here are designed to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation of resumes. This presentation is ideal for any student, especially those students who are nearing the time when they will be ready to apply for jobs or internships.
Directions: Each slide is activated by a single mouse click, unless otherwise noted in bold at the bottom of each notes page
Writers and Designers: Angela Laflen and Jennifer Liethen Kunka
Developed with resources courtesy of the Purdue University Writing Lab
Grant funding courtesy of the Multimedia Instructional Development Center at Purdue University
© Copyright Purdue University, 2000.
Purdue University Writing Lab

2. What is a resume?
A resume is a personal summary of your professional history and qualifications. It includes information about your career goals, education, work experience, activities, honors, and any special skills you might have.
Key Concept: The facilitator should stress that the resume is highly personalized. There is no one correct way to organize a resume, and writers should never simply copy a resume format. Job applicants should think about what makes them qualified for the position they are seeking, and they should stress these qualifications throughout.

3. Resume Workshop General Guidelines Preliminary Research Heading
Objective Statement
Education
Employment Experience
References
Organizational Styles
Reverse Chronological
Style
Functional Style
Skills Style
Imaginative Style
Rationale: This presentation addresses the major topics listed above. In some cases, it takes several slides to adequately cover a single topic.

4. General Guidelines
Length: It is best to limit an entry-level resume to two typed pages. Be as concise as possible in stating information in each section of your resume.
Font: Avoid fonts smaller than 10 point and larger than 12 point.
Paper: Use 8 1/2” x 11” 20 lb paper. Print your resume with a laser or high quality ink-jet printer.
Key Concept: Most employers will spend 35 seconds scanning a resume to determine whether to schedule an interview or to discard a resume. These general guidelines will help employers locate information quickly and easily on the resume.
Rationale: Writers should try to keep their resume to one page, but should not fill that page completely with information. Using a 10 to 12 point font, adequate spacing, and large margins will ensure that employers can read the resume.
Click mouse to reveal each item in the list.

5. Preliminary Research Find out * General job information
* Desired qualifications
and skills
* Key values and words
Check with
* Placement office files
* WWW
* Trade journals,
magazines, and
newsletters
* Directories
* Professors
* Company literature
Key Concept: Doing preliminary research helps a writer to tailor their resume for the job they are applying for, and writers should do as much preliminary research as possible about the companies to which they are writing and the jobs for which they are applying. Applicants should conduct research whenever possible, especially for top choices.
Job applicants should look at the vocabulary of job ads, especially the vocabulary of the ad to which they are responding. There are many job bank sites on the World Wide Web and browsing through some of the postings at these sites will help applicants understand how to discuss their experiences and skills on their resume.
Activity: To browse job bank sites on the Internet, researchers can enter “jobs” as the key word in a search request. This will produce thousands of potential sites to look through, some of which will not be at all relevant to the researcher’s job search. Monster.com is a particularly helpful source of information on jobs and can be accessed at
Some directories researchers might consult for career related information are Barron’s, Ward’s, and Thomas’ Register.
For more information on conducting preliminary research, check out Bryan Kopp’s Job Search Workshop, available at Purdue’s Online Writing Lab at

6. Identifying Information
Put your name, permanent and campus addresses, permanent and campus phone numbers, and address prominently at the top of your resume.
Avoid using a nickname to identify yourself.
Consider including your URL address or fax number if you have one.
KIMBERLY ANN HURST
1305 Palmer Dr. #1276
West Lafayette, IN
(765)
Key Concept: It is very important that employers be able to reach the applicant at the address(es) and phone number(s) listed in the heading. If applicants are going through a time of transition and will be moving, they should make it clear on the resume where they will be on any given day. During transitional times, it is a good idea to include a permanent address where someone will always know the applicant’s whereabouts and can locate them.

7. Objective Statement
One to three sentence summary of your area of expertise and career interest.
Write as complete sentences or as descriptive phrases with minimal punctuation.
Relate your existing skills directly to the job you are seeking. Demonstrate what you can do for the company rather than what they can do for you.
Key Concept: An objective statement should basically include what the writer wants to get out of his or her job, while also suggesting what the writer can do for the company. It tells the employer concisely and quickly what the applicant’s goal is in applying for a position.
Rationale: Objective statements are not required, but in general it is a good idea to include one. Defining a specific goal can help applicants target jobs that are closely related to that goal, and it can help employers determine right away whether the applicant’s experience and goal match up with the position the employer is trying to fill. Writers should customize the objective statement for the position and company to which they are applying. Writers can customize their objective statement based on their preliminary research of targeted companies and positions (slide 5). Doing so guarantees that the statement will match up with the company’s expectations.
Click mouse to reveal each item in the list.

8. Objective Statement Avoid overgeneralized statements:
A position allowing me to utilize my knowledge and expertise in different areas.
Avoid statements that focus only on what a company can do for you:
A position where I gain experience in working on biological problems.
Make the statement as specific as possible:
A position which allows me to apply my background in engineering and high performance computing to biological problems.
Examples: There are two major pitfalls writers should avoid when writing an objective statement. The first example, above, is so vague that employers cannot garner any information from the statement. Although this is a perfectly fine objective for someone to have, written this way it does not provide any specific information about what “knowledge and expertise” the applicant has or what “different areas” they would like, or are qualified, to work in.
The second example, above, demonstrates the second pitfall to avoid. This example stresses only what the company can do for the applicant, rather than what the applicant can do for the company.
The third example is the best choice of these three because the applicant is specific about how his or her qualifications could be utilized by the company.
Click mouse to reveal each guideline and example.

9. Education
This is an important section for recent college graduates or students seeking internships or summer jobs.
Beginning with the highest level of educational achievement, include information such as university attended, degrees earned, major, minors, grade point average, date of program completion, and so forth.
Key Concept: The education section highlights an applicant’s relevant education. This section may be placed before or after the work experience section of the resume, depending on the amount and quality of an applicant’s work experience. Recent college graduates will usually place this section immediately below their objective statement because it is their strongest qualification for a job. Applicants with substantial work experience may include a relatively brief education section.

10. Education
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Graduation May 2000
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
GPA: 3.2/4.0
Major GPA: 3.5/4.0
You do not have to include your GPA on the resume, but if it isn’t included, employers may assume that it is lower than it really is.
Always state the grade point scale your school is using.
Key Concept: Writers have several choices in presenting their GPA on the resume. They can leave the GPA off of the resume, although employers may automatically assume that it is lower than it really is. They can include only their “Major GPA,” or their GPA only for those classes required by their major, or they can include their overall GPA, perhaps in combination with the Major GPA.
Some other information applicants might include in the education section of the resume if it is relevant are:
* Their minor as well as the minor GPA
* Academic honors such as the Dean’s List, Summa Cum Laude, etc.
* Emphases or concentrations within the major
* Special projects completed
* Certifications
* Special Training Completed
* Funding
* Relevant Coursework

11. Relevant Courses List relevant courses that:
Help you stand out from the crowd
Have provided you with specific skills or knowledge
Consider including this information in the education section of the resume.
Spanish (4 semesters)
Computer Science
Business Writing
Business Law
Ethics
Only include courses taken in addition to your major or minor.
Refer to the course by name rather than by number.
Example: A management student, Terry, took the courses listed above in red to supplement his management degree. He would like to work in sales, and listing these classes helps Terry to support his claim that he has strong communication skills.

12. Employment Experience
Include positions you have held which are related, in some way, to the job you are seeking. These might be both paid and volunteer positions.
Be creative with this section of your resume by describing and emphasizing your experiences in the most relevant way possible.
Key Concept: This section of the resume can go by various names, depending on a writer’s specific experiences and the job for which the writer is tailoring the resume. Some names that writers use are: Work Experience, Employment History, Professional Experience, Qualifying Experience, and Related Experience. Some writers include both volunteer and paid positions in the work experience section; other writers divide these into two sections, such as “Volunteer Experience” and “Employment History.” Writers should customize this section to reflect their strengths and experiences. For more information on customizing and presenting work experiences, see slides which discuss several ways to organize information in the resume.

13. Employment Experience
Hospitality Intern
(May 1999-August 1999)
Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN
Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food
Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees
Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant
Include information such as company name and location, job title, dates, and duties performed.
Make this section easy to read by using spacing and bullets.
Use action phrases to highlight the duties you have performed.
Key Concept: A writer’s descriptions should be easy to scan and should demonstrate the writer’s qualifications. Writers should use action phrases and parallel language to make their descriptions as clear as possible.

14. Action Phrases
Action phrases will help you avoid being too brief and from understating your qualifications.
Think about your qualifications as a professional would.
Hospitality Intern
(May 1999-August 1999)
Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN
Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food
Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees
Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant
Key Concept: Using action phrases helps writers avoid being too brief and from understating their qualifications. Writers should try to look at their qualifications as a professional would and use concrete words to describe their experiences.
Example: Consider the example above. Is it more impressive to say “swept the floor and cleaned tables” or “created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant?”
Activity: The facilitator might relate several passively written or understated phrases and ask for ways to make the phrases stronger. Some examples of phrases that need to be rewritten are:
Before: Answered the phone and related messages
After: Took orders and verified their correctness with customers
Before: Planned activities
After: Planned arts and crafts activities for preschool aged children
Before: Made change
After: Handled large sums of money, balanced the cash drawer
Before: Talked to customers
After: Giving quality customer service while promoting the sale of products

15. Parallel Phrases
Hospitality Intern
(May 1999-August 1999)
Mountain Jacks, Lafayette, IN
Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food
Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees
Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant
Make your descriptions easy to read through parallel structure.
Set up a pattern and stick with it.
In the example, all the verbs are parallel: “oversaw,” “assisted,” and “created” are all past tense verbs.
Key Concept: Descriptions that are not parallel but appear in a list are difficult to read quickly.
Activity: The facilitator might ask for ways to improve the following non-parallel descriptions. The facilitator might also point out that it is difficult to tell whether the writer performed these duties in the past or is still currently performing them.
Resident Assistant August 1998-December 1999
Office of Student Life, Purdue University
My responsibilities were:
*To counsel residents
*Reinforcing intellectual, cultural, and social development
*Implement hall programs, rules, and maintenance requests

16. Activities and Honors
Include relevant activities and honors that you could discuss with your prospective employer or that have given you valuable experience or skills.
Key Concept: It is best if writers limit their discussion of activities and honors to those most recent, most important, or most relevant to the position for which they are applying. This section can easily be customized for specific positions since applicants will not include all their activities and honors but only those that make the resume stronger. This section can help applicants demonstrate their preparedness for the job for which they are applying, and it can help them demonstrate that their work has been recognized as of a high quality by others.
Example: A recent college graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering wants to emphasize the academic honors she received. She includes:
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
General Motors Tuition Scholarship (4 years)
Dean’s List (4 semesters)
Another recent graduate with a degree in communications is looking for a position in public relations. This graduate wants to emphasize his leadership and organizational skills. Thus, on his resume he includes:
Vice-President, Golden Key National Honor Society
Copy Editor, Purdue University’s student newspaper
Coach, local middle school soccer team

17. Specialized Skills
Include skills that make you unique, such as computer skills, foreign language skills, or military service.
Be specific in describing your special skills; name computer programs you know, how long you studied a foreign language, or your dates of military service.
Key Concept: Like the activities and honors section of the resume, this section should be included only if the applicant has some significant skill in addition to those expected of the profession. If an applicant has a special skill, they can use this section to stand out from other applicants. Applicants should not include skills that are required or expected for applicants to have.

18. References
Be sure that your references are clearly displayed with easy contact information available.
Choose professional references rather than character references. Employers and professors who know you and your work are the best references.
Key Concept: Many times job ads will specify whether or not employers want the names and addresses of applicants’ references included on the resume. Applicants should read job ads carefully to determine how to present their references for any given job.
It is a good idea for applicants to compile a separate reference sheet that they can send out along with their resume if references are requested.

19. Reference Sheet Dr. Mary Delinsky Heavilon Hall, Room 226
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
(765)
Dr. Delinsky is my current
academic advisor in the
Creative Writing and
Science Fiction Program.
Include the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your references.
Always ask permission before you include any information on your reference sheet.
Consider giving your references a copy of your resume so they will be prepared to talk to employers.
Key Concept: Applicants should not assume that someone is willing to serve as a reference for them, and they should definitely contact their references before including them on the reference sheet. It is also helpful for applicants to briefly describe how they know a reference on the reference sheet, so that the employer will know the kind of information a given reference can provide.

20. Organizing Your Resume
Organize your resume to highlight your unique skills and strengths.
Use whatever combination of organizational styles you think best highlight your individual qualifications.
The most common resume styles are:
reverse chronological
functional
skills
imaginative
Key Concept: It is rare for any resume to conform strictly to the guidelines for only one resume style. Most resumes will incorporate different styles, and writers should feel free to modify and combine the styles to best highlight their unique qualifications and experiences.

21. Reverse Chronological Resume Style
Present your education and work experience in chronological order, beginning with your most recent experiences.
This style is best for people whose job experiences closely parallel the positions for which they are applying or for those who have not had periods of unemployment time between jobs.
Key Concept: This is the most traditional resume style and should be used for jobs which require a high degree of professionalism or by applicants with a long history of relevant work experience.

22. Reverse Chronological Resume Style
Work Experience:
1997-Present U.S. Postal Service, Indianapolis. Worked as a Station Manager, delivering mail, overseeing retail sales, planning delivery to new routes
All Right Parking, Inc., Indianapolis. Worked as a Manager, handling customer relations, overseeing accounts, supervising twenty-five employees
Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis. Worked as a District Sales Manager recruiting and training new employees, managing crews of twenty-five carriers within nine counties, designing routes
Example: Susan is looking for a supervisory position in the delivery services field, and her work experience in supervision and delivery service are her strongest qualifications. Because she has held relevant positions for a number of years and because there are no gaps during which Susan was unemployed, the reverse chronological style is ideal for her.