Resume Guide
How
Do I Begin?
Self Assessment
It is
important that your resume is reflective of your personal skills and
strengths. To write a good resume, you need to spend some time
thinking about the skills you have that would make an employer want to
hire you. These skills can vary according to the job you're applying
for. Think about how you would answer the following question if asked
by an employer: "Based upon your past work experience, class projects,
or other activities, why are you the most qualified person for this
job?" Your answer to that question is the message that you need to
communicate in your resume. On your resume, be sure to highlight the
areas where you've demonstrated skills that employers place the
highest priority on: verbal and written communication skills, teamwork
skills, organizational skills, interpersonal skills, analytical
skills, computer skills, and motivation/initiative.
If you feel that
you do not have any strengths or skills, then you need to seriously
work on developing some before sending your resume to employers! If
you do not have a lot of relevant work experience, you should try to
obtain an internship (even an unpaid one) or volunteer your time for a
campus or off-campus organization. Create opportunities in which you
will be able to develop the main skills that employers desire.
What
Style of Resume is Recommended?
A popular style of resume is the Combination Resume. Job seekers
using this style of resume will include an overview or summary of
qualifications at the beginning, in which they stress their skills and
characteristics appropriate for the position, but they revert to the
reverse chronological style for the remainder of the document. This
overview section is used to "set the scene" so that the resume is read
from a particular perspective. This is useful to strongly stress
certain areas.
Resume
Pointers
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- Visual
effect is important!
- Content
should be solid.
- Professional appearance.
- Quantify when possible.
- Employ
white space.
- Use
action verbs!
- Use
technology effectively.
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- Show
results of your actions.
- Print
on good quality paper.
- Be
brief but informative.
- Accuracy is critical!
- Proofread and proofread again! And then have someone else
proofread it!
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What to Include
What
kind of Personal Information should be included?
Include your name, address, phone, and e-mail address if desired. A
permanent address and/or telephone number where you can also be
contacted after you graduate is especially important during your
transition from college to your new location.
What
tips do you have for writing the Objective Statement?
Although having an objective is optional, most employers prefer that
you have an objective on your resume. The objective should enable them
to quickly see what type of job you would be interested in at their
company.
What the
objective should communicate:
The position you are applying for. If you are unsure of the exact
position or are using the resume at a career fair, it should specify
the general area that you're interested in (e.g., human resources).
You may also choose to refer to the main skills that you would apply
in that position.
What to do if
considering different jobs:
If considering going into two different areas (e.g., sales or computer
programming), you'll want to have two different resumes, with
different objectives on each, that emphasize your skills and
experience for that area.
Some
Sample Objectives:
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- An entry
level position in marketing management in a large East Coast
company in the consumer products industry.
- Utilize
my organizational and interpersonal skills as a Project Manager
- An entry
level position in the newsroom, leading to writing, reporting,
or producing of broadcast news.
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