RESUME WRITING

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RESUME WRITING

• Tutorial

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This tutorial will assist you in preparing a
resume for your job search.
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A resume is a marketing tool

• It should be a professional and concise
• document that summarizes information about
• your background, education, and experience
• that is most relevant for the career field you
• want to pursue.
• It is your first contact with a prospective
• employer and it must stand out and provide a
• positive impression.

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A resume is a flexible tool unique to your
experience and goals

• There is not a universal format, only
• guidelines.
• Remember, the purpose of a resume is to
• get an interview, not the job!

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Know what career field you plan to target

• A general resume wont get you very
• far. Target your resume to the career
• field that you are pursuing and be sure
• to showcase the accomplishments, skills,
• courses, and experiences that relate to
• the kinds of things that employers in your
• field of interest are looking for.

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Figure out what you have to sell to employers

• First, write down information about ALL your
• college experiences paid and unpaid
• internships, volunteer work, courses, study
• abroad, college activities, independent
• research, honors, awards, summer and part-
• time jobs, skills you gained along the way.
• You will need dates, duties, titles, leadership
• roles, accomplishments, promotions, etc.

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Select your strongest selling points most
relevant to your job target

• Now, go back and highlight the parts of your
• experience MOST relevant to the field that you
• want to enter. NOTE which ones are your
• strongest examples.
• Remember, to do this you must have some clue
• about what employers in your field want.

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Organize your information

• Now you can begin to put the information
• into a generally accepted resume format.

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Parts of a Resume

• Contact Information
• Education
• Experience / Work History
• Technical Skills
• Optional Categories

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Contact Information

• NAME
• STREET ADDRESS
• CITY, STATE, ZIP
• PHONE NUMBER
• E-MAIL ADDRESS
• This information comes first at the top of the
  page.

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Education

• Name and location of institutions youve received
  degrees or certificates from
• Type of degree (no abbreviations)
• Major(s) / Minor(s) / Concentration(s)
• Date of graduation (month and year)
• GPA (if 3.5 or above)
• Relevant coursework (optional)
• Academic honors (optional)

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Education

• McDaniel College Maryland
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in
  Criminal Justice
• May 2007 3.8 GPA
• OR
• McDaniel College Westminster, Maryland
• Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts May 2007
• Carroll Community College Westminster, Maryland
• Associate of Arts in General Studies May 2005

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Relevant Coursework Sample

• Social Psychology
• Group Dynamics
• Family Counseling
• Aging The Individual and Society
• These courses should be related to the position
  for which you are seeking

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Experience

• Can include
• paid / non-paid jobs
• internships
• volunteer work
• community service
• military
• part-time / full-time work
• temporary positions

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Experience

• Include
• Name of Organization
• Organizations Location (city and/or state)
• Position Title
• Dates of Employment
• Duties performed / Skills used /
  Responsibilities / Accomplishments / Results

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Action Verbs

• For a more powerful resume, use action
• verbs when describing specific job duties
• and accomplishments
• For jobs you are currently in, use the
• present tense of the verb
• For past jobs, use the past tense of the
• verb
• see Resume Writing Made Easy guide for a
  complete list of Action Verbs

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Technical Skills

• List all computer hardware and software skills
  and knowledge you have
• Example
• MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, E-Mail, People
  Soft, and the Internet

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Optional Categories

• For a list of optional categories, please refer
  to our Resume Writing Made Easy guide. Copies can
  be picked up at Career Services located in Smith
  House.

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REFERENCES

• Do not indicate
• References Available Upon Request
• Experts say this only takes up space.
• Instead
• List your references on a separate sheet

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Sample References

• Mr. Sam Jones
• Assistant Director of Marketing
• D J Marketing, Inc.
• 4405 Parkway Drive
• Annapolis, MD 21061
• 410-766-0000
• Sjones_at_djm.com

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Pick a style that showcases your best selling
points

• Chronological
• Functional
• Career Track

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Chronological Resume

• Emphasizes specific
• highlights of each position
• List jobs in order from most
• recent to past
• Best used when job target
• matches your work
• experience

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Functional Resume

• Emphasizes relevant skills and
• accomplishments
• Best used when
• person has varied work history
• specific experience is required for the job
• education or current position is not relevant
  to the job target

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Career Track Resume

• Emphasizes the fast track
• promotion and notable
• achievements
• Best used when a person has
• worked for the same company,
• but has held different positions
• within that company

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Common Resume Mistakes

• Too long
• Disorganized
• Poorly Typed
• Too sparse
• Not results oriented

• Irrelevancies
• Misspellings, Typos
• Doesnt match career objective
• Written in paragraph form

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Need More Help?

• For additional information, visit Career Services
  in
• Smith House.
• To speak with a career counselor,
• complete the Talk to a Career
• Counselor form on our website.