Resume WritingPresenting You on paper!!

People skim resumes!

• Time and money are valuable and in short supply• Your resume may only get looked at for a few seconds

It’s not what you know…

• It’s what you’ve done with what you know!

Create a Successful Resume

• Be targeted. Create separate resumes for different positions.

• Be specific and unique when describing your personal brand and experience.

• Double check for errors and omissions.• Always write from perspective of the employer: What’s

in it for them?

The ‘So What?’ RuleServed burgers and fries

So What??

Served burgers and fries for an average of 150 customers daily

Verb Tense

• Use past tense Even for current or recent assignments• Coordinate = Coordinated• Analyze = Analyzed• Plan = Planned• Coach = Coached

Anatomy of a Resume

Anatomy of a Resume

• Contact Information• Objective Statement or

Summary• Education• Paid Word Experience• Additional Optional

Categories Volunteer Experience Achievements Awards & Honours

Contact Information

• Name should stand out. Ideal: In capital letters and larger font than rest of document.

• Address Format: Street address, city, province, postal code

• Home or Mobile Phone 10 digits with area code: 800.363.0307

• Email Address must be professional.That might mean that some of you need to create a new email

address

Education• Education section covers academic credentials and any

education that would apply to job you seek.• Typically placed above relevant work experience.• Format: Name of institution, city and state; degree

awarded with major and minor; date degree was awarded.• List degrees in reverse chronological order, with highest

degree first.• Do not include incomplete degree unless you include an

expected graduation date.

Paid Work Experience• List employers, job titles, and dates of employment in

reverse chronological order (most recent first)• Format: Company, Job Title, Responsibilities and

Accomplishments, and Dates.• Include brief description of responsibilities and scope of

job. Keep it within 1-3 sentences.• Use bulleted format to list job responsibilities.• Begin each point with a strong action verb.

Optional Categories

• List additional information at bottom of your resume. Only include items relevant to specific position.

• Volunteer Experience Emphasizes key skills not shown in work experience.

• Awards and Honors Format: Award title, date, awarding organization.

• Professional Development Certifications, licenses, and memberships.

Writing Your Resume

• Page length and design• Final resume document formats: Word .doc/.docx or .pdf• Free word processors

• Google Docs: docs.google.com • Zoho.com • OpenOffice.org

• Free resume templates

View from the Inside

Submitting a Resume

• Emailing your resume Most effective and common means of submitting resume to employers

and contacts. Use standard file formats: Word .doc/.docx and .pdf Be direct and clear in your subject line. Include title of position, word “resume,” and keywords in email.

Posting Your Resume Online

• Job boards Keep resume current and updated. Avoid posting confidential resume.

• Blogs and Websites Control your professional presence online and be conscious of the

image you are presenting to potential employers.

Guidelines for a Well-Written Resume

• Use strong and concise language to communicate your skills and accomplishments.

• Do not use personal pronouns: “I,” “me,” “my,” “our.”• Use professional language. Remove slang or localized

terminology.• Shorten long and complex sentences. • Check grammar and spelling.• Beware of red flags.

Beware of Red Flags

• Too wordy or too much information.• Irrelevant experience.• False claims and over-embellishment.• Inconsistent work history or unexplained career gaps.• Email address is too provocative/immature.