HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

1. HOW TO WRITE A RESUME

2. HOW TO WRITE A RESUME • As you approach writing your résumé, it is important to know that this is a marketing piece, an advertisement, for your unique set of skills, abilities and experience. It is a tool that you use to gain an interview. • Employers today want to know “What can you do for me?” …It is up to you to do the research and discover what employers in your field seek in a prospective employee. • Think of your résumé as a billboard. It is not going to be possible to list every single item of interest about yourself in this document - you need to identify what will be of interest to your target audience and highlight that information.

3. What Will a Resume Do For Me? • Enable you to assess your strengths, skills, abilities and experience - thereby preparing you for the interview process • Act as a reminder of you to the employer/interviewer after you're done interviewing • Be a basis for the interviewer to justify your hiring • The ultimate goal of a resume is to gain you an interview!

4. Are There Any Absolute Rules of Resume Writing? • Yes, but only a few! Almost every rule you have ever heard can be broken, if you have a very good reason.   Some rules, however, are absolutes, including: • No typing errors • No errors in spelling • No lying or grandiose embellishments

5. Are There Any Absolute Rules of Resume Writing? • No negative information should be included • Include only relevant information • Never be more than two pages long “Friends” – Joey’s Resume

6. What Are the Other (Sometimes Breakable) Rules of Resume Writing? • While most recently graduated college-student resumes are one page, this is not an absolute rule, IFyou have the right combination of experience and education. • Your resume must be long enough to detail what you have to offer a potential employer, BUT short enough to entice that employer to want to know more (that is, invite you for an interview.)  • As a general guideline, you should keep your resume to one page until you have 5-10 years of experience, then go to two. • If you cannot fill two entire pages, you should condense it to one page.

7. Will I Have More Than One Version of My Resume? • YES! • Employers today want to know what you can do for them, so it is imperative that you create a targeted resume each time you apply for an opportunity. • You will also develop a 'generic' resume to use in online databases. • You may also need a scanable or web-based resume, depending on your field; more on these later.

8. Are There Different Styles of Resumes? • Yes, the three most common resumes styles are: • Reverse chronological • Functional • Skills • Imaginative

9. Present your education and work experience in chronological order, beginning with your most recent experiences. This style is best for people whose job experiences closely parallel the positions for which they are applying or for those who have not had periods of unemployment time between jobs. Reverse Chronological Resume Style Pg. 12

10. Reverse Chronological Resume Style Work Experience: 1997-Present U.S. Postal Service, Indianapolis. Worked as a Station Manager, delivering mail, overseeing retail sales, planning delivery to new routes 1994-1997 All Right Parking, Inc., Indianapolis. Worked as a Manager, handling customer relations, overseeing accounts, supervising twenty-five employees 1992-1994 Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis. Worked as a District Sales Manager recruiting and training new employees, managing crews of twenty-five carriers within nine counties, designing routes

11. Organize experience by type of function performed. Under each, give specific examples. Highlight experiences that directly relate to the job you are seeking. Ignore experiences that do not relate to the job for which you are applying. Place things in order of importance rather than chronological order. Functional Resume Style Pg. 13

12. Functional Resume Style Experience: Research Assistant (August 1998-August 1999)—Purdue U. Assisted Professor Robert Thompson in: * updating statistical tables and charts * answering research questions via the Internet, library, and by establishing resources to provide the needed information President, Sociology Club (January-May 2000) * Raised over $2,000 for club expenses and scholarships * Organized 10 activities for over 200 students * Designed and maintained club website

13. Emphasize what you can do rather than where you have worked. Try to match your skills to the position for which you are applying. This style is ideal for people who have gained valuable skills from a variety of unrelated experiences. Skills Resume Style Pg. 14

14. Skills Resume Style Skills: Communication Skills *Counseled teens in an anti-drug initiative at Jefferson High School *Received Employee of the Month Award for my work creating a positive environment at Wal-Mart while working as a cashier *Presented a semester-long project on choosing a major to a group of prospective students Training Skills *Trained new employees in cashier procedures at Wal-Mart *Served as assistant coach for a Jefferson High School basketball team

15. Acts like a mini-portfolio because it demonstrates a combination of layout, graphics, text integration, and audience selection. Make sure a company is open to this type of resume before submitting it. This style is ideal for people looking for a job that demands creativity, such as graphic design or landscape architecture It is appropriate to use color graphics on an imaginative resume, but the cost of duplicating will be increased. Imaginative Resume Style

16. How Do I Get Started?  • Get a job announcement or description for the job, or type of job, you are seeking, if possible. • Make a list of all co-curricular activities you are involved in (clubs, Greek organizations, honor organizations, major-specific fraternities, intramurals, etc.) • Compile a list of all community activities of which you are a part (PTA, church committees, social clubs, volunteer work, etc.) • Gather together job descriptions from your past positions. If you haven’t saved copies of these, you should from now on! • List what things friends/relatives/peers come to you for help with. This may assist you in identifying strengths you would not otherwise recognize in yourself.

17. What Must I Have on My Resume? Pg. 11 • Name •  Address •  Phone number •  Objective •  Education •  Profile or Summary of Qualifications •  Experience

18. What Else Can Be Included on My Resume? • Licenses/Certifications • Accomplishments/Achievements • Affiliations/Memberships • Activities and Honors

19. What Should NEVER Be on My Resume? • Height, weight, age, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, sex, race, health (some of these items may be necessary on an international resume) or social security number (NEVER!) • The word "Resume" at the top!  • Any statement that begins with "I" or "My"  • Reasons for leaving previous job(s)  • Picture of yourself  • Salary Information for previous positions or Salary Expectations  • Religion, church affiliations, political affiliations

20. How Do I List My Name? • Use your "go-by" name. That is, if everyone knows you by a nickname or your middle name, use it. • For example, Katherine Elaine Johnson – if everyone calls you Kate – just put KATE JOHNSON on the top of your resume, if everyone calls you Elaine – use ELAINE JOHNSON or K. ELAINE JOHNSON. • List any professional credentials (M.D., CPA, Ph.D.) that are appropriate for the job sought.

21. What About Phone Numbers or Email addresses? • By all means, list your current phone (and permanent phone if you plan to move soon) then get an answering machine hooked up to it and make sure you have a professional sounding message on it! Think about who is going to be calling and what image you are trying to project. • Avoid including any cell phone #s, mainly because you want to be as prepared as you can for a phone call from a prospective employer. You don’t want to be caught at the gym or putting gas in your car. With your home phone # and an answering machine you can check remotely, you will be in touch.

22. What About Phone Numbers or Email addresses? • If you must use your cellular phone # - be sure not to answer it every time it rings. If you are not in a position to have a professional conversation and consult your calendar to make an appointment - DON'T answer; rather, let your voicemail pick it up and you can return the call when you are ready. • Email is a great way to communicate. However, only include yours if you check it on a regular basis (everyday!) Employers who use this method will expect to hear back from you soon. Also, be sure your email address projects your professional image as well ~ addresses like 2hot2handle@mail.com or braindeadat21@hottie.org would not be appropriate! Use common sense. • STOP – fill in top of Pg 20 and Pg 19 activity

23. Do I need an OBJECTIVE?  • YES, it tells the reader why you are sending the resume, i.e., what position or type of position you are seeking. • It should be very brief, does not need to be a complete sentence. • An objective is like the thesis statement of your resume. Everything you include after it should support it! • Ideally target your objective to include job title desired, position level, field, industry, and/or company name. If you are sending this resume for a specific position at a specific company - SAY IT HERE!

24. Do I need an OBJECTIVE?  • Use the objective to tell what you can do for the company, NOT what you want the company to do for you… no statements like: to gain valuable experience, etc. • Avoid the words "entry level" – use "professional" instead.

25. Licenses and Certifications – Do I include them? • Yes, if they are relevant to the job you are seeking. Otherwise, no.

26. Does Coursework Belong on my Resume?  • Typically you use this section only if you are seeking a co-op or intern position, in which case, you will have a section under Education where you list your Related Courses. However, some disciplines utilize a relevant coursework section. When in doubt, check with someone you trust. • If you took a course that is one which other students with your major would not take and it would be advantageous for a particular position, list it (probably under your qualifications area.)

27. What About High School? • When you get to post-secondary; don't include high school on your resume, as a college student, it is understood that you completed high school. • Exceptional activities and honors from high school may be included IF (1) the honor is one that very few receive (i.e., valedictorian, Eagle Scout, etc.) or (2) the award shows an early interest in your career

28. Where do I list Academic Awards, Honors, and Recognition? • Use the Honors and Activities section at the end of the resume. (right before your references) • List post-secondary GPA (Grade Point Average) only if it is above 3.0 (B)

29. Summary of Qualifications / Profile / Skills Section • This is where you showcase for the employer what you have to offer - keeping in mind what the job entails. • You won't put every single skill, experience, or attribute you possess here, focus on what you can do to successfully perform the job. • Tailor this section to reflect what the employer is seeking, different positions will warrant that you create different qualifications sections. • These are brief statements of your experience, training and/or personal abilities which summarize your skills, abilities and experience.

30. Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills / Profile - STEP ONE • Begin by identifying your strengths, skills, abilities gained through past employment or campus organization or classroom experience. • List job duties, one at a time, from past jobs and from volunteer work, etc. using the surveys and work we have done so far in the course • From these duties, identify what transferable skills you developed. • Remember, typically an employer doesn't want to know what you did for someone else. S/he wants to know what you can do for his/her organization. • If there was a result (an accomplishment) related to the job duty, put it in.

31. Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills / Profile - STEP TWO • Now that you know what you can do, it is time to identify what the employer needs – and again – don’t lie! • This can typically be determined by thoroughly reading the job description and/or position vacancy announcement. Look at job duties, position requirements and preferences, desired traits, knowledge/skills/abilities etc. • If you are developing your resume for a database or a class, not for a specific job, this step can be accomplished by gathering job descriptions/vacancy notices from various websites. Get 5-10 different notices or job descriptions and note the common traits and experiences sought. Don't worry about where these jobs are located. You're not really applying for them - you're just trying to get a feel for what employers are looking for in a successful candidate!

32. Developing a Summary of Qualifications / Skills / Profile - STEP THREE • Employer Skills Match - develop your Qualifications or Skills section by matching up what the employer needs with what you can provide. Sounds simple enough! • These are brief statements of your experience, training and/or personal abilities. • They should highlight what you have to offer an employer (based on what the position requires.) • Begin each with an action verb or number, being sure to choose different words to begin each statement. • Subheadings can be used, if appropriate, i.e., computer skills, customer service skills, etc. Pg. 18

33. How Do I List Jobs Within the Experience Section? • Job listing should be in reverse chronological order (that is, your most recent job is listed first.) • Listing must include name of company, city and state. Do not list street addresses, supervisors, telephone numbers or reason for leaving. •  Dates of employment are required. Be sure to include month (or term) and year, i.e., Fall 2004 or June 2003-present. •  There is no rule about which jobs you must include. Use your discretion and include everything needed for the employer to make a good decision about whether or not to interview you. You might list every job you've ever held or you might just list your last 3 positions.

34. How Do I List Jobs Within the Experience Section? • Another approach might be to only include the relevant positions you've had and name the section Related Experience or Relevant Work History or something similar. • List a job title so the employer has an idea of the work you performed. If you didn’t have an official title, choose one that best describes what you actually did at this job. • Typically job duties should not be included here unless they are highly relevant to your objective. Even then do not include duties which are implied by your job title or alluded to in the Summary of Qualifications or a Profile section. • However, job accomplishments SHOULD be listed as bullet statements under each position as applicable.

35. Where Do I Put My Activities and Honors? • Put this section after your Employment History. • Include scholarships, honors, organizations, and memberships. • Community work, volunteer work, is also appropriate to list here. • You don't have to include everything you've been involved with if it is overwhelming. Keep your goal in mind (getting that interview) and give enough information to allow the reader (i.e., potential employer) what s/he needs to make that decision.

36. Where Do I Put My Activities and Honors? • Rank these items from 'most impressive' or 'most relevant' to 'least impressive' or 'least relevant' as it relates to your job target. • Name this section what it is. If it is all community work – Community Involvement – would be a good name; if it is all clubs and organizations – call it Activities; if it is all honors – call it Honors.

37. Are There Activities That I Shouldn’t List? • Some activities we are involved in may be controversial. For example: political affiliated groups or volunteer work or church activities. We call these "hot buttons" and our advice is: • IF that activity or membership is SO important to you that you would not want to work somewhere that it wasn’t ‘ok’ then include it on the resume, BUT: • IF you are more interested in the opportunity and would just as soon wait to let them know that you are a Democrat or a Baptist, leave it off or list it generically, for example: Sunday School Teacher

38. What About Hobbies and Interests?  • As a general rule, we don’t recommend that you list hobbies or interests unless they are (1) organized, i.e., you belong to a club or (2) relevant to the type of position you are seeking

39. Who Can I Use As a Reference and How Do I Format it?  • They are listed LAST using the same header you did on your resume. Then list the reference names and contact information in block (envelope) style. • Have between 3 and 5 references. • They should all be individuals who have direct knowledge of your job abilities (supervisor, etc.), pastor, or a teacher.

40. Who Can I Use As a Reference and How Do I Format it?  • Ask the references permission before you use them. • Also ask them if they will give you a good reference. You don’t want to list folks who won’t sing your praises! • Make sure to ask where they would like to be contacted, i.e., home or work and get the correct contact information for each person. • Afterward, follow up with your references by sending them a copy of your completed resume. This will help them if/when they get a call on you. • Be sure to take copies of your resume and references to all interviews. Most employers will request them at that time or you can use them to help you during the pressure of the interview.

41. When & Why Do I Need a Cover Letter? Pg. 15-17 • Any time you send your resume to an employer it should be accompanied by a cover letter. • A cover letter acts as an introduction for your resume. • A cover letter also stands as a sample of your writing skills, so be sure to make it the best possible sample you can. • If you are sending your resume via email - the cover letter is the email message itself. Then attach the resume following the employer's instructions (i.e., MSWord document, text document, etc.)

42. I Need My Resume to Distinguish Me From Everyone Else, How Do I Do That? • Spend some time up front to determine what you have to offer and what you are worth to an employer. • DON'T use the resume wizard or template from your word processing software or copy the samples from class. This document needs to be uniquely you - you don't want to look like anyone else's. (you can start there though!!!) • Answer the question, "Why am I more qualified than the next guy?" Then develop your resume to reflect that. • DO NOT try to distinguish yourself by fancy fonts, clipart or non-traditional papers. That is not the interest you want to capture!

43. What Is Focus In a Resume and Why Should Mine Be Sharp?  • It is imperative that you catch a prospective employer’s attention within the first few seconds of reading your resume. • People today are busy and often don’t spend more than a minute or two scanning resumes, so you have to sell yourself quickly and concisely. (average is 30 seconds!!!) • Be sure when you are crafting your Summary of Qualifications / Profile area to highlight those skills that apply to your job objective. • Remember that your objective is your "thesis statement" – proceed from there.

44. What Are the Type/Design Details I Most Need to Know and Follow?  • Make use of your word-processor's style elements. Use bold, italics, different font sizes, upper-case and small capitals lettering for emphasis and to direct the reader's eye. • Type should be between 10 & 12 pt. Use a professional, readily-available font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Bookman, Trebuchet, Lucida Sans, Garamond, Verdana or Courier.  You can use a different font for the headers of your resume as well as your contact information but don't use more than 2 types.  However, you can vary the size, style, etc.

45. What Are the Type/Design Details I Most Need to Know and Follow?  • Make sure your resume looks good! Don’t have all the text on the left side of the page and lots of blank space on the right. Use white space, but also spread out your information in an aesthetically pleasing way. • Use bullets to draw the reader’s eye. But don’t bullet everything! Use them to highlight the strong points of your resume such as the Qualifications or Profile statements. • Be consistent with headings (size, boldness, etc.) and body text (indented, not indented, tabs right-justified, tabs left-justified, etc.)

46. What About Paper?  • Use resume paper. This can be purchased by the sheet at a print shop or by the box at any office supply or discount store. (thicker than normal paper) • Don’t get fancy – plain white or off-white (cream, ecru, etc.) is your best bet. • Don’t go with any bordered or themed paper. You want the attention on your resume contentnot on it’s vehicle!

47. What About Mailing?  • Don’t fold and stuff your resume in an envelope (even the nice ones you can buy to match your resume paper!) • Buy envelopes that are the same size as your resume and slip your cover letter on top, then your resume. Type an address label and return address label (or stamp if you have it) and mail flat.

48. GOOD LUCK WRITING YOUR RESUME!!! Mr. Robertson’s Cover Letter and Resume