How to Create a Resume
How
do I list my Education?
By listing your college education, employers will assume that you have
graduated from high school or completed your GED, so do not include
high school information. When you list your college information, be
certain to include your degree, the name of college, major(s), minor(s),
emphasis, date of graduation, and your GPA if it is above a 3.0. Write
your G.P.A. as out of a possible 4.0 (e.g., GPA: 3.83/4.0.) If you are
a transfer student, include your information from previous colleges as
well in the same fashion.
How
important is it to include Computer Skills?
In this day and age, employers want to know what computer skills you
have. List software you know as well as hardware.
Listing Experience
Relevant
Experiences:
Begin with experiences that relate to your job objective. Use bullet
points to highlight your major accomplishments and tasks in each
position you held. Begin each phrase with an action verb, NEVER
starting the phrase with "Responsible for…" Emphasize what you did in
each position that would relevant for the job you're applying for. As
much as possible, quantify what you did (e.g., "surpassed sales goal
by 10%"). Think of the following areas:
- Internship(s):
Describe your key accomplishments and responsibilities, the type of
environment you were in, experience with computers,
industry-specific tools, etc.
- Part-Time
Work or Summer Jobs: Consider what skills you gained from these
experiences, rather than what duties you had. Consider the
environment and transferable skills. For example, if you had three
part-time positions and they all involve sales or customer service,
highlight the fact that you are successful in sales or customer
service in three different industries, each of which requires a
different base of knowledge.
- Volunteer
Experience:
These experiences can be very valuable as they show your commitment
to helping others; they can also show your leadership skills.
-
College-Related Activities: Include descriptions of skills you
have gained and used in various leadership positions on campus or
otherwise. Leadership skills are among the top skills sought by
employers. A prospective employer wants to hire a total person and,
therefore, will be interested in your activities outside the
classroom. List scholarships by name, Dean's List, positions in
organizations, and sports, with dates following each.
- Class
Projects:
If you have limited work experience, list class projects you've
completed (e.g., developing a website) that would be relevant for
the job you're targeting.
On your
resume, you should have around 5-6 headings. These are the key
sections you need to have on your resume: |
Objective,
Education, Work Experience, Activities, Awards
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- The
actual headings you use depends on what best fits the
information you're presenting. For example, if you have a few
awards, list those under a separate section. If you only have
one honor (e.g., Dean's List), that can be put under your
education.
- Instead
of using the general heading "Work Experience," it can be much
more effective to use a heading that is specific to the area
you're going into (e.g. "Teaching Experience" or "Public
Relations Experience").
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