Building Your Resume from the Ground Up David McMahon

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Building Your Resume from the Ground UpDavid
McMahon 69Associate DirectorExperiential
Education
Building Your Resume from the Ground Up
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The First Question
Why Should I walk away from my Customer to
Interview You?
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Purpose of a Resume

• A Marketing Tool
• To convince an employer
• To call you
• For an interview
• Youve got 30 seconds!!!

4
Resume Myths

• I dont need one until Im ready to look for a
  job.
• I can use one standard resume for the rest of my
  life.
• Im too young, theres nothing to put on a
  resume.
• My resume will get the job for me.

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Steps to Building
a Resume

• Laying the foundation.
• Building the resume.
• Finishing the resume.

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Laying the Foundation

• Assess Yourself on Paper
• What are your Objectives?
• Kind of job you are looking for and when you are
  available
• What have you accomplished?
• Skills, Abilities, Work Experience, and
  Extracurricular Activities/Leadership

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Laying the Foundation

• What Makes a Good Employee??
• 1. Integrity
• Ability to work with people
• Responsibility
• Judgment
• Motivation to succeed
• Work ethic
• Intelligence
• Creativity/enthusiasm
• Communications skills
• 10. Technical competence

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Laying the Foundation

• What Resume Format is most appropriate?
• Chronological
• Organized by date in reverse date order
• Most commonly used type and more acceptable by
  employers
• Functional
• Grouped by status areas
• Useful for employment gaps
• Less acceptable by employers
• Combination
• Chronological/functional types combined

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Building the Resume

• Personal Data Section
• Objective
• Education Section
• Work Experience
• Activities and Honors
• Do Not List References

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Building the Resume

• Personal Data Section Examples
• Example 1
• Ima T.
  Aggie
• 1234 High St. 4321 West
  Way
• College Station, TX 77840 Kingsland, TX
  78639
• Home (979) xxx-xxxx (325)
  xxx-xxxx
• Cell (979) xxx-xxxx ita_at_tamu.edu
• Example 2
• Ima T. Aggie
• 1234 High St.
• College Station, TX 77840
• Home (979) xxx-xxxx
• Cell (979) xxx-xxxx
• ita_at_tamu.edu

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Building the Resume

• Objective
• CO-OP, Intern, Full-time? Operations, Business,
  Sales, Design, RD, Consulting?
• CO-OPs and Interns start date
• Education
• Degree in Major, GPR, Graduation Date
• Work Experience
• Job Title, Company Name, Location, Dates of
  employment
• Job Description Statements (not sentences)
• Using action words and showing results
• Be Positive, Be Concise, Be Persuasive

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Building the Resume

• Activities and Honors
• Student/Professional organizations
• Leadership positions
• Scholarships,Deans List, etc.
• Foreign languages, international experiences,
  security clearance
• References
• Do not list on resume
• Bring separate page when you are interviewed

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Building the Resume

• Present most marketable information first
• Use brief, descriptive phrases
• No personal pronouns
• Use action verbs to describe experiences and
  accomplishments
• Be Positive
• Be Truthful
• You Have the Right to Remain Silent

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Finishing the Resume

• Be Concise
• Show results
• Top Heavy
• Reader Friendly

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Finishing the Resume

• Avoiding common mistakes
• Spelling and grammatical errors.
• Formatting, fonts, length, paper quality.
• Translate Aggie speak to business English
• LIES
• Too long
• Dont include references.

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Finishing the Resume

• Use white or off-white paper (checkout resume
  paper at area copy centers, i.e. Kinkos, Copy
  Corner, or Graphics Center on campus)
• Use 8 ½ x11-inch paper
• Use a font size of 10 to 14 points
• Black ink only
• Use non-decorative typefaces
• Choose one typeface and stick to it
• Avoid italics, script, and underlined words
• No horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or
  shading
• Do not fold or staple your resume
• If you must mail your resume, put it in a
  large envelope

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Finishing the Resume

• Resume Critique and Advice
• Career Center Advisor
• Academic Advisor
• Mentor
• Roommate
• Employer

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In Conclusion.

• Laying the foundation
• Building the resume
• Finishing your resume
• Congratulations!
• You Did It!