WRITING AN OUTSTANDING RESUME Its not that hard

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WRITING AN OUTSTANDING RESUME Its not that
hard
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Why Should I Care?

• Your resume is the single most important document
  in your job search
• There is no perfect resume, but there are good
  resumes and bad (and really bad) resumes
• A good resume will give a great shot at landing
  an interview
• A bad resume all but assures that you will NOT
  get an interview

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What Is a Resume?

• re?sume (n.) A 30-second marketing brochure of
  your professional self.
• During a job search, your resume is YOU. It is
  often the only version of you that an employer
  sees prior to an interview.
• Your chance to show off your best self your
  resume needs to motivate the employer to call you
  instead of someone else

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Resume Writers Block

• Do you know anyone who likes writing (or even
  thinking) about resumes? Probably not.
• Many students feel insecure about their academic
  or professional accomplishments
• I cant compete with other candidates!
• Realize that 99.999999 of students feel this way
  including those you will be competing with

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Show Off Your Best You

• This NOT the time to be humble
• Avoid thinking like this
• Well, I was only a (cashier, waitress,
  secretary, office gopher)
• My job isnt that important.
• Im not really qualified because
• Try a little self-assessment
• What are my strengths?
• How can I differentiate myself?
• Do a little research
• Who is my audience?
• What are they going to be looking for in a
  candidate?
• HIGHLIGHT YOUR POSITIVES and minimize your
  negatives

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Lets Get Started

• What should you focus on?
• Transferable skills - skills you have learned
  elsewhere that will apply to the job for which
  you are applying
• The BIG 5
• Communication
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Research
• Analytical
• Accomplishments
• Anything you have done since you have been in
  college
• NO REFERENCES TO HIGH SCHOOL SHOULD BE ON YOUR
  RESUME

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Use Action Verbs Keywords!

• You only have one page, (well talk about this
  later) so everything you write has to pack a
  punch

Demonstrate Transferable Skills Using Keywords
Communication Coordinated Contacted Proposed Pres
ented Publicized Represented Responded
Teamwork Assisted Collaborated Contributed Encour
aged Participated Reinforced Supported
Leadership Facilitated Initiated Led Managed Reso
lved Supervised Trained
Analytical Analyzed Budgeted Calculated Determine
d Evaluated Improved Revised
Research Acquired Examined Found Measured Researc
hed Reviewed Verified
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Resume Styles
Important Note
The most common effective style for most
students and professionals
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Formatting 101

• Keep it to 1 page
• Adjust font size, margins and layout
• 10-12pt font size
• Use a consistent font throughout
• Use Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman or Veranda
• Use bullet points ?, not ? o ? or
• No colors, graphics or shaded areas
• Leave enough white space
• Pay attention to spacing!

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Resume Sections

• Contact Information
• Objective
• Education
• Skills
• Work Experience
• Miscellaneous (Volunteer, Honors, Activities,
  etc.)

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Contact Information

• Think of it as a letterhead
• Include the following
• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• (specify if cell and/or home)
• Email address
• Personal website
• (only if it is professional)

NAME use your full name, not a nickname Ex
Jonathan Tyler Smith OK Jonathan Tyler
Smith Jonathan T. Smith Jonathan Smith John Tyler
Smith John T. Smith John Smith Not OK Johnny
Smith J. Smith Junior Smith
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Susan Wright
Full name in bold _at_ top of resume
Susan Wright
No abbreviations in address
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
Clearly labeled Home and Cell s
Professional email address

• Common Mistakes
• Incorrect phone numbers
• Abbreviations in addresses
• Inappropriate email address
• hottgurl_at_msn.com
• Coltsfan1_at_gmail.com

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Objective

• Place at the top, just under your contact
  information
• Must be targeted to the position and/or company
  to which you are applying
• Short to the point no flowery language and
  only one sentence

• DO
• Use multiple objectives for multiple
• jobs
• Be brief
• Use proper grammar (though not
• necessarily a complete sentence)
• DO NOT
• Use personal pronouns (I, me, my)
• Use the phrase entry-level
• Be canned or fluffy
• Use cliches

The Good Version Seeking an accounting
internship, specifically in auditing The BAD
Version (1) I am looking for an internship
in accounting, where my class experience and
interest in the field will allow me to grow
professionally. The BAD Version (2) Objective
An accounting internship
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Susan Wright
Susan Wright
Clear Section Title in Bold
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
Another way to write this Objective Seeking a
professional market research position within a
mid-sized local company.

• Targeted
• Short and to the point
• No fluff
• No personal pronouns

• Common Mistakes
• General objectives
• Objectives written for different
• jobs
• Wordy, wordy, wordy

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Education

• Spell Kelley correctly!!!
• Include the following
• School and University
• Degree Concentration(s)/Major(s)

Examples 1) Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis 2) Indiana University,
Kelley School of Business, Indianapolis 3)
Indiana University, Indianapolis Kelley
School of Business
Examples 1) Bachelors of Science in Business
Major Management 2) Bachelors of Science in
Business Double Major Accounting and
Finance 3) Bachelors of Science in Business
Major Marketing Minor Management
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Education

• Include the following (contd)
• Minor(s)
• GPA
• Include if 3.0 or higher
• Can use your major GPA if it is 3.0 or above
• Can use cumulative major GPA if both are over
  3.0
• Make sure to show the scale 3.2/4.0
• List other/previous universities only if they are
  relevant or will be discussed in the interview

No periods in GPA
Examples 1) GPA 3.4/4.0 Cumulative GPA
3.4/4.0 Overall GPA 3.4/4.0 2) GPA 3.4/4.0
Major GPA 3.8/4.0 3) Major GPA
3.2/4.0 GPA in Major 3.2/4.0
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Education

• Include the following (contd)
• Expected Graduation Date
• Optional - some of these can go elsewhere
• Deans List or Educational Accomplishments
• Scholarships Received
• Overseas Experience
• Multiple Languages
• Relevant Courses or Academic Projects

Example 1) Expected Graduation Date May 2008
2) Expected Graduation May 2008 Expected
Graduation May 2008
Example 1) Courses Related to Accounting
A325 Cost Accounting        
A328 Introduction to Taxation A424
Audit Assurance Services     A439 Advanced
Auditing 2) I-Core (Fall 2007) Worked as a
team to provide financial, sales and operation
analysis on a new service offering to a local
company. Presented analysis to company
representatives.
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Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
Kelley spelled correctly!
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
Indiana University (not IUPUI)
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Accounting and Finance GPA
3.51 / 4.00         Expected Graduation May 2007
Another way to format this section EDUCATION I
ndiana University, Kelley School of Business,
Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in Business,
Summa Cum Laude, GPA 3.89 Major Finance       
Expected Graduation May 2007        Deans
List, Fall 2004 - Spring 2006 Kelley School of
Business Honors Program

• Common Mistakes
• Not listing your degree
• Not using the Kelley or
• Indiana University names
• Not including awards,
• accomplishments, and other
• relevant info

Bold draws eye to areas you want to highlight
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Work Experience

• Can also be labeled Professional Experience,
  Relevant Experience, etc.
• The 3 Big Questions
• What can you include in this section?
• Internships
• Full-time positions
• Part-time jobs
• Leadership positions in clubs and organizations
  (could be put in an Activities section)
• Volunteer positions (could be placed in an
  Activities or Volunteer section)
• How far back should I go?
• This depends on the and type of jobs you have
  had
• How many jobs should I include?
• This also depends on the and type of jobs
• Focus on skills that will be applicable to the
  job to which you are applying

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Work Experience

• Include the following for each position
• Title if you did not have an official title,
  put down something appropriate
• Company
• Location City ST only
• Dates employed Month Year or Year
• Bullet points
• Highlight transferable skills, accomplishments
  and achievements
• Do not merely list job responsibilities
• Use action words phrases (see Career Guide)
• Be sure to use parallel structure!

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Work Experience

• Bullet points (contd)
• Be honest
• But do not sell yourself short!
• Try this 5 step process
• Think of everything you do (or did) in your job,
  even the things you think are not important
• List them out in your own words
• Look at each one, then review the action word
  list and see how you can rephrase them to be more
  descriptive, demonstrate transferable skills, and
  pack more punch
• Review to see that they clearly demonstrate
  accomplishments and/or transferable skills
• If not, cross it out If so, keep it
• Each position should have 3-5 bullet points

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Work Experience

• Bullet Points (contd)
• Example

• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Original Bullet Points
• Talked with customers to find out what they
  wanted done
• In-charge of a team of 5 workers
• Finished jobs on time and satisfied customers
• Worked 40 hours a week
• Revised Bullet Points
• Interacted frequently with customers to determine
  their needs and design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews from customers for
  quality of work and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/week while in school to pay for
  tuition and related expenses

Can you see the difference?
So can a potential employer!
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Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Accounting and Finance GPA
3.51 / 4.00         Expected Graduation May 2007
MM/YY or MM/YYYY
City, ST

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Interacted frequently with customers to
  determine their needs and
• design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training
• and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews for quality of work
  and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/wk while in school to pay for
  tuition and expenses

Company
Job Title
Bullet points

• Job 2, Indianapolis, IN
  05/03 05/04
• Job Title
• Bullet point 1
• Bullet point 2
• Bullet Point 3

• Common Mistakes
• No titles or dates
• Poor grammar and no action words
• Too few bullet points
• Poor formatting

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Miscellaneous Sections

• You may choose to include one or more of the
  following sections
• Volunteer Experience
• Activities
• Professional/Student Organizations
• Honors Awards
• Skills
• Etc.
• Choose additional sections based on your
  background and the job to which you are applying

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Miscellaneous Sections

• Examples

• VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
• Volunteer Coordinator, Greater Indianapolis Blood
  Drive (2006)
• Event Staff, Indiana Black Expo (2006)
• Various Positions, Horizon House (2004-05)

If you are a member of a club, but do not hold an
office, this is optional

• Activities Organizations
• Treasurer, Kelley School of Business Marketing
  Club, 2005-present
• Member, Kelley Honors Academy, 2005-present
• Indiana Women in Business, 2004-present

• HONORS AND AWARDS
• First Place Award, I-Core Business Case
  Competition 2006
• Nominated for Kelley Top 100 Student Award - 2006
• Indiana Presidential Scholarship

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Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Accounting and Finance GPA
3.51 / 4.00         Expected Graduation May 2007

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Interacted frequently with customers to
  determine their needs and
• design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training
• and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews for quality of work
  and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/wk while in school to pay for
  tuition and expenses

Include title if in a leadership position

• ACTIVITES ORGANIZATIONS
• Treasurer, Kelley School of Business Marketing
  Club, 2005-present
• Kelley Honors Academy, 2005-present
• Indiana Women in Business, 2004-present

Name of Organization
Date(s)
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References

• References are NOT included on your resume
• Use the phrase, References Available Upon Request
  centered at the bottom of your resume
• If references are requested or required, attach
  as a 2nd document, not a 2nd page

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Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Accounting and Finance GPA
3.51 / 4.00         Expected Graduation May 2007

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Interacted frequently with customers to
  determine their needs and
• design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training
• and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews for quality of work
  and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/wk while in school to pay for
  tuition and expenses

• ACTIVITES ORGANIZATIONS
• Treasurer, Kelley School of Business Marketing
  Club, 2005-present
• Kelley Honors Academy, 2005-present
• Indiana Women in Business, 2004-present

References Available Upon Request
29
Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
Consistent section titles size, style, format
spacing
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Marketing and Human
Resource Management GPA 3.51 / 4.00        
Expected Graduation May 2007
Consistent font size and style throughout
Easy to read Good use of white space Effective
use of Bold, Italics and lines for emphasis

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Interacted frequently with customers to
  determine their needs and
• design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training
• and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews for quality of work
  and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/wk while in school to pay for
  tuition and expenses

• ACTIVITES ORGANIZATIONS
• Treasurer, Kelley School of Business Marketing
  Club, 2005-present
• Kelley Honors Academy, 2005-present
• Indiana Women in Business, 2004-present

References Available Upon Request
30
Susan Wright
Susan Wright
777 River Road Indianapolis, IN
46202 sw45_at_iupui.edu
H [phone] C [phone]
OBJECTIVE A full-time marketing position with a
focus on market research
EDUCATION Kelley School of Business, Indiana
University, Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in
Business Dual Majors Marketing and Human
Resource Management GPA 3.51 / 4.00        
Expected Graduation May 2007

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• Mainscape Landscaping, Indianapolis, IN
  06/04 - present
• Crew Manager
• Interacted frequently with customers to
  determine their needs and
• design an exceptional project
• Supervised a crew of 5 workers, including job
  scheduling, training
• and hiring/firing
• Earned exceptional reviews for quality of work
  and timeliness
• Worked 40 hours/wk while in school to pay for
  tuition and expenses

• ACTIVITES ORGANIZATIONS
• Treasurer, Kelley School of Business Marketing
  Club, 2005-present
• Kelley Honors Academy, 2005-present
• Indiana Women in Business, 2004-present

References Available Upon Request
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Questions
Contact Information Career Placement
Office Kelley School of Business Indiana
University, Indianapolis [phone] ksbcpo_at_iup
ui.edu