RESUMES

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RESUMES
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Purpose of a resume

• A resume is a brief summary of your background,
  accomplishments and qualifications that introduce
  you to a prospective employer and help you win an
  interview.
• Only a short amount of time is spent reviewing
  your resume so it needs to be concise with only
  relevant information that grabs the employers
  attention and convinces them that they must meet
  you and consider you.

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How to write a resume

• Research shows that only 1 interview is granted
  out of 200 resumes and that it will be scanned
  for about 10-20 seconds
• By the first half of the page, you have either
  caught the readers attention or not.
• You must take time to write a successful resume
  and must learn to market yourself.
• Be neat and professional, with no grammatical
  errors and normally should not exceed one page.
• Use buzz words, or actions words to describe
  yourself and your positions.

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• Focus on the employers needs.
• Ask What would make someone the perfect
  candidate for this job?
• Put yourself in the shoes of the person doing the
  hiring.
• Brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper and you
  dont have to limit yourself to work related
  positions. The point is to convey your talents to
  the prospective employer
• If you are new to the job market, you will need
  to be very creative in making yourself stand out.
• If you are applying to more multiple jobs, it is
  likely that you will need to write more than one
  resume.

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What kind of resume?

• Two categories of resumes
• Chronological- organized by job titles with the
  most recent position first most widely used
• Functional- rearranges employment history into
  sections that highlight areas of skill and
  accomplishment.
• It is possible to combine both formats if done
  correctly.

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• Chronological- The advantages May appeal to
  older, more traditional readers and be best in
  very conservative fields. Makes it easier to
  understand what you did in what job. May help the
  name of the employer stand out more, if this is
  impressive. The disadvantage is that it is much
  more difficult to highlight what you do best.
  This format is rarely appropriate for someone
  making a career change.
• Functional- Advantages It will help you most in
  reaching for a new goal or direction. It is a
  very effective type of resume, and is highly
  recommended. The disadvantage is that it is hard
  for the employer to know exactly what you did in
  which job, which may be a problem for some
  conservative interviewers.

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Organizing the resume

• Put things in categories or sections
• General sections include
• Objective statement summary of qualifications
  education work experience honors and
  activities.
• References are usually needed in the later stages
  of the application process so there is no need to
  include them here.
• Alternative headings include awards
  publications language proficiency
  presentations internships military experience
  community service advanced career training
  special projects licenses and certification
  memberships specializations.

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• In your mind, break up the resume into 2 parts.
  The assertion section (or objective statement),
  and the evidence section where you back up your
  assertions.
• For example, if you are applying for a job at a
  software company an example would be Objective-
  a software sales position in an organization
  seeking an extraordinary record of generating new
  accounts, exceeding sales targets and
  enthusiastic customer relations.
• The employer will immediately be excited because
  you are looking for the exact job that they are
  offering.
• How to write an objective statement Choose 2 or
  3 qualities that would make you stand out for a
  particular position.
• Keep it concise.
• Example format OBJECTIVE An xxx position in an
  organization where yyy and zzz would be needed
  (or, in an organization seeking yyy and zzz).

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• A few more objective examples
• An entry-level position in the hospitality
  industry where a background in advertising and
  public relations would be needed.
• A position teaching English as a second language
  where a special ability to motivate and
  communicate effectively with students would be
  needed.
• Divemaster in an organization where an extensive
  knowledge of Carribean sea life and a record of
  leaving customers feeling they have had a
  once-in-a lifetime experience is needed.

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• The second part of the assertion section is the
  summary of qualifications. This may be the only
  thing that the employer reads entirely through.
  It consists of several concise statements that
  focus the reader's attention on the most
  important qualities, achievements and abilities
  you have to offer. Those qualities should be the
  most compelling demonstrations of why they should
  hire you instead of the other candidates.

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Example format

• Name, contact information
• Objective
• Summary of Qualifications
• Professional Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Licenses and Certifications
• Excellent recommendations available upon request

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• Summary examples
• Commander - Chief Executive Officer of the U.S.
  Navy, Atlantic Fleet. Expertise in all areas of
  management, with a proven record of unprecedented
  accomplishment. History of the highest naval
  awards and rapid promotion. Proven senior-level
  experience in executive decision-making, policy
  direction, strategic business planning,
  Congressional relations, financial and personnel
  management, research and development, and
  aerospace engineering. Extensive knowledge of
  government military requirements in systems and
  equipment. Committed to the highest levels of
  professional and personal excellence.
• Performing artist with a rich baritone voice and
  unusual range, specializing in classical,
  spiritual, gospel and rap music. Featured soloist
  for two nationally televised events. Accomplished
  pianist. Extensive performance experience
  includes television, concert tours and club acts.
  Available for commercial recording and live
  performances.

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• The next part of the resume is the evidence
  section, where you back up all the assertions you
  made in the objection and summary. This is where
  you list your previous job experience, skills,
  accomplishments and activities. You can choose
  any number of headings you wish to include, but
  only pick headings that pertain to you and are
  relevant.

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Curriculum Vitae

• An academic version of resumes.
• Used when applying to graduate and professional
  schools and often for educator and scientist
  positions.
• Detailed, lengthy and structured listing of
  education, publications, projects, activities,
  awards and work history.
• No specific format, but should be set up to
  convey your specific background, experiences and
  interests.
• Unlike resumes, CVs contain a complete account of
  achievements, publications etc.
• Name dropping is more common in CVs than in
  resumes.

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• Sample Academic Curriculum Vitae
• Contact Information
• SUMMARY STATEMENT (Optional) Include a brief
  list of the highlights of your candidacy.
• EDUCATIONList your academic background,
  including undergraduate and graduate institutions
  attended.
• Graduate Institution, City, StateDegree,
  MajorDate of GraduationDissertation
• Undergraduate Institution, City, State Degree,
  MajorDate of Graduation
• EMPLOYMENT HISTORYList in chronological order,
  include position details and dates.
• POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING List your postdoctoral
  experiences, if applicable.
• FELLOWSHIPS List internships and fellowships,
  including organization, title and dates.

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Electronic resumes

• Purpose is the same as a print resume, but gets
  noticed differently and you must still grab the
  readers attention.
• Your resume must be Scannable (formatted for
  east and accurate computer scanning) Searchable
  (contain appropriate nouns or keywords for
  database searching) Up-loadable (stored in a
  file format and easily read by the computer).
• Online sites where you post electronic resumes
  include www.monster.com and www.careerbuilder.com
  

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Cover letter

• Demonstrates that you are serious about the job
• Should not restate what is already in your
  resume, but should explain how your background
  and skills fit the job.
• Each letter should be modified to a particular
  position.
• Addressed to a specific person and their title.
• Include your name and signature.

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• Dear Mr. Doe,
• I'm writing to express my interest in the Web
  Content Specialist position listed on
  Monster.com. I have experience building large,
  consumer-focused health-based content sites.
  While much of my experience has been in the
  business world, I understand the social value of
  the non-profit sector and my business experience
  will be an asset to your organization.
• My responsibilities included the development and
  management of the site's editorial voice and
  style, the editorial calendar, and the daily
  content programming and production of the web
  site.
• I work closely with health care professionals and
  medical editors to help them provide the best
  possible information to a consumer audience of
  patients. In addition, I helped physicians learn
  to utilize their medical content to write
  user-friendly, readily comprehensible text.
  Experience has taught me how to build strong
  relationships with all departments at an
  organization. I have the ability to work within a
  team as well as cross-team. I can work with web
  engineers to resolve technical issues and
  implement technical enhancements, work with the
  development department to implement design and
  functional enhancements, and monitor site
  statistics and conduct search engine
  optimization.
• Thank you for your consideration.
• Signature FirstName LastName

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• http//jobsearch.about.com/od/cvsamples/a/cvsample
  .htm
• http//www.rockportinstitute.com/resume_03.html
• http//www.resume-resource.com/examples.html

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