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Introduction
A resume is a one- or two-page summary of your education,
experiences, and skills for potential employers. It is
a primary tool in you job search and may require hours
of work to develop to its most effective form. Employers
who receive your resume with its accompanying cover letter
will assess both its form and content as they consider
you for an interview. The resume's physical appearance
and, more importantly, what you say and how you say it,
will affect their decision.
Note that a resume is not a biographical summary of your
life, but rather a document, which highlights your qualifications
for employment in a particular position or career field.
A resume prepared for one career field might leave out
information, which would be included in a resume for another
field. In all cases, your resume should focus attention
on your qualifications and achievements and on the contributions
you can make to the employer. It should be completely
up-to-date; rewrite and reprint it as often as is necessary.
A resume is an individually designed summary (usually
one or two pages) of your personal, educational, and experiential
qualifications as they relate to the type of employment
you are seeking. It should be an honest, concise, well-organized
presentation of YOU - your interests, skills, abilities,
and accomplishments.
REMEMBER..................RESUMES
GET INTERVIEWS - NOT JOBS!
Using the information contained here, you should be able
to create a resume with an attractive layout that highlights
your qualifications and skills.
What are the Uses of of Resume?
Used to clarify your thinking about your skills and your
job objective.
Sent, with a cover letter, in response to a specific job
advertisement or lead.
Sent, with a cover letter, to an organization which interests
you to inquire about potential job openings.
Distributed among a network of contacts.
Sent to employment agencies or recruiting firms.
Attached to an employment application.
Used to review your qualifications prior to job interviews.
Used as a point of reference during an interview.
Sent when requested for other professional purposes, such
as consulting jobs, speaking engagements, etc.
Points to Consider
In the initial screening process, your resume may get
as little as 15-30 seconds consideration. An effective
resume should attract attention, stimulate interest, create
desire, and generate action. Therefore, it's best to stick
to the following rules:
Be relevant
elect information that supports your job objective and
enhances your qualifications in the mind of the reader.
Be brief
Your resume should be as complete as possible without
being redundant or irrelevant (preferably 1 page, 2
pages if necessary). Note: Be sure that essential information
can be scanned.
Be consistent in layout and written style
Stylistic techniques (e.g., underlining, asterisks,
indenting) can be used effectively. If you choose to
boldface a job title, to be consistent you must boldface
all job titles. Be aware that information presented
on the first page, at the beginning of a section, in
the left hand margin, or in a column, gets extra attention.
For example, dates in the left hand margin are emphasized.
If your job chronology is not something you want to
highlight, place the dates in a less conspicuous place.
If you consider your experience more important than
your education, place it first on your resume.
To emphasize your skills, use action verb phrases (e.g.,
"organized a promotional campaign" or "developed
and taught in-service courses"). Avoid first person
pronouns (e.g., "I", "me", "my")
and phrases such as "duties included..." and
"responsible for...". Current position should
be written in present tense; previous positions in past
tense of verb.
Be conscious of image
Remember that your resume and cover letter are often
your first contacts with a prospective employer. Resumes
should be visually appealing and should not contain
typographical or grammatical errors. They should be
laser printed on bond paper. (Use paper that is at least
24 lbs. or 25% rag content. Ask your stationer.) Your
paper should be white or off-white towards tan or gray.
Format
Choice of format depends on personal preference, career
goals, and nature of past experience. There are two main
formats (and many variations).
Chronological
This is the most commonly used format and therefore
the most familiar to employers. It is a categorical
listing of information presented in reverse order of
occurrence. A good format for demonstrating a steady
employment/education history relevant to your career
objective.
Functional
An approach that emphasizes capabilities, skill levels,
and accomplishments rather than job titles or time spent
at various jobs. This format is effective if you have
limited work experience and want to highlight marketable
skills, are changing fields, reentering after an absence
from the job market, or seeing a different emphasis
in your career.
NOTE: If you feel that this format may be the most effective
one for you, be sure to make your skills clear, your
language concise and to include an employment section
after your skills breakdown.
Resume
and Cover Letter Packet (pdf) |
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