Resume TIPS
    a. A resume is a written document that is used to market your background to potential
        employers.
    b. The purpose of a resume is to obtain an interview with a prospective employer. Therefore,
        it is important that you have a resume that is organized, well written and highlights your
        education, experience, skills, and accomplishments.
    c. Some people think of a resume as their "life on a page," but resumes are much more
        specific, including only relevant information about yourself for specific employers.
    d. Like a life, however, a resume is always growing and changing. As your goals shift or the
        job market changes and as you grow personally and professionally, chances are you will
        need to re-write your resume or at least create new versions.
    e. Writing a resume is a lifelong process trying:
            i. to persuade your readers you are the best person for the job
            ii. to construct a professional image of yourself and establish your credibility
            iii. to provide a sample of your written communication skills
            iv. to convince prospective employers you deserve an interview
f. Resumes can be:
            i. Generic- creating one version for a broad range of readers.
            ii. Tailored- creating multiple versions, each one customized for a single company or
                position.
g.  A traditional print resume must try to reach two kinds of readers: 
            i. Skimmers: Resume readers that are usually very busy and will probably not read
                every word, especially on their first reading. 

 

                    1. Busy readers will scan for desired information. Try to make such information
                        easy to find at a glance.
                    2. Give your resume the 15-second test:

 

                                a. What information stands out?

 

                                b. What information gets lost in the rush?
 
            ii. . Skeptics: Resume readers who look more closely and critically. Your resume may
                  leave a good first impression on readers, but:
                      1. How will it look on closer inspection?
               
                      2. Do you provide evidence and details for the careful reader?
                      3. How can you make your resume look convincing?
    h. You can write a resume for both kinds of readers.  The key strategy involves using
        organization and page design to create a resume that can be skimmed easily and read
        critically.
    i. Before writing your resume, it is helpful to write down your activities and accomplishments
        with regard to your education, employment, activities, special projects, etc.
    j. Outline for a Resume

 

            i. Heading/Contact Information
 
                    1. Your name is your heading. It should be bold and in larger print than the rest of
                        the resume.
                    2. Contact information includes your address, telephone numbers with area codes
                        (remember to use a professional message on your voice mail), your email address,
                        and web address, if you have one. Remember to check your email often.
            ii. Objective
 
                    1. Your objective should focus on your desired job title/goal. Concentrate on what
                        you can bring to an employer, not on what you hope to get out of the position. Use
                        phrases such as “To obtain an internship in accounting or finance” or “Seeking
                        full-time position in engineering design, research, or development.”
            iii. Education & Skills
 
                    1. Include high school until you reach your junior year in college.
                    2. Include colleges where you have obtained credits, or are working on
                        getting, a degree.
                    3. List dates of completion and any certification awarded.
           
                    4. You may also list you overall or major GPA in this section.
                    5. A brief description of your coursework, independent studies or research may be
                        included in this section, along with computer, language, and other skills developed
                        through your education.
            iii.  Experience
 
                    1. This section could be labeled: Experience, Work Experience, Related Professional
                        Experience, etc.
                    2. List your job title/position, the name of the organization for whom you worked,
                        the dates of employment, the job title, and an active, descriptive summary of job
                        duties.
                    3. Be sure to include important keywords, or hot topics, that are relevant to your
                        field in your job descriptions.
                    4. Be certain to mention skills used and developed.
                    5. If you have had unpaid experiences which relate to your desired objective, be sure
                        to include them in this section as well.
            iv. Additional Sections: According to your background, there may be other sections,
                 which you will want to add to your resume. These sections could include:
 

*Activities
*Honors
*Interests
*Hobbies
*Community Service
*Computer/Foreign Language Skills
*Professional Memberships
*Volunteer Experiences

    k. Resume Resources: Several job search engines have resume-building pages on their
        websites that will give you step-by-step guidelines to writing a resume. Some popular sites
        to check out include:
*Monster Jobs
*Yahoo! HotJobs
*JobSniper
*CareerBuilder
*MSN Careers
*JobWeb
 
    l. Here are 15 tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resume.
 
1. Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume.
Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective. Think of your objective as the bull’s-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it. Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear objective.
2. Think of your resume as a marketing tool. Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers, and your resume as a brochure about you. Market yourself through your resume. What are your features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make sure to convey this information in your resume.
3. Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job. You don’t need to go into detail about every accomplishment. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to land a job offer.
4. Use bulleted sentences. In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it.
5. Use action words. Action words cause your resume to pop. To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored, and presented.
6. Use #’s, $’s and %’s. Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them. Here are two examples:
    · Managed a department of 10 with a budget of $1,000,000.
    · Increased sales by 25% in a 15-state territory.
7. Lead with your strengths. Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
8. Play Match Game. Review want ads for positions that interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to match them to bullets in your resume.
9. Use buzzwords. If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resume. 
10. Accent the positive. Leave off negatives and irrelevant points. If some duties in your current job don’t support your job search objective, leave them off your resume. Focus on the duties that do support your objective. Leave off irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.
11. Show what you know. Rather than going into depth in one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge. Use an interview to provide more detail.
12. Show who you know. If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.
13. Construct your resume to read easily. Leave white space. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of your resume to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
14. Have someone else review your resume. Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions. Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resume. Revise your resume to include these items. Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader. Clarify your resume based on this input.
15. Submit your resume to potential employers. Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of it as a game where your odds of winning increase with every resume you submit. You really do increase your odds with every resume you submit. Use a three-tiered approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you. Perhaps they will turn out to be more than they appeared to be once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch. That’s how you grow -- by taking risks. Don’t rule yourself out. Trust the process. Good luck in your job search!
    m. Brainstorming for your resume: By selecting this link you can open a worksheet to do
        electronically or to print and filling
    n. Time to build your own resume.
            i. These Sample Resume #1  and Sample Resume #2 can be reviewed to help you get
                started. 
            ii. You can get tips and writing instructions for Microsoft Word to build your resume
                 with this worksheet.