Resume Writing 101

1. Resume Writing 101

2. What is the initial amount of time an employer takes to review an applicant’s resume? Answer: 30-45 seconds

3. First ImpressionsCount A One Page Resume Is Preferred By Most Employers An employer will evaluate you as a person when scanning your resume, i.e.: a) neat resume = neat person b) well-organized resume = well-organized person c) error free resume = careful person d) professional appearance = careful & competent person

4. 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, such as ours. • You may also need a scan able or web-based resume, depending on your field; more on these later.

5. Types of resumes • Chronological resume- • Focus on education and work experience.  • Functional Resume- • Highlights accomplishments and emphasizes skills. This provides applicant’s ability to handle the position. 

6. The FunctionalResume • focuses on your skills & accomplishments highlights what they are, not when you developed them • good format for job seekers with lots of job experience and many jobs

7. CONTD. • Combination Resume- • Highlights skills but includes detailed information about candidate’s education and work experience. Mainly for new Graduates.

8. A+ ResumeWriting Resume = Marketing Tool Use Resume To Obtain an Interview, Not A Job Use Short Concise Statements Use Numbers and Percentages Keep It Easy to Read Use Action Verbs

9. Contact Information At the top of the page, list your name and the address and telephone numbers of both present and permanent residences, if appropriate. Note: Use Professional Email Address

10. Objective Statement The purpose of the career objective is to communicate clearly the type of position in which you are interested.

11. Education Degrees should be listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent listed first. Degree Granted or Seeking Date of Graduation or Anticipated College or University, city and state (if the state is not part of the institution's title) Major and Minor, if applicable

12. Honorsand Awards Honors, awards and scholarships are important items Rank ordered by importance to the career objective.

13. Experience Use the term "experience" instead of "work history" or "employment," so that you can include full and part-time jobs, self-employment, volunteer work; and practicum, field, and cooperative education experiences. Note: Describe your functional skills in short, snappy phrases starting with descriptive action verbs.

14. Action Verbs Ordered Performed Planned Served Scheduled Supervised Administered Arranged Built Designed Developed Implemented

15. Professional Affiliations & Activities Rank order professional associations, leadership positions and other activities by importance to the career objective. Emphasize your leadership roles. Spell out the name of the organization: do not use abbreviations or acronyms. Student Professional Organizations Sports Teams Volunteer SGA Clubs Student Newspaper

16. Additional Information Include any specialized skills, training, certification or licenses such as foreign language ability, ability to sign for the deaf, CPR, etc.

17. Suzy Q. Student1234 River Run RoadChattanooga, TN 37343413-425-5555suzyqstudent@utc.edu Objective To obtain an entry-level Human Resources position Education University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Human Resources GPA: 3.1/4.0 Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2007 Honors and Awards Golden Key Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Deans List 6 Semesters Relevant Experience Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee June 2005 – August 2005 Chattanooga, TN Human Resources Intern • Assisted with updating employee personnel files • Screened job applications • Observed Human Resources Manager interviewing candidate Other Experience Abercrombie Fitch May 2003 – present Chattanooga, TN Sales Associate • Train new employees • Participate in employee interviews and selections • Oversee inventory and audit of product • Open and close store, including nightly deposits UTC College of Health and Human ServicesAugust 2002-May 2003 Chattanooga, TN Student Worker • Performed Internet research • Organized office files, records, etc. • Responded to office inquiries • Answered a multi-line telephone Professional Affiliations and Activities Society for Human Resource Management, Volunteer at the Chattanooga Soup Kitchen, Student Government Association-Treasurer Additional Information Familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Publisher Fluent in Spanish and familiar with French languages

19. Finishing Touches ♦Proofread your resume ♦Make sure it is “employer-centered” ♦Double-check your contact information

20. ♦ A CV is used in academic & research-oriented job searches. ♦ A CV is of flexible length ♦ A CV is a record of your academic accomplishments & credentials. ♦ A resume is used in business, non-profit, government & other types of job searches. ♦ A resume should be 1 page, 2 pages max. ♦ A resume is not all embracing; it should be targeted to a particular job in a particular field. A Resume is NOT a CV

21. Remember A resume does not get you a job… A resume does get you an interview. And, putting time & consideration into your resume is one of the best ways to prepare for your interviews!

22. Cover Letter Writing

23. When & Why Do I Need a Cover Letter? • 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.)

24. Cover Letters • Should give the employer a reason to look at the resume • 3 to 5 bulleted points leading to the resume • If the cover letter does not “speak well,” the resume will not be read!

25. Application (Cover) Letter • Purpose: persuade your audience to move you onto the next step of the job search process • Tone: project self-confidence and maturity; do not be apologetic, timid, stuffy, or arrogant • Homework: learn something about the company that you can mention in the letter. Can you tie your qualifications to what you learned or the way you might benefit the company?

26. LetterFormat • Heading: your address; city, state, zip code; date • Inside address: audience name and job title, company name, address, city, state, zip • Salutation or attention line • Body of letter • Complimentary close, signature block • End notations Enclosure

27. Specifics • Use an attention line when you don’t have a specific person to address • Ex. Attention: Human Resources Department • Choose a traditional complimentary closing • Sincerely yours, • Very truly yours, • Respectfully yours, • End notations • Signature block • Enclosure: résumé

28. Specifics 2 • End notations • Signature block: typed name four lines below complimentary closing phrase with space for signature • Enclosure: can include name or type of enclosure. Use the entire word or abbreviate. • Ex. • Enclosure: résumé • Encl.

29. Heading and Inside Address Example 4912 Vasant Vihar Dehradoon, Uttranchal 21207 February 28, 2009 Dr. ABC Sharma, President Infosys 1000 Hilltop Circle Bangalore, Karnataka 21250 Dear Dr. Sharma:

30. Complimentary Close, etc. Example Sincerely yours, Jobseeker Negi Enclosure: résumé

31. Body (paragraph 2-3) • Discuss work and education experience, one paragraph each • For education, include specifics about work done in classes. Class titles without supporting specifics won’t tell your audience much about you. • Education example • In my technical writing course, I designed a web site and worked on a collaborative manual on using Front Page

32. Conclusion (paragraph 4) • Ask for action from audience: • an interview • Give contact information • E-mail address • Landline phone number(s) • Cell phone number • End all letters with a courteous closing sentence • Thank you for your assistance.

33. Conclusion (paragraph 4) • Ask for action from audience: • an interview • Give contact information • E-mail address • Landline phone number(s) • Cell phone number • End all letters with a courteous closing sentence • Thank you for your assistance.

35. THANKS