Creating a Great Resume

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Creating a Great Resume

• Landing a job is not the purpose of the resume
  rather, its purpose is to help you obtain a job
  interview.
• A resume is a marketing tool an advertisement
  that highlights your education, skills,
  qualifications, and experiences.
• It should arouse an employers interest and
  motivate the employer to contact you for more
  information.

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Table of Contents The Resume Tutorial Contains
the following sections

• Introduction
• Four Common Types of Resumes
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Typical Sections of a Resume

You can click on the section title to go
directly to that section. Or simply proceed
through the entire tutorial.
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Introduction There are as many opinions about
resumes as there are people who read them! But
there are some basic pointers to follow.

• Think of your resume as a dynamic and constantly
  changing document. Format and target your
  resume(s) to market your best qualifications for
  specific jobs.
• Lead with your strengths. Put first the parts of
  your education, experience, and skills that will
  be of greatest interest to the employer. Make
  them the most detailed and prominent part of your
  resume. Make it easy for an employer to see that
  you are a qualified candidate who should be
  invited for an interview.
• Determine the purpose of each resume and address
  that purpose. For example, if you are applying
  for a marketing position, focus on your marketing
  experience.

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Introduction (cont.)

• A resumes brevity emphasizes the importance of
  the information you select to include. Write in a
  straightforward style and do not repeat
  information.
• Resumes must be typographically and grammatically
  perfect, honest and verifiable, targeted and
  results oriented. Proofread! Spell check does not
  catch proper names and homophones/homonyms.
• Some employers scan resumes to determine
  qualifications. Include industry- or
  occupation-specific keywords as they relate to
  your skills and experience.
• Visit THE CAREER CENTER and meet with a staff
  member to discuss you individual situation. Call
  410-704-2233 to schedule an appointment!

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• TIP Gear your resume to its purpose to obtain
  a job, internship or volunteer opportunity or to
  apply to a school.

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Four Common Types of Resumes Over the next
several slides, you will see a description of
each type of the four most common types of
resumes.

• 1. Chronological The chronological resume is the
  most widely used resume and is preferred by many
  employers. The educational and work experience is
  presented in reverse chronological sequence
  (current or most recent first) with short,
  concise statements about each work experience.

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Four Common Types of Resumes

• 2. Functional This style suits individuals
  making a career change, re-entering the
  workplace, or those who have frequently changed
  jobs. It emphasizes skills and qualifications
  developed in work and draws upon work experience,
  education, and personal background. Headings are
  used to separate particular skills. Sample
  headings include Managerial Skills, Financial
  Skills, and Organizational Skills.

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Four Common Types of Resumes

• 3. Combination The combination resume is a blend
  of chronological and functional. Less
  traditional headings may be used while
  maintaining basic chronological format.

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Four Common Types of Resumes

• 4. Artistic Fields You may demonstrate your
  creative or artistic skills by using a less
  traditional layout and font style, but prepare a
  traditional resume to accompany your creative
  resume.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Creating a
Great Resume

• 1. Should my resume be one page or two?
• 2. Should I list references on my resume?
• 3. Should high school information be included on
  my resume?
• 4. What classes should I list?
• 5. Can I just use a template?
• 6. I dont have any relevant experience. How do I
  start?
• 7. How far back should I list my work experience?
  Should I include dates for jobs that go back too
  many years?

Click on each FAQ to view the answer or simply
click forward to view all FAQs.
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FAQ 1 Should my resume be one page or two?

• If you are a current student or recent graduate,
  you may be able to fit your resume on one page.
  However, dont short-change yourself by omitting
  significant information just for the sake of a
  one-page resume. Keep the information focused on
  your qualifications, skills and accomplishments.
• If you do go onto a second page be certain that
  the second page is as strong as the first, and
  fill at least ? of the second page. If you do add
  a second page, type your name, page two of two,
  and your phone number in the top right or top
  left corner this way, if the first page becomes
  separated from the second, an employer will be
  able to contact you. Limit your resume to two
  pages.

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FAQ 2Should I list references on my resume?

• List references on a separate page. You do not
  need to type the phrase, references available
  upon request on your resume. If an employer
  wants to see references, the employer will ask
  you for them.

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FAQ 3 Should high school informationbe
included on my resume?

• Generally no, but include it if you feel it
  strengthens your resume. For example, if you
  attended a school with a specialized curriculum
  that relates to your job or career goal, you may
  list the school. If you are applying for an
  internship or part-time job during your first or
  sophomore year in college, listing relevant high
  school information may be appropriate. As you
  gain professional experience, remove high school
  information and replace it with more recent
  experience.

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FAQ 4What classes should I list?

• To an employer the skills and experience you
  gained and developed from classes is more
  important than just listing the names of the
  classes. Include items such as lab experience,
  business plans, or advertising campaigns that
  show experience related to the job.
• TIP Dont give the catalog
  description of the course.
• Describe your classroom experience
  just as you would describe work experience.

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FAQ 5Can I just use a template?

• Templates, such as those found in Microsoft Word,
  can limit your flexibility. They can be rigid or
  hard to reformat and may not be your most
  effective way to showcase your skills. Avoid the
  cookie cutter look. Create a distinctly
  personal impression by designing your own resume.
  

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FAQ 6 I dont have any relevant experience.How
do I start?

• If youve had numerous jobs throughout college
  you dont need to list every job, especially if
  its not related to the position to which you are
  applying. You should list all related jobs. If
  your related and unrelated jobs are out of order
  sequentially you can include a section entitled
  Related Experience and another one entitled
  Other Work Experience. This allows employers to
  see your related jobs first, rather than
  including your unrelated and related jobs
  together.

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FAQ 7How far back should I list my work
experience? Should I include dates for jobs that
go back too many years?

• Ten years is a general guideline. However,
  include experience that you think strengthens
  your resume. If a job is important enough to
  include, use dates. Be consistent throughout the
  resume. If you decide not to include dates
  because of gaps in experience or dated work
  history, then consider using a functional format
  or format other than chronological.

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• TIP Consider creating an everything,
  all-encompassing resume where you write in
  great detail about experiences that enable you to
  develop new skills or enhance the skills you
  already have. Include information about duties
  and responsibilities, accomplishments, decisions
  made and problems solved as an employee, an
  intern, a volunteer or a student. Write about
  leadership experiences organization, club and
  committee memberships conferences or seminars
  you have attended on-the-job training
  certifications and anything else that
  demonstrates your skills and strengthens your
  qualifications for jobs.

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• TIP (cont.) You wont send this very
  detailed resume to any-
• one (it may be many pages long), but
  you will use it as your own working document from
  which you will extract relevant information to
  create targeted resumes based on requirements for
  targeted job. Committing this information to
  writing will save you from having to reinvent
  the wheel each time you respond to a job
  advertisement, and it is a great document to read
  before an interview because it will refresh your
  memory about information you may need to respond
  to interview questions.

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SectionsEach resume consists of sections that
group your experiences together in a meaningful
way. The following slides will show examples of
sections that your resume may/may not contain.
Some resume sections may not apply to you.

• Organize your information using headings that
  will help you highlight your strengths as they
  relate to the desired job.
• Arrange sections in an order that best markets
  your skills and experience.
• Lead with your strengths. Put first and make most
  detailed and prominent the parts of your
  education, experience and skills that will be of
  greatest interest to the employer.
• Make it easy for an employer to see that you are
  a qualified candidate who should be invited for
  an interview.

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HEADING/Identification Section

• This section includes
• Your name (no non-professional nickname)
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• And email address
• Be sure to include area and zip codes. All of
  this information is located at the top of the
  page and is typically centered.

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HEADING/Identification Section (cont.)

• Use both current and permanent address when in
  transition
• Use one phone number per address where a reliable
  message can be left
• Use only a professional or .edu email address
  that you check regularly (you can set your
  professional or school email to forward to your
  personal account)
• Remember, your email address or voice message
  influences the impression a prospective employer
  develops of you. Be prepared to create a positive
  impression at any time.
• Do not include personal information such as sex,
  age, marital status, health or social security
  number.

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The OBJECTIVE Section

• Write an employer-centered objective that targets
  a specific job, employer and/or industry. Focus
  on what you can contribute to the company (such
  as the skills you can offer).
• The objective should be specific and it may
  change for each position you seek. Avoid using
  generic or trite phrases such as an entry level
  position.
• If you include an objective, everything else on
  your resume should support or show evidence that
  you qualify for the targeted job.
• When posting your resume to a job search Web
  site, incorporate keywords in your objective
  that reflect your skills and career goals.

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Profile/Summary/Highlights Section

• A profile highlights the best of your
  qualifications for a particular job.
• You may use headings such as, Profile,
  Highlights, or Summary of Qualifications.
• A well-written profile or summary can positively
  influence the way the rest of your resume is
  interpreted.
• It should address the all-important question on
  the hirers mind, What can this candidate do for
  the organization? Select details that highlight
  your strengths.

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Profile/Summary/Highlights Section (cont.)

• Statements in this section must be supported
  elsewhere in your resume. As a marketing
  statement, the profile may include the following
  kinds of information
• Hook line - determine the essence of the job,
  then make a connection between what the employer
  needs and what you can do for the organization
  convince employers that it is worth their time to
  continue to read your resume!
• Professional certifications
• Honors, awards, scholarships, any recognition you
  have received as a student, intern, employee,
  consultant, board member or volunteer any
  published writing
• Any unique skills, e.g. fluency or conversational
  ability in a second language

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Profile/Summary/Highlights Section (cont.)

• Statements in this section must be supported
  elsewhere in your resume. As a marketing
  statement, the profile may include the following
  kinds of information
• Leadership roles or memberships in student clubs,
  sports, organizations memberships in
  professional organizations or associations
• Technology skills and/or specialized equipment
  you can operate
• Transferable skills such as leadership, team
  work, customer service, problem solving
• Anything that speaks to your success!

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Profile/Summary/Highlights Section (cont.)

• TIP If you feel it would be more effective to
  emphasize detail such as awards, skills or
  organization involvement, then consider listing
  such details in a separate section with its own
  heading rather than use a profile.
• For example, if your technical skills are your
  strongest qualification for a job, consider a
  separate section called Technical Skills.

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The EDUCATION Section

• List degrees or certifications, in reverse
  chronological order,
• current or most recent first, then list your
  major along with any minors or concentrations.
• Indicate the month and year when you graduated or
  expect to graduate. There is no need to include
  the words expected or anticipated before the
  month and year of graduation. On the next line
  list the name of the school, along with location
  (city, state).
• Recent grads may include coursework, but be sure
  it is unique and/or relates to the job. Dont
  list Intro or Principles courses.

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The EDUCATION Section (cont.)

• TIP If you feel your experience is a greater
  strength and that employers will be more
  interested in your experience, then list
  Experience here and follow it with Education
  lead with your strengths!
• ? NOTE For undergraduate students at Towson
  University, if you complete through the
  intermediate level of a language other than
  English, you earn a Bachelor of Arts degree,
  regardless of major. If you do not complete
  through the intermediate level of another
  language, you earn a Bachelor of Science degree.

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The EXPERIENCE Section

• You may use separate headings called Related
  Experience or Other Experience in order to
  highlight and put first your career-related
  experience. You also may include subheadings such
  as Student Teaching Experience and Research
  Experience.
• Dont minimize the value of food service, retail
  and other college work experience. Employers want
  to know that you know how to treat customers, how
  to get along with co-workers, how to communicate
  effectively and work as a team member, and how to
  respond to supervision.

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The EXPERIENCE Section (cont.)

• Using key words of your field, focus on the
  skills and tasks developed at each job. Write in
  short concise statements using action verbs and
  adjectives to describe each skill or task. Cite
  specific responsibilities and accomplishments for
  each position. Statements may be displayed in
  either bullet or paragraph style.
• TIP Avoid phrases such as
  responsible for and duties
• include.

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The EXPERIENCE Section (cont.)

• Include your job title, name of organization,
  location (city,
• state), and dates of employment (month/year).
• Show advancement in level of responsibility.
• Quantify information when appropriate and when
  the numbers are significant.
• Include any achievements, recognition,
  contributions,
• innovations, positive outcomes, anything that
  works better
• as a result of your being in the job or
  demonstrates your
• effectiveness.

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The Internship(s)/Service Learning Section

• These opportunities help you acquire hands-on
  experience and develop networking contacts.
  Employers value this type of experience, so it
  merits a stand-alone section on your resume.
• Include your title (which may be Intern), name
  of organization, location (city, state) and dates
  of internship.
• Use action verbs to describe your most complex
  professional duties.
• Describe what you observed and learned.
• Include any achievements, contributions,
  innovations, positive outcomes.
• Include service or internship experience from
  high school only if it strengthens your resume.

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Volunteer Experience/Community Service

• These experiences may speak to your commitment to
  your field, if job related your altruism your
  willingness to give back to the community and
  your time management skills.
• Include your title (which may be Volunteer),
  name of organization, location (city, state) and
  dates of service.
• Use action verbs to describe your most complex
  and professional duties.
• Emphasize skills you developed or enhanced and
  connect them to your value on a prospective job.
• Include any achievements, contributions,
  innovations, positive outcomes, and recognition
  for service.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS If you have not included
this information elsewhere, consider the
following sections as they relate to your
particular experience and the purpose of your
resume. Incorporate transferable skills into
these sections. Click on each section to see a
description of each type. Or simply continue to
click forward to view each slide.

• Academic Projects
• Awards, Honors, and Achievements
• Special Skills
• Publications or Research
• Organizations
• Activities and Special Interests
• Extracurricular Activities
• Study Abroad/Intercultural Experience
• Portfolio/ePortfolio

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Academic Projects Especially if you have
  limited experience and/or no internships,
  consider describing significant academic
  projects/assignments that demonstrate your skills
  and subject matter knowledge. Describe academic
  experience in the same way you would describe
  work or any other, related experience. Place this
  section after education or related experience
  section.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Awards, Honors, and Achievements Include any of
  these if they are relevant to the position you
  are seeking. Make sure to mention what the award
  was for and be able to describe it in more detail
  in an interview.
• Special Skills Examples of headings include
  Computer Skills, Laboratory Experience, or
  Languages.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Publications or Research List titles of papers,
  articles, poems, or other literary pieces that
  have been published in a student or professional
  publication. Describe research that relates to
  the field in which you are seeking employment.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Organizations Include any organizations, clubs,
  community service, or volunteer experience,
  especially those that show achievement or
  professional standing and any offices that you
  held. You can show leadership and other skills or
  related experience gained through student or
  social awareness organizations rather than name a
  specific organization.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Activities and Special Interests List personal
  interests if they relate to a skill or area of
  knowledge associated with your career goal. For
  example, list that you are a world traveler if
  applying for a geography teaching position.
  Activities may show well roundedness but can be
  meaningless if they are irrelevant to the
  position.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Extracurricular Activities Other examples of
  headings may include Memberships,
  Certifications, and Athletics. These sections
  show involvement, but limit to those activities
  that strengthen your qualifications. For example,
  athletics participation can show leadership, team
  work, and the ability to thrive in a competitive
  environment.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Study Abroad/Intercultural Experience List
  experience in which you have studied/lived with
  persons of a different cultural background to
  show your understanding of different perspectives
  and traditions.

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ADDITIONAL SECTIONS (cont.)

• Portfolio/ePortfolio Instead of stating
  references available at the end of your resume,
  include portfolio available for review or list
  the Web address for your portfolio.

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Now you should be all set to begin creating your
own stellar resume! And remember, you can get
personalized help and one-on-one attention at The
Career Center. Call us, stop by or schedule an
appointment with one of our knowledgeable staff
members! Phone [phone] Fax (410)
704-3459 Web site wwwnew.towson.edu/careercenter/
Campus location 7800 York Road, Suite
206 Mailing address 8000 York Road, Towson, MD
21252
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