Resume Guide

1. Resume Guide Tips to Create a Marketable Resume

2. A Resume is … • A ‘key’ which opens the door to an interview • Your introduction • Make a ‘good’ first impression

3. Goal • Keep the needs of the employer who will be reading your resume in mind • Consider what he/she is looking for in a candidate • Employers typically spend only 5 to 20 seconds ‘scanning’ each resume – give them a reason to read yours

4. Basic Strategy • Make it easy for the reader to pick out the skills/attributes they are looking for by: • creating appropriate categories, and using underlining, boldfacing or capitalizing, and • presenting relevant experience/skills higher on the page

5. Fact • The resume does not get you a job • The resume is an employer's tool for eliminating candidates rather than a candidate's tool for gaining access to the company

6. A Solid Resume … • Is completely honest • Presents your most important data first • Emphasizes your assets (skills) • Utilizes white space for a consistent format • Is brief, concise, and easy to read • Avoids the use of “I,” “me” and “my” • Is free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors • Is limited to a maximum of two pages; preferably one page

7. Market Your Skills Your resume is a sales tool • Emphasize your successes and unique strengths • Focus on your accomplishments and contributions rather than your job responsibilities

8. Do • Create a good first impression by highlighting skills and abilities appropriate to the position • Use active language (power words) to spice up your resume • Choose a pattern of spacing, a method (order) of presenting information or a format of highlighting and be consistent throughout • Use simple, clear language • Avoid long paragraphs, consider bullet statements • Omit all pronouns and unnecessary articles such as “a”, “an”, and “the” wherever possible

9. Do • Make your resume graphically presentable • Headings, spacing, underlining, and bold type all add emphasis • Present information in reverse chronological order within each category • Start by listing your most recent education and work experiences first • Check grammar • Misspelled words and poorly constructed sentences communicate negative impressions about a candidate • Make certain you have used consistent verb tense throughout the resume. • Ensure that your resume is neat and visually appealing. Choose high quality paper in conservative colors

10. Do Not • Include a photograph (unless specifically requested) • Include the following inappropriate personal information: • Age, height, weight, race, religious affiliation, salary expectations • Use ‘I’ statements • Include references

11. Common Mistakes • General objectives – it is obvious your goal is to obtain the position you are applying for • Not tailoring your resume for a specific position • Failing to list your qualifications and skills in an order relevant to the reader’s interest • Including inappropriate personal information • Description statements which are too wordy and not result-oriented • Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors

12. More Common Mistakes • Failure to maintain format / spacing / punctuation consistency • Use of a font which is too small or too ‘artsy’ • Using coloured or ‘deco’ paper • Too busy; not using enough white space • Too lengthy - more than two pages • Listing references

13. Format / Layout • Your resume should be brief, well organized, and neatly printed on 8-1/2” X 11” white or off white paper • Use a one inch margin on all sides • The body of your resume should be written in a 10, 11 or 12 point business font (e.g. Arial, Verdana, Tahoma or Times New Roman) • The resume format you choose should highlight your strengths and de-emphasize your weaker areas

14. Personal Information • The only required information is your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail • No other personal information should be included on a resume • Your contact information should be readily visible (on each page) and specify your: • Name • Street address • Telephone number • Email address – use a professional emailaddress even if it means creating a new one

15. Objective • Including an objective is optional; it may be stated in the cover letter rather than the top of the resume • If used it must be relevant to the position rather than general • Should be brief and concise

16. Education • Include high schools attended: institution name, city, province/state, and date of graduation (if relevant) • You may also include areas of specialization (e.g. SHSM, Apprenticeship program, etc.), honors, awards, and special training, courses • Do not include any education previous to high school unless it is relevant

17. Work Experience • Describe your most recent job experience first • Include both paid and non-paid experience (internships, part-time jobs, leadership roles in clubs/organizations, etc.) • Identify: • The company name, city, state, and dates of employment (e.g. Feb 2010 – Jan 2011 or Jul 2010 – Present) • Your job title

18. Work Experience • Provide detailed information about your experience that relates most to the vocational opportunity you are seeking • Where possible, employ strong action words which focus on the result of your endeavours / accomplishments rather than your actual job responsibilities • Use bullets – do not write paragraphs

19. Power Words • ‘Power Words’ are strong, action words which evoke confidence in your abilities

20. Additional Skills and Qualifications • Additional skills and qualifications include: • Qualifications with equipment/tools • Licenses • Certificates • Language ability • Computer skills • Travel • Work that has been published • Awards • Other achievements relevant to your career objective

21. Volunteer Experience • Identifying your volunteer experience is just as important as your work experience • Identify: • The company name, city, state, and dates of employment (e.g. Feb 2010 – Jan 2011 or Jul 2010 – Present) • Your job title • Your contributions

22. Extra-Curricular Activities • Include memberships, athletic teams, clubs/organizations, community involvement, and anything else that is related to your career objective or reveals something unique about yourself • This section could also be titled ‘Interests’ to encompass data of a general nature not related to a specific career objective

23. References • DO NOT include references on your resume • Under references state ‘References available upon request’ • List 3-5 references on a separate sheet of paper • Include the name, title, organization, association (how you know them), telephone, and e-mail address for each reference • References can e almost anyone (former employer, supervisor, co-worker, teacher, coach, etc.) • To be of real value a reference should be familiar with your skill set/work habits

24. References That Work • Choose your references with care • Make certain you obtain permission from each person before using their name as a reference • It is a good idea to make sure you know what a reference will say about you ‘before’ you use them • Where possible dovetail what a reference might say about you into your interview responses