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The
resume attempts to answer the prospective employer's question: "what
can this candidate do for our organization?" The resume should also
clearly differentiate you from everyone else applying for the job.
Although
there is no one right formula for writing a resume, the following
guidelines and suggestions are designed to assist you in preparing and
writing a resume that best reflects your potential.
Steps
to Writing a Resume
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Identify and make a list of the position/functional area(s) and
industries that interest you. Research the position areas to
determine the skills and other qualifications required for the type of
position you seek. In addition to the skills you just identified,
other common skills and personality traits that employers seek in
college graduates are found in the
resume guide.
-
Based
on the skills, personality traits and specific knowledge identified in
step 1, assess and record which of these qualifications you possess.
-
List
your different work experiences (paid and unpaid). Review each
experience, to identify possible accomplishments.
Ask yourself what you did above and beyond the minimum requirements
for each work experience (e.g. problems you solved, special projects,
special assignments, training, commendations, awards and honors.)
Determine which of these accomplishments are related to your job
target, are of interest to the reader of your resume and illustrate
important transferable skills. Also consider your participation in
activities and your education for possible relevant accomplishments.
Accomplishments for resumes should be written in short, measurable and
results-oriented statements.
Use numbers, percentages, statistics and superlatives (i.e. first,
only, most, best, top) when appropriate:
- Managed student
phone-a-thon, raising $100,000 (89% of goal).
- Consistently
exceeded weekly and monthly advertising sales quotas for student
newspaper.
- Financed 80% of
my college expenses through part-time and summer employment.
- Choose an
appropriate Resume Format for your situation and job objective.
-
Chronological Resume
- This is the most
common format used by college students and recent college graduates.
It is an historical time line presentation of your education and
experience, in reverse chronological order with most recent events
listed first. This format allows you to emphasize job titles and
places of employment, and to elaborate on your accomplishments,
duties and responsibilities for each position.
-
Skills/Functional Resume
- This format is
advantageous, if your prior experience is unrelated to your career
objective, but you have performed the skills or functions related to
your objective. This format allows you to emphasize experience
relevant to the position you are pursuing and place less emphasis on
dates, job titles and responsibilities.
-
Combination Resume
- This format
begins as a functional resume by listing significant skills which
are pertinent to the position you desire. The second section lists
the positions and the employers for which you have worked in reverse
chronological order. Job responsibilities and achievements are
listed for each position. This format is a good choice for
professionals who can demonstrate both relevant skills and a
successful career track. This format is generally not used by those
having less than 12-15 years in the workforce.
- Review the Resume
Categories listed below to determine which areas are appropriate for
your resume. Organize the information in each category to effectively
illustrate your key accomplishments, skills and other qualifications.
The categories on the resume should be listed in order of importance.
- After you have
completed a rough draft, review the 'final edit' section of this guide
and have your resume critiqued.
Resume Categories
Heading. Include your name, address, zip code, telephone
number and possibly your e-mail address. If you cannot always be
reached during the daytime hours at your home phone number, add an
alternative or message phone number. If you are seeking a position
outside of the southern California area, add a second address and phone
number to the resume.
Profile/Summary. (optional section) This section
summarizes your ~ 4 - 8 key qualifications for the position you are
seeking. It can reference education, knowledge, related experience,
accomplishments, skills, personal qualities, etc. The purpose of this
section is to grab the reader's attention and answer the all important
question, "what can this candidate do for me?" Thus, an effective
profile requires you to know as much as possible about your targeted job
and the targeted reader. Other title headings for this section include:
strengths, highlights of qualifications, key accomplishments, and
expertise.
Objective. (optional) Use your cover letter to convey a
focused objective that relates your specific skills and experience to
the job you are seeking. You can include an objective in your resume,
especially if your major and work experience are not directly related to
your job goals. However do not include a vague, unrealistic or
self-serving objective in your resume.
Education. Recent college graduates and current students
typically place more emphasis on their education section which should
include school's name, degree, major, credentials, location and
graduation date. This section may also include minor, selected classes,
professional training, honors, awards, study abroad, research or special
projects. Your education is listed in reverse chronological order (e.g.
most recent degree first.) Generally, college students do not include
their high school, unless their high school accomplishments help sell
them. Major and overall GPA are included on your resume if it is a
selling point, typically 3.0 or above.
Experience. This section includes part-time and full-time
jobs, temporary positions, self-employment, unstructured work,
internships, volunteer or community service experience, work for a
faulty member, and military experience. When describing your
experience, you need to stress accomplishments, not simply restating
your prior job descriptions or responsibilities. When writing your
accomplishments and responsibilities, carefully select action verbs and
phrases that will advertise your key skills and illustrate your
potential. (Click here for list
of action verbs.) For some experiences you may also want to
emphasize what you learned as evidence of your additional skills. Each
experience should include position title, name of employer, dates of
employment and geographic location.
Activities, Community Service or Affiliations. In this
section you can list your involvement in clubs, organizations,
committees, sports, community service, professional associations and
other affiliations related to your job objective or industry. List and
emphasize those activities in which you utilized leadership,
organizational, teamwork and other skills relevant for the employer. If
you held an office, list the outcome or benefits of your efforts, as
well as the position held. You may want to avoid listing organizations
that reveal your religion, political preferences, and possibly your
race. Hobby-type activities are usually not included on your resume.
Languages. In today's global economy language skills are
a marketable asset. Different approaches to presenting these skills
include: fully bilingual/bicultural in ...; speak, read, write,
translate, interpret ... documents; conversationally fluent in ...;
knowledge of Asian business protocol.
Special Skills/Technical Skills. This section may include
computer skills, lab techniques and the use of specialized equipment,
and other specific knowledge skills related to your career field.
References. (optional) Employers assume you will be able
to furnish reference contact information on request, and thus this
section may waste space better used in other sections. If you choose to
include this category, usually the statement "References available on
request." is used. You should have in mind the names of three or four
people who know you well enough to positively appraise your abilities
and who have agreed to in advance to act as references on your behalf.
Never include the names and contact information of your references on
the resume since this information does not help sell you and is
considered extraneous.
Additional. This section may include: foreign language
skills, research, projects, travel, living abroad, credits
(theatre/film,) publications, or any loose items that you feel are
important to convey to a potential employer.
Other Category Headings. The following resume headings
may also help present your relevant skills or special knowledge:
professional affiliations, technical skills, accomplishments, honors,
travel, international experience, leadership activities, volunteer
activities, training, publications, and presentations.
Personal Data. Information regarding your age, height,
weight, marital status is not salable and should be omitted from your
resume.
Scannable Resume
Many large size
organizations and some small and medium size organizations scan
applicants' resumes into a database retrieval system. When employers
have a job opening, they identify possible candidates by searching for
specific skills and qualifications of applicants in their resume
database. Resumes prepared to be read by computers rather than humans
must be prepared with key words. Avoid using underlines,
italics, fancy fonts and other characters that are not accurately read
by many scanners. For more information about preparing resumes for
scanning, consult The Electronic Resume by Joyce Lain Kennedy
available in the Career Resource Library, consult the Career Services
Scannable Resume page, or consult the internet
resources listed below.
Additional Resume
Writing and Format Tips
- Resumes should be
truthful and accurate without exaggeration or distortion.
- Resumes must be
word processed, typed or typeset.
- Resumes should be
short and concise, preferably 1 page.
- Carefully
manipulate font size, margins, line spacing and design to make your
resume presentation look balanced, easy to read and professional
- Use caps,
underlining, boldface and positioning to help emphasize or
de-emphasize information
- Choose a font that
is big enough and is easy to read or scan. Avoid using italics,
except for book titles, foreign words or special cases.
- Do not over use
the bullet.
- Do not have a
block of text more than 5 lines. (too much to read, not easy to scan)
- Paper selection.
Have your resume professionally photocopied on white, off-white, or
light grey heavy weight, quality paper. Do not use regular xerox or
copying paper. For most positions you want to make a conservative
presentation. Highly creative or artistic positions may require a
less conservative choice of lines. If possible, use the same paper
for your resumes and your cover letters.
- Include a
Cover Letter when your resume
is mailed.
Final Edit and
Critique
- Evaluate your
resume's ability to make your key selling points stand out.
- Organize your
resume categories as they relate to your job target, and place the
most important sections first. Most recent college graduates list
their education before their experience.
- Use the jargon of
your desired job target and industry. Use 'insiders' language to
indicate that you are knowledgeable about current trends. Use
abbreviations and acronyms, only if they will be understood by the
reader.
- Review your resume
and assess whether or not all extraneous words and materials have been
omitted.
- Carefully
proofread your resume for spelling, grammar, punctuation and
typographical errors. Do not rely on spell-checkers to catch all
errors.
- Always tailor your
resume to the type of position you want. Prepare a different version
of your resume for each career/job objective.
- Have your resume
edited by one or two individuals who can be objective and can point
out unclear or awkward areas. If possible, have someone who is
familiar with your desired career field critique your resume. The
Career Office also provides content and format resume critiques for
students and recent graduates.
Samples of Resumes
and List of Reference Page
Additional Resume Resources
Resume Workshops. Throughout the
academic year, the Career Office offers resume workshops which introduce
students to resumes and provide an opportunity to begin constructing and
critiquing your resume draft. Refer to our
Calendar of Events
or contact the Career Office for a schedule of upcoming resume
workshops.
Resume Critiques. Students can have
their resume draft critiqued by a member of the Career Services staff.
Simply, come by the Career Office to
schedule a review appointment, or call Career Services at (562) 907-4230.
Resume
Resource Books in the Career Library
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Gallery of Best Resumes by David Noble
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eResumes by Susan Britton Whitcomb and Pat Kendall
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The
Federal Resume Guidebook by Kathryn K Troutman
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From College to Career by Donald Asher
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The
Actor's Picture/Resume Book by Jill Charles and Tom Bloom
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Resumes for Performing Arts Careers by VGM Career Books
Links
to Resume Information on the Internet
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