Effective resume

Résumé 101
The Basics of Writing an
Effective Résumé

Résumé Rules…
What are the Absolute, Unbreakable Rules of
Resume Writing? There are only a few absolute
rules in resume writing! These rules, however, are
absolutes:
 No typing errors.
 No misspellings.
 Do not tell a lie or mistruth.
 Do not include any negative information.
 It is YOUR résumé, your opinion matters. Use your
critical thinking skill and filter suggestions from
others.
 Think of WHO is going to be reading your résumé
and what THEY are most interested in knowing.

Résumé = Marketing Tool
 How long do you think the average
employer looks at a résumé?
 What do you most want the employer to
know about you?
 Formatting: first, BOLD, white space!
THE PURPOSE OF A RESUME IS TO GET
AN INTERVIEW

MUST HAVE Categories
on a Résumé
Personal Logo
(Name, Address(es), Phone Number(s), and
Email)
Education
Experience (Work or Volunteer)

Categories NEVER Included on a
Resume
 Height, weight, age, date of birth, place of birth,
marital status, sex, race, health, social security
number (except on an International Resume)
 Reasons for leaving previous job(s)
 Picture of yourself
 Salary Information
 References (more on this issue later)
 The title "Resume"
 Religion, religious affiliations, political affiliations

Templates:
To Use or Not To Use?
What About Those Resume Wizards in Microsoft
Word?
 Word's Resume Wizards are increasingly popular
with students.
 They can be help get you started with categories for
your resume.
 CAUTION: Formats are not geared to college
students and can cause students to set up your
resumes inappropriately. If you use Wizards, adapt
them to recommended guideline for college students.
 FURTHER CAUTION: Since so many college
students are using Resume Wizards, employers are
seeing an awful lot of resumes that look exactly alike.

Education
Bachelor of Science in Scientific and
Technical Communication
Emphasis in Web Development
College & University
Year
Percentage / Grade

Work Experience
 Five Components:
 Job Title
 Name of Employer
 Location
 Dates of employment
 Description

Use Action Verbs!
Keep it brief and to the point
Organized Communicated
Directed
Planned Created Assisted
Supported Initiated
Solved
Reported Edited Analyzed
Described Developed
Managed
Led Sold Designed

Tie skills to context
How have you applied them?
Excellent communication skills
vs.
Presented detailed information related to
resume writing in strategic career planning
workshops

And now for the numbers…
 Conducted presentations for sales
orientation programmes
 Led over 30 presentations to groups of 50
corporate and their representatives
introducing them to the organization’s
services

Other Resume Categories
 Objective
 Computer Skills
 Honors and Achievements
 Scholarships and Awards
 Volunteer Experience
 Leadership Experience
 Campus or Community Activities
 Certificates and Additional Training

Objective
 Objective can add focus to the resume
 Specific to field and industry, but not to job
 Examples:
 Obtaining an editing position within the
medical industry
 To provide web development services to a
health care company in the Chicago area

Summary of Qualifications
 Must be specific, weighty, & descriptive
 Must NOT be a list of vague skills
Example of a good Summary:
 Three years editing experience through
college newspaper
 Adept at using Pagemaker, Quark, Flash, and
Dreamweaver
 Lead designer for 11 web sites used in higher
education and industry

Where to start?
What are you trying to communicate?
Three guiding questions:
 What is that particular employer looking for in the dream
candidate?
 What are the 3-5 most important aspects of your experience
that you need to describe based on what the employer is
looking for?
 What is your competitive advantage relative to other
candidates?

Other strategies
 Placement of content makes a difference
 Clump related qualifications
 Use category headings that communicate
your qualifications – be creative.

The Importance of Research
 Talk with people who know the employer,
it’s products, past employees, or
customers.
 Web, of course.

Checklist
 Is it attractive? Does it make a good first
impression?
 One page? Or can two pages be justified?
 Is it concise? Is extraneous information reduced
or eliminated?
 Is unfamiliar information clarified? Just what is
the Wilma Wonderwoman scholarship?
Example:
Wilma Wonderwoman Scholarship Recipient:
Awarded to the senior who displays outstanding
leadership.

Types of Resumes
 Standard Resumes: Laser printed, well-
formatted, & reader friendly.
 Scannable Resumes: Text-based, plain,
no formatting, key words (nouns &
phrases), & qualifications summary.
 Web-based Resumes: It is available 24/7,
global exposure (good and bad), no page
restrictions.

Guiding Principles
 What are your themes? What sets you apart?
 Specify how you will benefit the employer
 Be as specific as possible-- with examples
 How does your background meet their specific
qualifications?
 You are just what they are looking for and you
have the proof to back up your statements

Employer Name
 If the name isn’t given, employ your
research skills to find out the name
 Be sure you have the gender and title
correct

Position
 A good cover letters targets a specific
position
 Lack of clarity may lead to the perception
that you don’t know what you want to do

Use examples
 My excellent financial management skills
will greatly benefit your company
vs.
 Through my work at the Jane Smith
House, I honed my financial management
skills by developing spreadsheets,
reporting on cash-flow accounts and
ledger balances

Show your knowledge
of the employer
 I am interested in working for Delta
because of your reputation for quality
 I have been following your decision to
pursue portal technology as a part of your
communication strategy. I am eager to
work for a Delta because of your
commitment to cutting edge technology.

Relate skills to the objective
 Objective: Entry-level writing position
 In my position at Joiner Co. I entered data,
contacted clients to update their addresses, and
wrote letters and reports.
 Composed more that 50 letters sent to corporate
clients such as Zeneca and Campbell, Inc.
Wrote narrative for statistical report that was
included in annual report sent to 1000
organizations nationwide.

The Big Finish
 Ask for an interview
 Indicate how you will follow-up (unless
instructed specifically otherwise)
Be sure you really do follow-up!

Effective resume

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Effective resume