resume : tips on how to get noticed zara zeitountsian director of communications office of...
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Resume : Tips on How to Get Noticed
Zara Zeitountsian
Director of Communications
Office of Communications, Alumni Relations and Career Development
American University of Armenia
WHAT IS A RESUME
The purpose of a resume is to provide a summary of your skills, abilities and accomplishments.
It is a quick advertisement of who you are.
It is a "snapshot" of you with the intent of capturing and emphasizing interests and secure you an interview.
IT SHOWS:
That you are employable
How you meet the job and the organization's requirements
That you have the right qualifications and education
That you have the right experience and skills
That you have the right level of professionalism for the job
WHAT IS RESUME NOT
It is not an autobiography
It is not a list of your hobbies and interests
It is no A document that reflects your personality
An exhaustive listing of everything you’ve done
A document that tells the recruiter or hiring manager what you want
A document that will guarantee an interview or job offer
A one-size-fits-all document
HOW TO START
Begin with a list of your greatest accomplishments and personal qualities.
Describe your skills and accomplishments with each employer by using action words.
List only the skills that you would like to use on a new job.
Write a chronological history of your employment, training, volunteer work and extra-curricular activities.
Analyze the requirements of the new job you want to apply for.
Compare the skills required with your background and indicate how you have demonstrated these skills.
HINT: Apply for jobs where you have the closest fit and interest.
TYPES OF RESUMES
Chronological Resume
Functional Resume
Combination Resume
Scannable resume
Chronological Resume
The most effective choice for individuals with a strong or continuous work history and increasing levels of responsibility in the occupational area stated in the resume objective.
Dates should be placed on the resume in reverse chronological order (most recent jobs listed first) to highlight the continuous work history and increasing levels of responsibility.
Job titles may be italicized, capitalized, underlined or printed in bold to emphasize increased responsibility.
The resume should then list those skill qualifications or characteristics offered to an employer.
Functional Resume
Usually chosen by individuals without a strong work history or current work experience.
It emphasizes skill areas and de-emphasizes work history and dates.
The functional resume is for someone who would like to change careers,
Has no career history or desires a job in another field.
It lists areas of expertise, skills and qualifications with the most extensive skills listed near the top of the resume. For example, this could include management, leadership, technical or communication skills which employers desire.
Combination Resume
Combines the strongest elements of the chronological and functional formats to include both job-related qualifications and work experience.
This provides strong support for the stated job objective.
The combination resume may be useful for someone who wants to emphasize work history in addition to specific skill areas.
This is a hybrid resume with the functional format at the top portion of the resume and the chronological format at the bottom.
Scannable resume
Uses key words and phrases to increase the likelihood that the resume will be selected in an electronic search.
It may be useful for someone who is applying for a job with a large company.
Instead of the action verbs used in the traditional resume, you will want specific phrases or words
RESUME CONTENT Theme
Job Objective
Education
Employment, Work History, Experiences, Work Experiences, Military or Volunteer Positions.
Other Related Work Experience.
Certificates
Skills, Accomplishments or Achievements ( optional )
Awards and Achievements.
Memberships or Professional Organizations.
Hobbies or Interests (optional ).
References.
Theme
Highlight the job history
Highlight education
Highlight research work
Highlight voluntary work
Highlight your skills
Job Objective
Including a "job objective" is optional but highly recommended.
This indicates what your job goal is; be specific. In twelve words or less, clearly state what type of job you want.
Avoid overused phrases, such as "utilizing my skills" or "offering a potential to grow" without being specific about how to accomplish that goal.
Education
Indicate the school or college you have attended, any seminars, workshops, military training or special courses you have taken.
If you have taken college courses, list the college, city, major, most recent degree awarded and when you graduated.
You may also list your grade point average (G.P.A.), if desired but specify on what scale (e.g., 3.5 on a 4.0 scale).
If you are just beginning college, list the high school, as well as any significant college courses you have studied.
If you have been out of high school for a number of years, omit the high school; a significant career history may be more meaningful.
If your career history is more important than the education, list the experience first and place the education later in the resume.
Employment
Begin with your current or most recent job and use reverse chronological order. List the information in this order:
Job title
Name of the employer and dates (if applicable)
City and state of the employer
A summary of your accomplishments and responsibilities
For a military entry, current or most recent rank and job classification
Examples
BASIC RULES
Don’t use same resume to send to multiple employers
The entire resume must be targeted to a specific job objective.
Arrange a resume to highlight your strongest or most extensive skills.
Organize the resume so it is easy to follow. Margin space should be approximately one inch around the edges.
Write short sentences.
Distinguish categories clearly with headings that are bold, underlined or CAPITALIZED.
Use bullets, underlining and capitalizing sparingly to guide the reader to detail within a category.
Place key words or the main point of each statement at the beginning of each line.
Leave a space between lines to enhance readability.
Keep resumes to one page, if possible; however, two pages is acceptable.
Final Touches Text The most popular typefaces are
Fonts (type size). Two types are generally used, 10-point and 12-point. An exception to this could be a header typed in a large font to highlight your name.
Paper and Envelopes. Resumes, cover letters and thank you letters should be printed on a high quality cotton paper. These choices reflect your style, your attention to detail and thoroughness.
Bring several copies of your resume to the interview
Your name on the file name - “resume/CV_Armen Aleksanyan”
PDF format
No Photo unless required by the employer
Don’t use templates unless required by an employer.
No date of birth and marital status
Cover Letter
It is not about what you want: It is about what you can contribute
What wasn’t included in the resume?
Recap your resume
Show that you captured the essence of the organization
Demonstrate that you understand what the employer needs