Resume Tutorial: Helping You Prepare a Quality Resume

1. Resume Tutorial: Helping You Prepare a Quality Resume Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

2. Producing a Quality Resume Producing a quality resume can be a relatively simple process. The key is to approach the process step by step. This tutorial will give you the information to include in your resume, how to organize the information, and then give you some sample formats to follow as you organize that information to produce an attractive and informative resume. After producing a resume, you will want to move onto the section on cover letters to learn the basics of writing a targeted and effective cover letter Career Resources also has staff and career coaches available to critique your resume or cover letter once you have completed this module. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

3. Gathering the information • The first step is to gather the necessary information to include on your resume. That information will fall into the following categories: • Contact information • Your Career Objective • Education • Work Experience • Extra-curricular Experience • Other topics such as: • Skills • Awards and Accomplishments • Interests and Hobbies • References • As you begin, you can draft the information on index cards, by hand in a notebook, or as a Word document but for now DO NOT worry about formatting, simply collect the information – Okay, let’s get started. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

4. CONTACT INFORMATION How can an employer contact you? Simply write down your addresses (include local as well as any permanent address you use), and the phone number and website address that you REGULARLY use. Remember: Employers may keep your information on file for a year or longer. If you are using a cell phone or hotmail.com account now but change to another number or account, you may miss valuable emails. Our recommendation: use your osu.edu account regularly and simply forward as necessary to other accounts. Your osu.edu account is easy and professional. TIP: When conducting a professional job or internship search, leave a professional greeting on your cell phone and use a professional email address -- stay away from cute email names such as nuts4buckeyes@hotmail.com The next slide will give you samples of contact information. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

5. CONTACT INFORMATIONsample formats If you have two addresses: SRIRAM RATHAKRISHNAN rathakrishnan.555@osu.edu Permanent Address: Local Address: 201 E. Shoreline Drive 657 North Starr #D Cleveland, OH 44144 Columbus, OH 43201 (216) 555-1234 (614) 555-9876 If you have only one address: ELIZABETH WILSON 657 Dreamweaver Blvd. #D Columbus, Ohio 43201 (614) 555-9876 wilson.1657@osu.edu Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

6. YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE • You need to include a one sentence statement that answers the questions: • “Why are you writing this resume?” and “What do you want? • Stating your objective immediately helps the reader know exactly what you are looking for. • Often the objective it is a combination of: • type of position you want: internship or full time • functional area in which you want to work • industry in which you want to work • skills you wish to apply Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

7. OBJECTIVEsamples • To obtain a marketing internship • Seeking a full-time career position in the commercial insurance industry • An internship where I can apply my computer skills in the areas of banking and/or finance • To apply my leadership, analytical, and communication skills in management consulting • To obtain an entry level career position in Transportation and Logistics Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

8. EDUCATION INFORMATION • List only those institutions where you received or will receive a degree along with the graduation dates. Once you are a sophomore or junior, you will not need to list your high school education. • List your majors and also list Grade Point Average. You know your overall GPA because it is on your advising report, however you will need to do the calculations for your major GPA. For the most part, list your overall GPA but as you gain more coursework in your major and if it is better than your overall GPA, then you can use your major GPA. • Also list study abroad under the education section. You may also find it to your advantage to list courses you have taken. You might even want to list significant projects you completed. Now is the time to begin that list and to keep a copy of each project in case you need to talk about it in an interview. • TIP: No need to put the range of dates you attended, just include your anticipated graduation date (and even then, no need to put the words “anticipated” or “planned.”) Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

9. EDUCATION INFORMATIONsample formats Basic Information: THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, Columbus, OH Bachelor of Science in Business Administration June 2006 Major: Marketing Major GPA: 3.1 Including the Fisher College of Business: The Ohio State University Columbus, OH Fisher College of Business June 2006 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting GPA: 3.71/4.00 Honors Accounting Program Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

10. EDUCATION INFORMATIONsample formats Including information on study abroad: The Ohio State University, Columbus Bachelor of Science in Business Administration September 2005 International Business/Finance (Major GPA: 3.5) Minor in Spanish El Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agrarias, Texcoco, Mexico Agricultural Trade and Rural Development Study Abroad Program June - August 2004 • Including information on coursework: • THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, Columbus, OH • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration June 2005 • Major: Marketing Major GPA: 3.1 • Relevant Coursework: • Promotional Strategy Consumer Behavior • Marketing Research Managerial Marketing Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

11. EDUCATION INFORMATIONmore sample formats • Including information on projects: • THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Columbus, OH • Fisher College of Business • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration December 2005 • Transportation and Logistics GPA: 3.71/4.00 • Classroom projects: • Integrated Logistics Systems: A Case Study of Limited Brands • The Financial Impact of Homeland Security Legislation on Import Trade • Hard Times, Hard Tomatoes: Logistics Challenges in the Produce Industry TIP:As you draft your information, list everything you can think of and then select the information that best describes your skills and abilities. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

12. List your experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent experience listed first; you break up your experience into sub-sections, for example, have a “Related Experience” section and then an “Other Experience” section; then have it be in reverse order within each section Be consistent with formatting; if you list the company first and then the city, do it that way with each position Use bullets and describe your job duties in detail – try not to have brief three word descriptions (such as: handled cash transactions) Use numbers and quantify whenever possible Value the work you have done and remember experience is not only work experience EXPERIENCE SECTION Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

13. WORK EXPERIENCE • You now need to let the reader know the types of jobs and internships you have held. The main points to include are: • name of the company, location • position title, dates • duties and tasks you preformed • When discussing your duties and tasks, you want to use ACTION VERBS that really convey an idea of the work you did. Use the present tense for any job you are currently doing and past tense for jobs in the past. • Some action verbs are: • Administered Analyzed Authorized Coordinated • Developed Directed Established Handled • Initiated Managed Organized Oversaw • Planned Produced Scheduled Supervised • And there are many more!! Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

14. WORK EXPERIENCE sample formats • A1 Marketing Group, Columbus, Ohio • Marketing Assistant, September 2003 to June 2004 • Reviewed restaurant product lines and wrote summary comparison report • Analyzed demographics of restaurant patronage and created typical profiles • Organized fund raising event including creating mailing list and handling registrations • Solicited feed back from event participants and submitted recommendations for improvements • Merck & Co, Inc. West Point, PA • Materials Management Intern June – December 2004 • Planned daily Teamster road Work Operations for the West Point Plant Site Logistics Department • Prepared and maintained the required records for a D.O.T. inspection of Teamster Operation • Performed a cost analysis of the Merck fleet operations • Rectified department warehouse inventory discrepancies by conducting cycle counts • Served as co-chair of the 2000 Fall Merck Internship Community Service Committee Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

15. WORK EXPERIENCE: additional tips • As you gain more experience, you may want to use different categories to separate and highlight your experience. Some examples of different names for the work experience section of your resume: • Internship Experience • Related Experience or Relevant Experience • Marketing Experience (or Finance Experience, Accounting Experience, Logistics Experience, etc. • Professional Experience • Other Experience (for the other jobs you have held) • TIP: When you list your experience DO NOT emphasize the dates – just put the date after the job title – instead emphasize where you worked and what you did. If you use different categories, your experience may no longer be in chronological order and there is no need to draw attention to that. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

16. EXTRA CURRICULAR EXPERIENCE • Often you will develop skills and make significant contributions in areas that are not actual work positions. For example you may be extremely active in a professional fraternity, in a sorority, in student government or another student organization. • We recommend that you treat these experiences as seriously as any job and therefore format them to emphasize your contributions. This is particularly valuable when you have not yet had time to do an internship but you have devoted considerable time to campus activities. • You can also use unique categories titles for these such as: • Leadership Experience • Campus Involvement • Community Activities • Extra-Curricular Activities Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

17. EXTRA-CURRICULAR EXPERIENCE sample formats • Alpha Kappa Psi, The Ohio State University • Publicity Chair, Career Day Job Fair, September – November 2003 • Worked with team members to organize publicity campaign • Created fliers, overheads, and newspaper ad to promote event • Spoke in targeted classes encouraging students to attend • Over 1400 students attended the 2003 Career Day Job Fair • LEADERSHAPE TRAINING INSTITUTE Columbus, OH • Co-Coordinator-The Ohio State University (September 2003 - Present) • Oversaw all aspects and logistics of the event including selection of participants • Coordinated and conducted orientation meetings and reunion events • Collaborated and promoted Institute to over 60 organizations via network of personal advertising • You can simply list your involvement in various organization and elaborate in the interview: • American Marketing Association, 2002 to present • Membership Chair in 2003-2004 • Programs Chair in 2004-2005 • Finance Association Member, 2004 • Mount Leadership Scholar, 2002 – 2004 • Team leader of 2002 Race for the Cure Service Project Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

18. OTHER INFORMATION TO INCLUDE • You may want to include other categories of information such as: • Computer, Language, Skills • Honors, Awards, Accomplishments • Interests, Hobbies, Travel • Any of these are good to list and especially if they help convey more about you and why they should interview you. • List computer skills if you have a variety of skills and you think they will be helpful on the job (a marketing major that knows several types of desktop publishing and graphics programs). • List travel if you have traveled extensively and you want to convey your ability to relocate or travel on the job. • List hobbies and interests that help demonstrate that you are a team player (sports), that you interests outside school (play an instrument, are a photographer, enjoy home improvements) Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

19. OTHER INFORMATIONsample formats Skills Computer: Microsoft Office including Publisher, PageMaker, PhotoShop Web Design: Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Macromedia Flash Language: Fluent in Spanish, Intermediate ability in French Photography: Proficient in darkroom techniques as well as digital photography • Awards and Honors • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society • Graduate Summa cum laude at The Ohio State University • American Business Women’s Scholarship • Fisher College of Business Pace Setters Award 2004 Interests Playing music (bass & guitar), tennis, snowboarding, disc golf, mountain biking, gourmet cooking Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

20. REFERENCES References: Available Upon Request This is often seen at the bottom of your resume but you do not need to include this wording on your resume. Most employers know that if they want a list of your references, you will provide them. But you may want to develop a list just in case. You should have 3-5 people who can talk about your skills and it can be a variety of people: professors, supervisors, organization advisors, volunteer coordinators, coaches. You want to list people who have seen you at work and can talk about your abilities. You will not include personal or family friends unless specifically asked to do so by an employer. Before you list someone, ask their permission and give them a copy of your resume. Also ask which address they would like you to use and make sure you have complete mailing, phone, and email information. You will list your references on a separate piece of paper with your name at the top and a notation “References For.” Once you have a reference page, you should take it to interviews just in case they ask for your references. If they do ask, you will appear extremely prepared. However, do not offer the references if they don’t ask as it may appear a bit presumptuous on your part. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

21. REFERENCES Sample • References for • Tiffany Washington • Dr. Elizabeth Jones-Richman • Professor, Marketing, Fisher College of Business • 555 Fisher Hall 2100 Neil Avenue • Columbus, Ohio 43210 • 614-292-5555 jones-richman.1@osu.edu • Robert Van Hoesen • (formerly Manager of Bon Vie Restaurant) • Senior Operations Manager, Wendy’s International • 4288 W. Dublin-Granville Rd Dublin, OH 43017 • 614-764-8401 rvanhoesen@wendys.com Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

22. PUTTING IT ON PAPER • Once you have the information collected, then begin to actually word process the resume. While templates can be easy, we have rarely seen many that work well as they often force you to do things contrary to our advice. Rarely will a template work if you have lots of information to put on one page. If you have decent word processing skills, just format it as you go. If you don’t have good word processing skills, maybe now is the time to develop those skills! • You should strive to keep your resume to one page. • Be sure to proof read your resume! • Be sure your printer creates a good crisp copy -- no smears. • Print it on white, cream, light gray good quality paper. • Have some extra paper for the cover letter • And come into the Career Services Office to have someone look it over. We have career coaches that will see you on a walk-in basis. Check the Career Services website at http://fisher.osu.edu/career/careercoach/ for dates and hours. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

23. COVER LETTERS • Good cover letters have the following qualities: • formatted as a professional business letter • well written with no grammatical or spelling errors • written to a specific company or organization for a specific position – NO MASS MAILINGS PLEASE • contains detail that makes the reader want to read your resume more closely and interview you Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

24. Before you begin . . . . • Collect information that will help you write your cover letter: • Try to have a job description so you know the skills they are looking for – if you can’t find a job description for that job, have you found descriptions for similar jobs? • Do some research on the company -- look at their web site, look through their literature. Why are they a good organization to work for? • Make a list how your experiences match their qualifications • Make sure you have the person’s name and his/her title spelled correctly. If you don’t have a name, address the letter to the title such as “Dear Internship Coordinator” (stay away from “Dear Sir or Madam”) • Then write a cover letter with three good paragraphs Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

25. COVER LETTER: Paragraph 1 • In the opening paragraph, you want to: • Explain the position are you applying for – either you are applying for a specific posted position or if you have done your research you know the position that interests you • Let them know how you found out about the position. “ . . . the Tax Staff Consultant position (#108454) posted on Fisher Connect on 9/6/2005.” or “”The Financial Development Program listed in the careers section of your web site.” • Tell them why you are interested in their company. What is it about their services or products that attracts you? You will notice that at this point it is about the company or organization! • Be direct, detailed, and specific so there is no doubt in the reader’s mind as to what it is you are writing about and why they should take the time to read your letter. They also have enough information to pass it along to the next appropriate person. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

26. COVER LETTER: Paragraph 2 • In the first paragraph you talked about the company, now tell them why should they be interested in you – now it is about you! • Throughout this paragraph be detailed in your statements. • Explain how your experiences match their requirements. • Don’t just make vague statements such as “I have excellent communication skills” -- back up those statements with concrete evidence -- “that I developed in the two years I was with Banc One in their customer service call center.” • You really thought about your skills and abilities as you wrote your resume, now think how can you add value to their company. • Don’t just restate your resume but find new things to talk about. This section of the cover letter can contain information not suited for the resume. For example, “I have excellent time management skills that I developed by balancing work (30 hours a week), school (full-time courses with a 3.4 GPA), and involvement in my sorority (with leadership positions the last two years).” Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

27. COVER LETTER: Paragraph 3 • This paragraph talks about next steps – specifically steps you will be taking. • Restate your interest in the position and in their company • Let them know how they can reach you especially if there are any extenuating circumstances. “I will be in Tempe, Arizona, January 1st through 5th but you can reach me on my cell phone at . . . .” • But you should be the one to indicate how you will follow up “I will contact you the week of . . . . “ • Then: • Make sure you follow up as promised which may mean that you make sure you have a telephone number BEFORE you indicate that you will call them. • Check your voice mail greetings – are they professional enough for your future employer to hear? Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program

28. FINAL ADVICE • Don’t forget to sign your cover letter • Proof read it once again – and then again • Keep good records as you conduct your search so you know when to follow up, who to talk to, whom to thank • Start your job/internship early, look for good samples, network, and use your career services office • Like everything else, practice does make perfect – begin to search out internships and jobs that interest you • Make full use of career services – you will rarely have so much career advice available from people who want to help you be the best you can be – we want you to be an extremely well qualified undergraduate as you conduct your job or internship search. Office of Career Services Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program