Intro to Resume Writing

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Intro to Resume Writing

• Its a long one, people.
• Maybe Bryan will share his Monsta drink.

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Lets go over the chapter

• What are the benefits of a chronological résumé
  over a functional one? (115- 116)
• Im going to use a negation here
• Dont do a functional résumé. A functional résumé
  focuses on skills and deemphasizes where and when
  you did a job.
• It seems as if youre hiding something (a stint
  in prison, nervous breakdown, time in rehab).
• Go chronological start with your most recent
  experience and move backward.
• If your most recent is not your most impressive,
  we have options. Ill get to that.

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  What does the author think about
beginning sentences with action verbs and leaving
out the subject? What do you think? (Ill tell
you what I think.) (118)

• The convention is to eliminate the pronoun and
  get right to the verb
• Work as clammer in family-owned business.
• Serve as assistant manager for busy ocean-front
  café. 
• The author suggests putting the pronoun back
• I work as a clammer I serve as asst. mngr.
• What do you think?
•  Me, too.

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Whats the authors advice on the Objective
category? (119 120)

• I like his advice here, but he needs to go
  further.
• See page 119. You might want to consider tweaking
  your objectiveor profilesection for each job
  you apply for.
• The idea that you have one resume for multiple
  audiences is a pre-computers notion. If I were
  looking for a job, I would have multiple files
  resume community college, resume writing center
  job, resume tech writing job.
• They would all be me, but the focus would be a
  bit different. 
• One thing to think about The idea of an
  objective is wrong in a way because youre saying
  what YOU WANT,
• and the focus of a resume should be on what YOU
  CAN DO.

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Consider this bad one

• Heres one thats all wrong, but you may have
  seen it somewhere.
• Objective Seeking an entry-level position in
  which I can utilize my skills in writing and
  editing and expand my horizons.
• Where do I begin in talking about whats wrong
  with this one?
• Entry-level. No. Not relevant in todays
  workplace. Maybe in 1958 you started work at a
  company in the mailroom and worked your way up,
  but thats not how the 21st century American
  workplace functions.
• Utilize. No. All the rules for concise workplace
  writing apply to resumes.
• Expand horizons. What does that mean, anyway?
• The focus shouldnt be on your needs and desires,
  but what you can do for an employer. To this
  well, you need to understand the audiences
  needsjust like all the other writing assignments
  weve had.

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Consider this Objective

• Objective An internship in a law firm. Strong
  writer and editor. Proficient in all Microsoft
  Office programs and Web design.
• This applicant learned that the law firm wants
  someone to help with their web site.
• She keeps the focus on what she can do for the
  firm.

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Or this one

• Profile Recent college graduate with degree in
  accounting and minor in writing. Strong computer
  and communication skills.
• In short have a profile that is short, clear,
  and speaks to what you can do for your reader.
• Well work on these in a few minutes.
• Is Bryan still awake?

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  Where does the author think the Education
section should go most of the time? (120)

• Your textbook author thinks that Education should
  come right after Objective or Profile. In your
  cases, thats probably true.
• I disagree with him that a simple list of degrees
  is all you need (page 120). In fact, I dont know
  what the dude is thinking.
• You need degree, institution, location, and date.
  

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Whats the biggest mistake you could make in
preparing your résumé? (121)

• The author says its to leave out how well you
  did something.
• I think the biggest mistake is to lie.
• Ive got some thoughts here, but I know this is
  killing you, so Ill move on.

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Check out the list of other sections you might
want to use (122). Which of these do you think
you want to use?

• See list on page 122.
• You may include these as sections or subjections.
• Scholarships could be a subsection of Education.
• Strengths and skills could be combined as one
  section or as subjections of Objective.
• Lots of options.

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What about personal issues?

• Marital status?
• Sexual orientation?
• Religion?
• Ethnic background?
• Hobbies?
• Conventional advice says no, but always room to
  break a convention with good reason.
• I think of reasons to break all of the above.

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Where to beginfinally!

• The resume is a design project, marrying visual
  appearance with good content.
• Today we will talk about visual presentation and
  controlling the readers eye.
• Heres an example I like from last years class.
• I updated the dates. She was a year from
  graduation and was directing this resume at a
  internship with MTV or VH1.
• Lets see what we think. For now, lets just look
  at the visual presentation.

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A few more examples

• Mary Murphy
• K resume
• kesia babcock resume.doc
• Ian
• Jana
• Matty

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Finally, I will release you! ?

• Start with your letterhead.
• NO Microsoft Word resume templates.
• Remember .5 in margin at the topwere going to
  use all the page, and were going to control the
  readers eye.
• The examples are on my blog. Check em out. Steal
  from them.
• Find a look you like.
• Play.