HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

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HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

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HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

• A resume is a marketing piece, an advertisement,
  for your unique set of skills, abilities and
  experience. It is a tool that you use to gain an
  interview. Employers today want to know What can
  you do for me? It is up to you to do the
  research and discover what employers in your
  field seek in a prospective employee.
• Think of your résumé as a billboard.

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What Will a Resume Do For Me?

• Enable you to assess your strengths, skills,
  abilities and experience - thereby preparing you
  for the interview process
• Act as a reminder of you to the
  employer/interviewer after you're done
  interviewing
• Be a basis for the interviewer to justify your
  hiring
• The ultimate goal of a resume is to gain you an
  interview!

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Are There Any Absolute Rules of Resume Writing?

• Yes, but only a few!
• No typing errors
• No errors in spelling
• No lying or embellishments

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Are There Any Absolute Rules of Resume Writing?

• No negative information should be included
• Include only relevant information
• One page

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What Are the Other (Sometimes Breakable) Rules of
Resume Writing?

• While most resumes are one page, this is not an
  absolute rule.
• IF you have the right combination of experience
  and education it can be over one page.
• Your resume must be long enough to detail what
  you have to offer a potential employer, BUT short
  enough to entice that employer to want to know
  more (that is, invite you for an interview.) 
• As a general guideline, you should keep your
  resume to one page until you have 5-10 years of
  experience, then go to two.
• If you cannot fill two entire pages, you should
  condense it to one page.

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Will I Have More Than One Version of My Resume?

• YES!
• Employers today want to know what you can do for
  them, so it is imperative that you create a
  targeted resume each time you apply for an
  opportunity.

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Types of Resume

• Types of Resume
• Chronological
• Functional
• Targeted

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How Do I Get Started? 

• Get a job announcement or description for the
  job, or type of job, you are seeking, if
  possible.
• Make a list of all co-curricular activities you
  are involved in (clubs, organizations, honor
  organizations, intramurals, etc.)
• Compile a list of all community activities of
  which you are a part (church committees, social
  clubs, volunteer work, etc.)
• Gather together job descriptions from your past
  positions. If you havent saved copies of these,
  you should from now on!
• List what things friends/relatives/peers come to
  you for help with. This may assist you in
  identifying strengths you would not otherwise
  recognize in yourself.

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What Must I Have on My
Resume?  

• Name
•  Address
•  Phone number
•  Objective
•  Education
•  Profile or Summary of Qualifications
•  Experience

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What Else Can Be Included on My Resume?

• Licenses/Certifications
• Accomplishments/Achievements
• Affiliations/Memberships
• Activities and Honors

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What Should Never Be on My Resume? 

• Height, weight, age, date of birth, place of
  birth, marital status, sex, race, health (some of
  these items may be necessary on an International
  Resume) or social security number (NEVER!) 
• The word "Resume" at the top! 
• Any statement that begins with "I" or "My" 
• Reasons for leaving previous job(s) 
• Picture of yourself 
• Salary Information for previous positions or
  Salary Expectations 
• Reference names
• Religion, church affiliations, political
  affiliations

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How Do I List My Name?

• Use your "go-by" name. That is, if everyone knows
  you by a nickname or your middle name, use it.
• For example, Katherine Elaine Johnson if
  everyone calls you Kate just put KATE JOHNSON
  on the top of your resume, if everyone calls you
  Elaine use ELAINE JOHNSON or K. ELAINE JOHNSON.

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What About Phone Numbers or Email addresses? 

• By all means, list your current phone get an
  answering machine hooked up to it and make sure
  you have a professional sounding message on it!
  Think about who is going to be calling and what
  image you are trying to project.
• We dont recommend including any mobile phone s,
  mainly because you want to be as prepared as you
  can for a phone call from a prospective employer.
  You dont want to be caught at the gym or putting
  gas in your car. With your home phone and an
  answering machine you can check remotely, you
  will be in touch.

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What About Phone Numbers or Email addresses? 

• If you must use your cellular phone - be sure
  not to answer it every time it rings. If you are
  not in a position to have a professional
  conversation and consult your calendar to make an
  appointment - DON'T answer rather, let your
  voicemail pick it up and you can return the call
  when you are ready.
• Email is a great way to communicate. However,
  only include yours if you check it on a regular
  basis (everyday!) Employers who use this method
  will expect to hear back from you soon. Also, be
  sure your email address projects your
  professional image as well addresses like
  2hot2handle_at_mail.com or braindeadat21_at_hottie.org
  would not be appropriate! Use common sense.

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Do I need an OBJECTIVE? 

• YES, it tells the reader why you are sending the
  resume, i.e., what position or type of position
  you are seeking.
• It should be very brief, does not need to be a
  complete sentence.
• An objective is like the thesis statement of your
  resume. Everything you include after it should
  support it!
• Ideally target your objective to include job
  title desired, position level, field, industry,
  and/or company name. If you are sending this
  resume for a specific position at a specific
  company - SAY IT HERE!

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Should I put my GPA on my resume?  

• Yes, if it is 3.0 or higher
• If your overall GPA is lower than 3.0, but your
  GPA within your major is 3.0 or above, you can
  isolate your major GPA.
• If you list your GPA for one degree, you must
  list it for all.
• Licenses and Certifications
  Do I include them?  
• Yes, if they are relevant to the job you are
  seeking. Otherwise, no.

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Does Coursework Belong on my Resume? 

• Typically you use this section only if you are
  seeking a co-op or intern position, in which
  case, you will have a section under Education
  where you list your Related Courses. However,
  some disciplines utilize a relevant coursework
  section. When in doubt, check with our office or
  ask a trusted professor.
• If you took a course that is one which other
  students with your major would not take and it
  would be advantageous for a particular position,
  list it (probably under your qualifications area.)

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Where do I list Academic Awards, Honors, and
Recognition?

• We suggest using the Honors and Activities
  section at the end of the resume.

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Summary of Qualifications / Profile / Skills
Section

• This is where you showcase for the employer what
  you have to offer - keeping in mind what the job
  entails.
• You won't put every single skill, experience, or
  attribute you possess here, focus on what you can
  do to successfully perform the job.
• Tailor this section to reflect what the employer
  is seeking, different positions will warrant that
  you create different qualifications sections.
• These are brief statements of your experience,
  training and/or personal abilities which
  summarize your skills, abilities and experience.
• Qualifications are more experience-based whereas
  Profiles are more personal attributes
• Complete a Job Duty/Task Analysis worksheet for
  each job you've held and activity you are
  involved with. Refer to the lists you prepared
  earlier in the workshop from past jobs and
  activities.

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Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills /
Profile - STEP ONE

• Begin by identifying your strengths, skills,
  abilities gained through past employment or
  campus organization or classroom experience. 
• List job duties, one at a time, from past jobs
  and from campus involvement, etc. using the Job
  Duty/Task Analysis Form like this, if you've
  already done so. Are you getting the idea that
  this is an important step?
• From these duties, identify what transferable
  skills you developed and write these in the
  middle column of the worksheet. Remember,
  typically an employer doesn't want to know what
  you did for someone else. S/he wants to know what
  you can do for his/her organization.
• If there was a result (an accomplishment) related
  to the job duty, put it in. This information may
  or may not be included in the Summary area, but
  would probably be used under the specific job to
  illustrate your on-the-job success in the Work
  History section of the resume.

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Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills /
Profile - STEP TWO

• Now that you know what you can do, it is time to
  identify what the employer needs
• This can typically be determined by thoroughly
  reading the job description and/or position
  vacancy announcement. Look at job duties,
  position requirements and preferences, desired
  traits, knowledge/skills/abilities (also called
  KSAs on governmental announcements), etc.
• If you are developing your resume for a database
  or a class, not for a specific job, this step can
  be accomplished by gathering job
  descriptions/vacancy notices from various
  websites. Get 5-10 different notices or job
  descriptions and note the common traits and
  experiences sought. Don't worry about where these
  jobs are located. You're not really applying for
  them - you're just trying to get a feel for what
  employers are looking for in a successful
  candidate!

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Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills /
Profile - STEP THREE

• Employer Skills Match - develop your
  Qualifications or Skills section by matching up
  what the employer needs with what you can
  provide. Sounds simple enough!
• These are brief statements of your experience,
  training and/or personal abilities.
• They should highlight what you have to offer an
  employer (based on what the position requires.)
• Begin each with an action verb or number, being
  sure to choose different words to begin each
  statement - click for sample verb lists.
• Subheadings can be used, if appropriate, i.e.,
  computer skills, customer service skills, etc.
• Note that "Qualifications" or "Skills" are more
  experience-based or quantifiable whereas "Profile
  statements" are more personal attributes.

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How Do I List Jobs Within the Experience Section?
 

• Job listing should be in reverse chronological
  order (that is, your most recent job is listed
  first.)
• Listing must include name of company, city and
  state. Do not list street addresses, supervisors,
  telephone numbers or reason for leaving.
•  Dates of employment are required. Be sure to
  include month (or term) and year, i.e., Fall 2004
  or June 2003-present.
•  There is no rule about which jobs you must
  include. Use your discretion and include
  everything needed for the employer to make a good
  decision about whether or not to interview you.
  You might list every job you've ever held or you
  might just list your last 3 positions.
• Another approach might be to only include the
  relevant positions you've had and name the
  section Related Experience or Relevant Work
  History or something similar.

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How Do I List Jobs Within the Experience Section?

• Another option is to isolate the related
  experience (including internships) in one section
  (titled Related Experience or Internships or ??)
  then follow with the unrelated (but still
  valuable) experience in a Work History section.
• List a job title so the employer has an idea of
  the work you performed. If you didnt have an
  official title, choose one that best describes
  what you actually did at this job.
• Typically job duties should not be included here
  unless they are highly
• Relevant to your objective. Even then do not
  include duties which are
• Implied by your job title or alluded to in the
  Summary of Qualifications or a Profile section.
  However, job accomplishments SHOULD be listed as
  bullet statements under each position as
  applicable. This is where
• you get to use the information identified as
  "results" from the

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Where Do I Put My Activities and Honors?

• We recommend that you put this section after your
  Employment History.
• Include scholarships, honors, organizations, and
  memberships.
• Community work, volunteer work, is also
  appropriate to list here.
• You don't have to include everything you've been
  involved with if it is overwhelming. Keep your
  goal in mind (getting that interview) and give
  enough information to allow the reader (i.e.,
  potential employer) what s/he needs to make that
  decision.
• Remember, dont include anything from before
  college unless it is truly an exceptional feat. 
• Rank these items from 'most impressive' or 'most
  relevant' to 'least impressive' or 'least
  relevant' as it relates to your job target.
• Name this section what it is. If it is all
  community work Community Involvement would be
  a good name if it is all clubs and organizations
  call it Activities if it is all honors call
  it Honors.

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Are There Activities That I Shouldnt List?

• Some activities we are involved in may be
  controversial. For example political affiliated
  groups or volunteer work or church activities. We
  call these "hot buttons" and our advice is
• IF that activity or membership is SO important to
  you that you would not want to work somewhere
  that it wasnt ok then include it on the
  resume, but
• IF you are more interested in the opportunity and
  would just as soon wait to let them know that you
  are a Democrat or a Baptist, leave it off or list
  it generically, for example Sunday School
  Teacher

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What About Hobbies and Interests? 

• As a general rule, we dont recommend that you
  list hobbies or interests unless they are
• (1) organized, i.e., you belong to a club or
• (2) relevant to the type of position you are
  seeking
• Who Can I Use As a Reference and How Do I Format
  the Reference Page? 
• As stated earlier, reference names dont go on
  the resume itself. They are a separate document,
  using the same header you did on your resume.
  Then list the reference names and contact
  information in block (envelope) style. Do not
  send to employer unless they request it.

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What About Hobbies and Interests?

• We recommend between 3 and 5 references.
  They should all be individuals who have direct
  knowledge of your job abilities (supervisor,
  etc.) or a professor who teaches a major-related
  class.
• They should all be individuals who have direct
  knowledge of your job abilities (supervisor,
  etc.) or a professor who teaches a major-related
  class. 
• Ask the references permission before you use
  them. Also ask them if they will give you a good
  reference. You dont want to list folks who wont
  sing your praises! Make sure to ask where they
  would like to be contacted, i.e., home or work
  and get the correct contact information for each
  person. Afterward, follow up with your references
  by sending them a copy of your completed resume.
  This will help them if/when they get a call on
  you.
• Be sure to take copies of your references to all
  interviews. Most employers will request them at
  that time.

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When Why Do I Need a Cover Letter?

• Any time you send your resume to an employer it
  should be accompanied by a cover letter.
• A cover letter acts as an introduction for your
  resume.
• A cover letter also stands as a sample of your
  writing skills, so be sure to make it the best
  possible sample you can.
• If you are sending your resume via email - the
  cover letter is the email message itself. Then
  attach the resume following the employer's
  instructions (i.e., MSWord document, text
  document, etc.)

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I Need My Resume to Distinguish Me From Everyone
Else, How Do I Do That?

• Spend some time up front to determine what you
  have to offer and what you are worth to an
  employer.
• DON'T use the resume wizard or template from your
  word processing software or copy the samples from
  this workshop! This document needs to be uniquely
  you - you don't want to look like anyone else's.
• Answer the question, "Why am I more qualified
  than the next guy?" Then develop your resume to
  reflect that.
• DONT try to distinguish yourself by fancy fonts,
  clipart or non-traditional papers. That is not
  the interest you want to capture!

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What Is Focus In a Resume and Why Should Mine Be
Sharp? 

• It is imperative that you catch a prospective
  employers attention within the first few seconds
  of reading your resume.
• People today are busy and often dont spend more
  than a minute or two scanning resumes, so you
  have to sell yourself quickly and concisely.
• Be sure when you are crafting your Summary of
  Qualifications / Profile area to highlight those
  skills that apply to your job objective.
• Remember that your objective is your "thesis
  statement" proceed from there.

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What Are the Type/Design Details I Most Need to
Know and Follow? 

• Make use of your word-processor's style elements.
  Use bold, italics, different font sizes,
  upper-case and small capitals lettering for
  emphasis and to direct the reader's eye.
• Type should be between 10 12 pt. We suggest
  using a professional, readily-available font such
  as Times New Roman, Arial, Bookman, Trebuchet,
  Lucida Sans, Garamond, Verdana or Courier.  You
  can use a different font for the headers of your
  resume as well as your contact information but
  don't use more than 2 types.  As noted above,
  however, you can vary the size, style, etc.
• Make sure your resume looks good! Dont have all
  the text on the left side of the page and lots of
  blank space on the right. Use white space, but
  also spread out your information in an
  aesthetically pleasing way.
• Use bullets to draw the readers eye. But dont
  bullet everything! Use them to highlight the
  strong points of your resume such as the
  Qualifications or Profile statements.
• Be consistent with headings (size, boldness,
  etc.) and body text (indented, not indented, tabs
  right-justified, tabs left-justified, etc.)

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What About Paper? 

• Use resume paper. This can be purchased by the
  sheet at a print shop or by the box at any office
  supply or discount store.
• Dont get fancy plain white or off-white
  (cream, ecru, etc.) is your best bet.
• As noted earlier, dont go with any bordered or
  themed paper. You want the attention on your
  resume content not on its vehicle!

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What About Mailing? 

• Dont fold and stuff your resume in an envelope
  (even the nice ones you can buy to match your
  resume paper!)
• Buy envelopes that are the same size as your
  resume and slip your cover letter on top, then
  your resume. Type an address label and return
  address label (or stamp if you have it) and mail
  flat.