1. Résumés

2. Novice Resume When you are a recent college graduate or otherwise lack extensive job experience, your challenge is to make what little you have seem like a lot. You have to elaborate and embellish on your background and credentials to make the résumé seem solid.

3. General Rules Format: Typed/word-processed. Style/Tone/Voice: Formal. Passive voice. Structure: (1) Name, address, and phone number, (2) Key attributes, knowledge, of areas of expertise, (3) Education, (4) Work experience. Handy Phrases: Creative; Analytical; Problem-solving; Teamwork; Efficient; Effective; Results-oriented.

4. Tips for Writing Novice Résumés Brainstorm. Think about your life. Make a list of every experience and skill that will make you valuable to potential employers. College students should stress major and minor, extracurricular activities, internships, part-time jobs held during school, and summer jobs. Point out the benefit of an experience if not obvious (e.g., “Dormitory resident advisor — managed housing for 300 students of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds”).

5. CHRONOLOGICAL RÉSUMÉS The most common method of organization for your résumé and presenting your job experience is in chronological order. You begin by listing your current job — company, title, job description — and then go back from there, listing all jobs held since you graduated school. The chronological method works well if you have been working steadily for a long period, have not been unemployed between jobs, and tend to stay in jobs relatively long rather than job hop.

6. General Rules Format: Typed/word-processed. Style/Tone/Voice: Formal. Passive voice. Structure: (1) Name, address, phone number, (2) Work experience in reverse chronological order, (3) Education, (4) Personal data (optional). Handy Phrases: Managed; Designed; Planned; Created; Achieved; Produced; Results; Responsibilities; Attained; Succeeded in.

7. Tips for Writing Chronological Résumés Use a layout that allows the reader to see the entire chronology of dates in advance. One good method is to put dates in the left-hand column, with the company, your title, and job description to the right. Make sure there are no gaps in your timeline. You don’t want a potential employer asking, “Well, what did you do from February 2002 to September 2002 if you were out of work during those 8 months.” (If you have such a gap, consider using the functional résumé below.) Use bold, italic, or all-cap heading to separate the sections (e.g., AWARDS, PUBLICATIONS, EDUCATION).