PREPARING A R

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PREPARING A RÉSUMÉ
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What is a résumé?

• A résumé is a summary of your employment history,
  education, and accomplishments.
• The purpose of a résumé is to present aspects of
  your life that are relevant to an employer.
• It is a marketing toolwhat is being marketed is
  YOU!

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Functions of a résumé

• An inventory of your experiences
• Helps you clarify your value as an employee
• Provides a summary for potential employer so
  he/she can evaluate whether you should be
  interviewed
• Used as a reference for questions by an
  interviewer
• Filed for future reference by a potential employer

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Résumés at a glance

• A résumé has one specific function
• to get an interview!
• Employers need a quick way to reduce the number
  of résumés they need to read
• How? A 5-second glance can give an employer
  reasons NOT to keep it.

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Will your résumé make the short list

• Handwritten?
• Corners curled, paper wrinkled?
• Smudges, coffee stains, etc.?
• Design difficult to read?
• Oops, theres a spelling error?
• No postal codes, no telephone numbers?
• Grammatical error?

• Definitely a NO!
• Into the basket!
• Not a chance!
• Havent the time!
• Pitch this one!
• Its a loser.
• Not wanted here.

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Types of résumés

• There are three main ways to organize the
  information on your résumé
• Chronological
• Functional
• Combination
• Each type serves a purpose
• How do you know which one is best?

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Chronological Résumé

• Use this format if you can show steady progress
  in your education and employment
• This is the best method to use when
• The name of your last employer is important
• You want to find a job in the same area as your
  previous one
• Your job history or education shows growth and
  development

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Chronological Résumé

• Dont use this format if
• You want to emphasize skills you havent used in
  other jobs
• Youre looking for a job youve never done before
• Youve changed jobs a lot

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Chronological Résumé

• Advantage
• You can demonstrate, at a glance, a summary of
  your education and experience.

• Disadvantage
• You dont have a place to indicate your skills
  and qualifications up front.

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Chronological Résumé Structure

• Starts off with a job objective or a personal
  profile
• Groups education, work and volunteer experiences
  and lists items in reverse chronological order
• May include a section on awards and
  accomplishments
• Provides information on interests
• Provides references

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CHRONOLOGICAL RÉSUMÉ
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Functional Résumé

• Use this format when you have little or no actual
  work experience in the area in which youre
  looking for work
• This is the best format to use when
• You havent worked before
• You want to emphasize talents and skills you
  havent used in a particular job
• Youve had a variety of jobs in the past which
  arent connected
• Youve done mostly temporary work in the past

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Functional Résumé

• Dont use this format when
• You have a steady pattern of jobs and education
• Your past employers are important in relation to
  your job objective

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Functional Résumé

• Advantage
• You can highlight your special skills and any
  awards and achievements that come from work,
  volunteer or school experiences.

• Disadvantage
• You have to back up your list of skills and
  qualifications with education, work or volunteer
  experiences. You cant just list skills you
  believe you have without demonstrating how you
  got them.

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Functional Résumé Structure

• Starts off with a job objective
• List of skills and/or achievements that support
  the objective
• Groups education, work and volunteer experiences
  and lists items in reverse chronological order
  (most recent first)
• Provides information on interests
• Provides references

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FUNCTIONAL RÉSUMÉ
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Combination Résumé

• It is best to use this format when
• Your education is an important part of your
  skills and your practical skills are limited
• Your background shows a wide range of unrelated
  skills
• Your work history isnt reflective of you as a
  stable workeryouve held a lot of different jobs
• Your work history shows more time in other work
  areas

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COMBINATION RÉSUMÉ
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Parts of a Résumé

• NAME
• Do not use nicknames
• Highlight so it stands out bold, larger font
• ADDRESS
• Use complete address
• Dont use abbreviations except for the 2-letter
  abbreviations for provinces (i.e. NS, NB, PE)
• Put the postal code on a line by itself

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Parts of a Résumé

• TELEPHONE/FAX NUMBERS
• Include area code
• Two acceptable styles are
• [phone] or 902/555-1234
• EMAIL ADDRESS
• Include it if you have one, giving the message
  you are computer literate
• Do not use an email address that is inappropriate
  (i.e. hotchick_at_hotmail.com)

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Parts of a Résumé

• OBJECTIVE OR PROFILE
• An objective gives focus, direction and support
  to the body of the résumé
• It is an attention grabber
• Use an objective only if it makes sense
  otherwise use a cover letter
• If you are shopping for work, you might use a
  Career Profile focusing on skills, achievements
  and character attributes

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Parts of a Résumé

• EDUCATION
• List your most recent education first
• Include the name of the school and dates of
  attendance
• Include courses studied, particularly if your
  résumé is short
• Additional training courses and certificates
  should be included
• It is not necessary to include your junior high

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Parts of a Résumé

• WORK EXPERIENCE
• List your most recent work experience first and
  work backwards
• Include dates, job title, employer, job
  responsibilities
• Try to think like an employerwhat would you want
  to see as the reader of your résumé
• Use action verbs to tell what you have done
• Include volunteer work experience

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Parts of a Résumé

• AWARDS AND ACTIVITIES
• List academic honours or certificates you
  received
• Stress extra-curricular activities and special
  achievements in sports, clubs, or other school
  activities
• These offer employers evidence of leadership,
  dedication and initiative

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Parts of a Résumé

• SPECIAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES
• Highlight the skills you have that relate
  directly to the position for which you are
  applying
• These may include specific computer applications,
  fluency in a foreign language, or special
  abilities you possess that are not necessarily
  part of your formal education
• Highlight attributes such as honesty, enthusiasm,
  and maturityqualities that make you
  indispensable in the work place

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Parts of a Résumé

• REFERENCES
• Think carefully about who can act as your
  references. Type the name, title, company,
  address, and phone/fax number of three to four
  references.
• Prior permission to use any individuals name as
  a reference is a must and as a courtesy, inform
  your references that they may be contacted.

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Who can you ask to be a reference?

• Someone from your school (teacher, guidance
  counsellor, coach, administrator).
• Someone you've worked for (summer, part-time or
  full-time employer).
• Someone you've worked for on a casual basis
  (babysitting, shovelling snow, delivering
  papers).
• Someone you've helped (as a volunteer or as a
  friend).
• Someone whose opinion is respected (elder,
  minister, community leader).
• You cannot use a relative!!

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References

• There are different opinions on whether or not to
  include the actual references on your résumé. If
  you decide not to include them on your résumé,
  follow these suggestions
• In the Reference section, type References
  Attached and prepare them on a separate sheet
  which matches your résumé.
• Type References Available on Request and do not
  submit them with your résumé.

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References

• Résumés that say References available on
  request risk delay or rejection
• Employers in a hurry will likely favour people
  whose references are attached to the résumé.
• The employer may recognize one of your references
  and be impressedmaking your résumé stand out
  from the others!

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Résumé Dos and Donts

• DO
• Use only one font size (12 pt) and one font style
  (Times New Roman, Arial)
• Be consistent when using bold, italics,
  underlining
• Leave 2-3 blank lines between sections
• Use a good-quality paper
• Use white, off-white, ivory or cream-coloured
  paper

• DO
• Use power words (action verbs)
• Use a header including your name and page number
  on the second page
• Staple the pages with one staple in the top left
  corner
• PROOFREAD!!!

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Résumé Dos and Donts

• DONT INCLUDE YOUR
• Age/birthdate
• Race
• Religion
• Marital status
• Sexual preference
• Social Insurance Number

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Employers Pet Peeves About Résumés

• More than two pages long
• Coloured paper
• Spelling errors
• Handwritten corrections
• Old jobs that are not relevant
• Repetition

• Attempts to inflate responsibilities
• Fancy graphics
• Poor quality paper
• A photocopy of a photocopy

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Employers Speak Out on Résumés

• Any résumé that looks like its part of a mass
  mailing goes into the garbage. And if theres
  one spelling mistake or bad punctuation, out it
  goes. Mark Bowles, Komex International Ltd.
• I want brief, to-the-point résumés that
  highlight work experience and education. Tailor
  your résumé to show me why you should work for my
  company. Joanne Tully, Holiday Inn
• When I see neatness in a résumé, I get the
  feeling that the job candidate will keep his or
  her work area and tools clean. Thats important
  in by business. Clark Johnston, Clarks Quality
  Woodwork

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LETS GET STARTED!!