Mastering Resume Writing: Essential Tips for Job Seekers

1. How to Create Resume

2. Your Resume… Opens The Door In the job search, paper is the great equalizer. Most employers want to see you on paper before meeting you in person.

3. Marketing Your Resume Basic Job Search Principle = Market Yourself!

4. Purpose of a Resume • Marketing Tool – sells YOU! • Summarizes how your skills and abilities can contribute to their company. • Helps get you a Job Interview • Employer screening tool

5. The Importance of Career Decision Making in the Resume-Writing Process To write the most effective resume, you need to know what career field you want. Research: • The career field you would like to pursue • Where the jobs are and who is hiring • What qualifications and credentials you need to attain • How to best market your qualifications

6. Before you start to write a resume, do your homework first. • You must have knowledge about yourself. • Why do you want to apply for a particular job. • Your Skill Sets that you have to offer. • Detail information about the post and company. • Refer various publications, newspapers, internet to know more about the company.

7. Chronological Functional Combination Targeted Resume Formats

8. Resume Formats Chronological • Focuses on your work history with most recent position first • Easy for employers to follow your career history • Shows career progression and growth

9. Resume Formats Functional Resume • Focuses on your skills and experience. Skills are grouped into functional areas • Used most often when changing careers or if there are employment gaps

10. Resume Formats Combination Resume • Combination of the Chronological & Functional resumes • Highlights skills and provides the chronological work history that some employers prefer

11. Resume Formats • Targeted Resume -Customized to a specific job -Written specifically to the employer’s needs

12. RESUMES Which Resume is Best? The one that best positions your experience for the open position!

13. Resume Types • Paper (Traditional) Resume • Electronic

14. Paper (Traditional) Resumes: Presentation Tips & Guidelines • Professional look and feel, good visual appeal, white space for readability • Page Length – 1 to 2 pages • Font – Tahoma, Arial, TimesNew Roman, or Verdana • Font Size – 10 to 12 points • Font Styles – bold, italics, & capitalization to highlight key areas • Paper Color – white, light gray or ivory • Proof read and Spell Check • Place your name and page # on all subsequent pages of your resume

15. Electronic Resumes: Presentation Tips and Guidelines Resumes Sent as an E-Mail Attachment • Use “Printed” or “Traditional” Resume Format • Professional look and feel, visually appealing • Microsoft Word most common – save as Rich Text Format (RTF) unless posting suggests otherwise Resumes Pasted in the Body of An Email • Copy and paste resume into email • Always check formatting before you send! Review it before you send it!

16. Sections of a Resume • Contact Information • Objective Statement • Summary of Qualifications • Experience • Employment History • Education/Training

17. Sections of a Resume:Contact Information SANJEEV SHARMA 123 Pearl Street Banjara Hills INDORE (MP) Home(0731)4238366 Cell: (98275-22222) sanjeevsharma@gmail.com Sanjeev Sharma 123 Pearl Street Banjara Hills INDORE (MP) Home(0731)4238366 Cell: (98275-22222) sanjeevsharma@gmail.com

18. Sections of a Resume:Career Objective Statement Targeted Objective (preferred) • Lists specific job and company you are applying for General Objective (optional) • When you do not know company or specific job applying for • Posting on a career website • Attending Job Fair and handing out resumes

19. Writing Career Objectives • Concise, short and to the point • Target your career objective whenever possible. Don’t make the employer guess • Be specific – don’t write: “Seeking a challenging position with a large company that will provide an opportunity for growth and advancement.” • What can youdo for the employer?

20. Exercise #1 Write Career Objective Statements

21. Sections of a Resume:Summary of Qualifications • Highlights your key skill areas – draws attention to specific skills that support your job goal • Paragraph or bulleted list • Should include your Security Clearance if you have one

22. Exercise #2 Write a Summary of Qualifications

23. Sections of a Resume:Experience • Lists your results and/or achievements that relate to the position desired • Not a job description! • Answers the question, “What is this individual going to do for me?” • Use numbers, percentages, statistics, examples to illustrate achievements

24. Writing Accomplishment Statements • Allows employers to visualize your contribution • Statements should contain • --Value added results • --Action you took to achieve results

25. Identify Your Skills and Accomplishments • Use the Transferable Skills Inventory • Select the skills that relate to the job you want • Sell your resume by highlighting your major accomplishments and achievements • Employers want to know… “What skills can you offer me?”

26. Exercise #3 Write Experience and Some Accomplishment Statements

27. Sections of a Resume:Employment History Chronological Resume - Dates, position, location & experience Functional Resume - Does not include an employment history Combination Resume • Dates, position & location Targeted Resume

28. Exercise #4 Write the Employment History

29. Exercise #5 Develop the Education and Training Section of the Resume

30. What NOT To Include On A Resume These items are not recommended on a resume: • Marital Status - Hobbies • Age - Height & Weight • Race - Salary • Photograph - References • Religious or Political Affiliations • Names, ages and number of children

31. Final Exercise Now let’s tie all of the elements together and start drafting your resume!

32. ResumeReviewand Quality Assurance • Carefully review your resume • Poorly written resumes and typographical errors result in being “screened” out • Suggested Reviewers • Office Staff • Veteran’s Representatives at your local One-Stop Career Center • HR Professional • Co-workers/Colleagues • Professional in the career field

33. Congratulations! You are now well on your way to completing your resume • Remember that your resume is a “work-in-progress” • Use this draft resume as a guide to develop and fine tune your final product • Use the resources at your Offices. They are there to assist you. Make an appointment today!

34. How Resumes Are Submitted • “Printed” or Traditional Paper Resume • Electronic Resume

35. Ways to Market Your Resume • Networking - #1 method! • Personal Referrals • Targeted job search campaigns • Professional Associations • Job Fairs • Newspaper or print ads • Posting your resume online • Responding to online job postings • Corporate websites • In person cold calls

36. In Summary… Resumes: Speak for you when you’re not there Serve as a marketing tool Must highlight your ability to do the job Should result in you getting an interview

37. Queries ??????????

38. THANK YOU