Your roadmap to writing a great resume

Don't worry, you're not alone… writing a resume is intimidating for everyone.

What makes it difficult is knowing what to include, what not to, what to highlight, what

to de-emphasize, etc.

putting all the pieces together

The fact is, HR professionals and hiring managers receive hundreds of resumes for any given position, and on average, will spend about 10-30 seconds on yours.

Organizing information incorrectly could cost you a shot at an interview, and is a very

common mistake made by job seekers

Some experts agree that obsessive review of documents or similar – like resume searches can cause attention spans to drop to as little as nine seconds – equivalent to a goldfish.

Why is a Resume so important?

Wikipedia says;

Wikipedia® Foundation Inc.

A résumé is a document that contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. The résumé is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment. In many contexts, a résumé is short (usually one page), and therefore contains only experience directly relevant to a particular position. Many résumés contain precise keywords that potential employers are looking for, make heavy use of active verbs, and display content in a flattering manner.

so why is it so important?

A resume reflects the potential work an

employer can expect from you.

Of course, there are those unusual cases when a resume didn’t make much of a difference.

Then, there are times when employers make really wrong decisions and/or references.

Such was in the case of…

Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper.

For lack of ideas…

MGM’s memo after Fred Astaire’s screen test said:

Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.

Beethoven’s violin teacher declared him…

hopeless as a composer.

For everyone else…

there is only the resume to get you noticed.

...so then, what are recruiters looking for?

Content

First, it is vital to understand the resume reviewing process and your recruiter's situation:

•Recruiters are normally under immense time pressures and working to tight deadlines.

•They are initially searching for just a few keywords in your resume.

• They will heartlessly reject resumes that they are finding difficult to navigate through, as their time is precious. •Not knowing what you are like, the presentation of your resume will reflect on you and the potential work they can expect from you. •Jobseekers do not realize that the way their information is presented, can often be of more value in getting to the next stage of the application process, than the information itself.

Poor presentations can: •Hide your most important background and skills from the recruiter.

•Stop your resume from being read fully.

•Can convey a poor standard of work impression in the mind of the recruiter just from content.

•Ultimately, STOP your application from going to the next stage.

Good presentations can: •Attract the HR professional to the document the moment your resume is received or before other applicants.

•Communicate that you have skills needed for the position and beyond by just what is described in the text of your resume.

•Instantly give the recruiter a positive feel about you.

•Ultimately get you that first interview.

10 RESUME WRITING TIPS

1. Limit your resume to one page. Not everything you have done needs to be stated here however everything needs to be true and relevant.

NAME Email Address and/or Personal Web Address

Campus Address: College Box # City, State Zip Code Phone Number Permanent Street: City, State Zip Code Phone Number

OR

Address: College, Box # City, State Zip code (Area Code) Phone number

Permanent Address: Street

City, State Zip code (Area Code) Phone number

EDUCATION: Institution: location -- College: Anytown, ST Degree, Major (and concentration if appropriate), date -- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Expected May 2003 Cumulative GPA/GPA in major (optional) - list if 3.0 or higher with academic honors and awards Optional: relevant coursework, foreign study programs.

CAREER OBJECTIVE: If you have a cover letter, you generally do not need an objective. If you decide you want one anyway, it should be a concise and meaningful statement describing your career goals. Be as specific as possible without being too restrictive.

2. Determine a layout that works best for you and your experience. Use bold to emphasize related key skills and accomplishments

Sample:Top

format

EXPERIENCE:

List experiences as follows: Job title, employer, location (city, state) and the dates. The order of the job title and the employer depends on how you want to present yourself. De-emphasize dates, months may or may not be relevant.

Tailor this section for the type of position you are applying - Teaching Experience, Research Experience, Financial Experience, etc.

You may choose to put either the job title or employer name first. You should decide which is more important - where you worked or what you did.

May include full-time, part-time, related volunteer work or relevant campus activities, and internships. Remember, not all paid positions reflect your skills. Use actions words and adjectives to describe the skills you have developed and applied. Cite your specific responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. Be thorough in your descriptions without exaggerating. Appropriate divisions for this category may include research experience, teaching experience, technical experience, etc.

3. Create your resume to the type of position to which you are applying. Decide and tailor what you want to convey about your experience and background.

Sample:Middleformat

SKILLS: Computer: Even if it is only word processing skills, list familiarity with computer systems, applications and programs. If you don't have it, they assume you don't know it. Language: State degree of proficiency in reading, writing and speaking.

HONORS & AWARDS: List academic, leadership and athletic honors. If you only have academic awards you can list them under your GPA in the Education section.

ACTIVITIES/SPECIAL INTERESTS: Include leadership positions, such as offices held and responsibilities. You do not need to include everything you have done, be selective in your listing.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST: You should only use this if you need to fill space. Refer to the Letters of Recommendation guide.

Sample:Bottomformat

4. Maintain a consistent writing style. Do not use “I” or “my”. Make sure your statements are clear and understandable. (refer to these sample pages for possible formatting)

a. Start each description with an action word. Sample words shown at the end of this presentation.

b. Use past tense verbs for previous activities.

c. Use industry numbers where appropriate to measure your involvement.

d. Include a brief description of an organization if the name is not recognizable.

5. Make sure your information is understandable...

Emphasize accomplishments and responsibilities. For example:

Streamlined procedures leading to 25% increase in production over previous

quarter.

6. Be Clear and concise in your descriptions. Do not make any confusing or complicated statements.

7. Make sure there are no spelling or grammar errors. It’s a good idea to have someone proofread your resume.

8. Be consistent as to the entire look of the page. If your headings are in Bold Type, then all headings should be in bold. Follow a uniform format.

9. In building your resume, choose a font that is easy to read like Times Roman or Palatino no

larger than 14 point or smaller than 10 point… ok???............

10. Think outside the box, but not too outside to get your resume noticed. In most cases a cover letter should be attached. Print final copies of your resume on quality paper that photocopies well.

What are action words?

Use the following sample action words

to enhance your resume and make your descriptions

more powerful

achieved created guided persuadedactivated curtailed governed plannedadapted decided illustrated producedadministered delegated improved promotedadvertised demonstrated increased publicizedadvised designated instructed publishedadvocated designed interpreted recommendedanalyzed determined introduced replacedappraised developed invested reportedassembled devised investigated researchedattained directed lectured restoredaugmented discovered maintained servicedbalanced distributed managed solved

ACTION WORDS

more ACTION WORDS

coached educated measured sponsoredcollaborated eliminated merged strengthenedcollected encouraged minimized studiedcommunicatedendorsed modernized suggestedcompared established modified supervisedcompiled estimated motivated supplementedcomputed evaluated negotiated surpassedconsolidated examined observed synthesizedconsulted exchanged obtained taughtcontrolled executed operated trainedconverted expanded organized updatedcoordinated extended originatedcounseled formulated oversaw

so there you have it…

You’re on the road to a promising career!

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