Resume WritingKEY TO LANDING YOUR DREAM JOB

What is a resume? Arguably most important piece of any job application

Advertisement of yourself

Written compilation of Work Experience

Credentials

Accomplishments

Educational background

Personal skills

Lays out summary of qualifications Hopefully pushes employer to an interview

Optional sections – objective, summary statement, career highlights

Types of Resumes Chronological

Experience section is focus

Each job (or last several) described in detail

No major section of skills/accomplishments at beginning of resume

Staying in same profession/type of work

Recommended to have objective or summary

Most traditional

Employers typically prefer

Advantages easier to understand what you did in what job

Disadvantages More difficult to highlight what you do best

Rarely appropriate if making career change

Types Cont.

Functional Focuses on skills & accomplishments at the beginning

Employer clearly sees what you can do for them

A must for career changers, employment gaps

Also useful for students, people with wide range of skills, military officers

Advantages

Great for reaching new goal or direction

Disadvantages

Hard for employer to know what you did in each job

Types Cont. Combined

Includes elements of chronological and functional

May be shorter chronology of job descriptions with a short skills/accomplishments section

Also could be functional resume with accomplishments under headings of the different jobs held

Advantages

Maximizes both chrono and functional

Avoids potential negatives of each

Disadvantages

Generates a longer resume

Can be repetitious

Accomplishments and skills may have to be repeated in both sections

Generating Interest

Needs to be powerful, but subtle

Sell yourself

1 interview for every 200 resumes received

Quickly scanned 10-20 seconds

Top half of resume will make or break you

After first few lines you have them interested or resume is in trash Resume is an advertisement for yourself

Ask Yourself

What would make someone the perfect candidate?

Need to be thinking of employer’s needs, not yours What do they really want?

What special abilities would this person have?

What would set a great candidate apart from a good one?

Writing a great resume

Has 2 sections Assertions section (regarding abilities, qualities, achievements)

Evidence section (backing up your assertions)

Assertions – juice of the resume Don’t inform the reader, get them interested and excited

Usually broken down into 2 to 3 sections

Job is to communicate, assert, declare you are the best candidate

Most resumes include just evidence section

Need to have both to create a great resume

Objective Section

Ideally resume conveys why you are perfect candidate for a specific job/title Great advertising directed toward specific target audience

Be absolutely clear in regards to your career direction Or at least appear to be

OBJECTIVE – a software sales position in an organization seeking an extraordinary record of generating new accounts, exceeding sales targets and enthusiastic customer relations.

Writing your objective Decide on specific job title for objective

Make sure it is to the point Avoid the obvious statements and “fluffy” phrases

Have to generate interest right away

OBJECTIVE: An xxx position in an organization where yyy and zzz would be needed (or, in an organization seeking yyy and zzz).

If applying for multiple positions – adapt resume each time Each resume is crafted for different type of position

Remember this is advertising copy not your life story

Can include objective section with the summary section

Summary Section Several brief statements

Focuses readers attention to most important qualities & achievements you have to offer

Should be most compelling demonstrations of why you should be hired instead of other candidates

Gear every word to your targeted goal

Refer back to questions to ask yourself What would make someone the ideal candidate?

Possible inclusions: short phrase describing profession

Statement of broad or specialized expertise

Depth of skills, well-documented accomplished, history of awards/promotions

Professional or appropriate personal characteristics

Examples of summary Highly motivated, creative and versatile real estate executive with seven

years of experience in property acquisition, development and construction, as well as the management of large apartment complexes. Especially skilled at building effective, productive working relationships with clients and staff. Excellent management, negotiation and public relations skills. Seeking a challenging management position in the real estate field that offers extensive contact with the public.

Over 10 years as an organizational catalyst/training design consultant with a track record of producing extraordinary results for more than 20 national and community based organizations. A commitment to human development and community service. Energetic self-starter with excellent analytical, organizational, and creative skills.

Financial Management Executive with nearly ten years of experience in banking and international trade, finance, investments and economic policy. Innovative in structuring credit enhancement for corporate and municipal financing. Skilled negotiator with strong management, sales and marketing background. Areas of expertise include (a bulleted list would follow this paragraph.)

Skills & Accomplishments This section will go into more detail, very similar to previous

section

Still writing to sell yourself, not inform the reader

Let them know what results you produced, results of your efforts, special gifts you possess

Communicating that if you buy this product, these are the direct benefits you will receive If it does not further this, do not bother saying it

Not too much detail however, you want some to remain a mystery

Can be a separate section or part of job descriptions in a chronological resume

Many different structures for this section In all of these styles in order of importance for the desired career goal

Examples of Skills & Accomplishments

Raised $1900 in 21 days in canvassing and advocacy on environmental, health and consumer issues.

Conducted legal research for four Assistant U.S. Attorneys, for the U.S. Attorney’s office

Coordinated Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board of community mental health center. Later commended as “the best thing that ever happened to that job.”

Experience Section

Listed in reverse chronological order

Early jobs not much detail

Focus on most recent/relevant

More impressive: job titles or firms worked for Have to be consistent

Bold face type is a possibility here

Dates in italics – end of job

Can include volunteer work, internships, military work

Use “Experience,” Professional History,” Professional Experience” Avoid “Employment” or “Work History – sound lower-level

Education

Reverse chronological order

Degrees & Licenses 1st

Certificates & Advanced Training 2nd

Be selective, summarize, include only impressive items

Set degrees apart = more easily seen

Can use bold face type Most impressive

GPA – ideally only listed if over 3.4

If convinces reader of qualifications use selected courses

Education Cont.

No Degree? Still include degree

After degree use (expected 20xx)

Headings – Education, Education and Training, Education and Licenses, Legal Education/Undergraduate Education (more for attorneys)

Awards

If only in education place under education section

Mention what awards were for if you can

If have received awards this section almost a must

Professional Affiliations

Must be current, relevant, impressive

Shows membership in an association Enhances appeal as prospective employee

Include any leadership roles

Examples: clubs(students), AICPA, Kiwanis, City Council Board of Directors

DO NOT include a personal interests section Irrelevant to job in majority of cases

References

At end of resume: References available upon request. Not a must, but a standard close for a resume

Do not include names of references

Separate sheet will be brought to interview if requested

Guidelines Visually enticing – simple clean structure, symmetrical, balanced,

uncrowded

Uniformity & Consistency – italics, capital letters, bullets, boldface, underlines Ex. – if degree is bolded all degrees should be, if period at end of

job’s dates all need period

Absolutely no errors – grammar, spelling, punctuation

Basic info/expected is included – name, address, phone #, email, jobs held, etc.

Resume is targeted & is focused

Strengths highlighted, weaknesses deemphasized

Power words – use most impressive verbs

Few More Tips

Avoid turning employer off – controversial or negative light Ex. political views

Bold name on page 1

Boldface section headings

General rule - #’s 10 & under spell out, 11 & over use numerical form Unless 1st word in sentence

Spell out abbreviations unless obvious

DO NOT

Word resume at top of your resume

Salary information

Reasons for leaving jobs

Personal section

Names of supervisors

References