preparing an effective resume napa valley college career center services brought to you by edward...

Preparing an Effective Resume

Napa Valley College Career Center Services

www.myinterfase.com/napavalley/student

Brought to you by

Edward BeanesNapa Valley College Career Center

(707) 253-3050Room 1335

www.napavalley.edu career center website

www.myinterfase.com/napavalley/student Jobs online, upload resume!

www.twitter.com/nvcareercenter jobs listed weekly for Napa/Solano County

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Napa-Valley-College-Career-CenterNapa Valley College Career Center Facebook site

GO DUCKS!



Resume Workshop Topics:



General GuidelinesPreliminary ResearchHeadingObjective StatementEducationEmployment ExperienceReferencesChronological StyleFunctional StyleCombination Style

What is a resume?



A resume is a summary of yourexperience, ability, and accomplishments.

A resume is not a list of everything you’ve done inprevious positions.

A resume must show your VALUE to the new employer

General Guidelines



Length: It is best to limit an entry-level resume to onetyped page. Be as concise as possible in statinginformation in each section of your resume.

Font: Avoid fonts smaller than 10 point and larger than12 point.

Paper: Use 8 1/2” x 11” 20 lb paper. Print your resumewith a laser or high quality ink-jet printer.

Use borders and bullets, but be careful not to overdo it!

Preliminary Research



Find Out…* General job Information

* Desired qualifications and skills

* Key values and words

* Company Mission Statement, etc

Where to look…* Online Company Research

* Trade journals, magazines, and Newsletters

* Directories

* Professors

* Company literature

Identifying Information



Put your name, permanentand campus addresses,permanent and campusphone numbers, and emailaddress prominently at thetop of your resume. Avoid using a nickname toidentify yourself. Consider including your URLaddress or fax number if youhave one.

Your Name Should Stand Out!

KIMBERLY ANN HURST22333 Calle Vista Ave #112

Mission Viejo, CA(949) 336-4432

Objective Statement



I recommend being as clear and concise asPossible:

“To secure the position of Financial Advisor withA.G. Edwards”

This tells an employer you want to work for themin that position. It doesn’t show the employerthat you’re searching around, but rather thatyou’re focused and clear about your goals

Summary of Qualifications Statement



Consider what are the 4-5 key accomplishments,skills, abilities that highlight your VALUE!

Start with general statements of your overallSkills.

Add soft skills for variety.

Summary of Qualifications Section



Example:

Summary of Qualifications

2 years professional experience providing excellence in customer service.

Proven ability to coordinate and complete multiple projects within deadlines.

Skilled at developing and retaining partnerships with clients and customers.

Driven, dedicated, and effective team player.

Education



This is an important section for recent collegegraduates or students seeking internships orsummer jobs.

Beginning with the highest level of educationalachievement, include information such asUniversity attended, degrees earned/expected,major, minors, grade point average, date ofprogram completion, and so forth.

Education



AA in Accounting Expected 2007Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CAGPA: 3.7/4.0Major GPA: 3.6/4.0

Summary of Coursework:

• GPA is not required. General guideline:include if it is 3.5+.

• Always state the grade point scale your schoolis using.

Relevant Courses



List relevant coursesthat:– Help you stand outfrom the crowd

– Have provided youwith specific skills orKnowledge

Consider including thisinformation in theeducation section ofthe resume.

Spanish (4 semesters)Computer ScienceBusiness WritingBusiness LawEthics

Only include courses takenin addition to your major orMinor.

Refer to the course by namerather than by number

Employment Experience



Include positions you have held which arerelated, in some way, to the job you areseeking. These might be both paid andvolunteer positions.

Be creative with this section of your resume bydescribing and emphasizing your experiencesin the most relevant way possible.

Think of what you ACCOMPLISHED at yourother jobs, not just what you did!

Professional Experience



Hospitality Intern May 1999-August 1999Holiday Inn, Laguna Hills, CA

*Oversaw the planning, production, preparation and prompt delivery of food

*Assisted in training and retaining new and experienced employees

*Created a positive and healthy atmosphere in the restaurant

Include information suchas company name andlocation, job title, dates,and duties performed.

Make this section easyto read by using spacingand bullets.

Use action phrases tohighlight the duties youhave performed.

Action Phrases



Hospitality Intern(May 1999-August 1999)Holiday Inn, Laguna Hills, CA

* Oversaw the planning,production, preparationand prompt delivery of food* Assisted in training andretaining new andexperienced employees* Created a positive andhealthy atmosphere in therestaurant

Action phrases will helpyou avoid being toobrief and fromunderstating yourQualifications.

Think about yourqualifications as aprofessional would.

Be Consistent with Tenses…



Hospitality Intern 1999Holiday Inn, Laguna Hills, CA

* Oversaw the planning,production, preparation andprompt delivery of food

* Assisted in training andretaining new andexperienced employees

* Created a positive andhealthy atmosphere in therestaurant

Make your descriptionseasy to read throughparallel structure.

Set up a pattern andstick with it. In the example, all the verbs are parallel:“oversaw,” “assisted,”and “created” are allpast tense verbs.

Activities and Honors



Include relevant activities and honors that

you could discuss with your prospective

employer or that have given you valuable

experience or skills

Specialized/Technical Skills



Include skills that make youunique, such as computerskills, foreign language skills,or military service.

Be specific in describing yourspecial skills; name computerprograms you know, how longyou studied a foreignlanguage, or your dates ofmilitary service.

You may want to create asection with TechnicalQualifications

Organizing Your Resume



Organize your resume tohighlight your uniqueskills, strengths, andaccomplishments!Use whatevercombination oforganizational styles youthink best highlight yourindividual qualifications:Consider the position,employer, and industry.

The most common resumestyles are:

ChronologicalFunctionalCombinationImaginative/Creative

ChronologicalResume Style



Present youreducation and workexperience inchronological order,beginning with yourmost recentexperiences.

This style is best forpeople whose jobexperiences closelyparallel the positions forwhich they are applyingor for those who havenot had periods ofunemployment timebetween jobs.

Functional Resume Style



Organize experience bytype of functionperformed. Under each,give specific examples.Highlight experiencesthat directly relate to thejob you are seeking.

Ignore experiences thatdo not relate to the jobfor which you areApplying.

Place things in order ofimportance rather thanchronological order




KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

Technical SkillsSkilled in Photoshop, Quark Xpress, Corel Draw, PageMaker,HTML, and DreamweaverProficient with PC and Mac hardware and operating systems

Customer Service Skills 3+ years of professional experience providing efficient and effectivecustomer serviceManaged difficult customer complaints with professionalism andquality resolutionOrganized customer requests and prioritized deadlines to meet theneeds of each individual




Emphasize what youcan do rather thanwhere you haveWorked.

Try to match yourskills to the positionfor which you areapplying.

This style is ideal for people who havegained valuableskills from a varietyof unrelatedExperiences:

Students

Career Change

Combination Style Resume



As the name suggests, a blending ofFunctional and Chronological styles.

Allows flexibility to pull out some Key Skill Sets, while keeping a detailed list of Employment History.

Find Skill Sets by: Reviewing JobAnnouncements, Researching on the ONET,etc

References



In general, do not include the names andaddresses of your references on your resume. It is enough to state that references are:“References Available Upon Request”

Choose professional references rather than character references (if possible).

Employers and professors who know you and your work are the best references.

Reference Page



Dr. Mary SmithBusiness DepartmentFacultySaddleback CollegeMission Viejo, CA 92692(949) 555-1212

Include:

Name, TitleAddresses, and Phone Numbers of yourReferences.

Always ask permission before you include any information on your reference sheet.

Consider giving your references a copy of your resume so they will be prepared totalk to employers.Use the same Heading as yourResume!

Resume/Job Resources



Resume Templates:http://www.collegegrad.com/resumes/quickstart/template.shtml

http://susanireland.com/: Resume and CoverLetter samples and guidelines

Www.twitter.com/nvcareercenter

Www.myinterfase.com/napavalley.edu

Resume Workshop



Thank you for your time andGood Luck on your Career

Journey!

Edward BeanesCareer Center Job Development Specialist Napa Valley College Career Center

(707) 256-7332

[email protected]

Good Luck..GO DUCKS!



preparing an effective resume napa valley college career center services brought to you by edward...

Documents

career center websitewww

comnapavalleystudenta

upload resume

entrylevel resume

company literaturewww

comnapavalleystudent

company mission statement

online company research