Role of the Resume Types of Resumes Resume Formats Resume Sections Additional Documentation Miscellaneous Tips

A marketing tool A marketing tool Your first tool for building a career The first impression a prospective employer has of

you A selling tool that allows you to highlight to an

employer how you can contribute to the company Request for an interviewRequest for an interview

Purpose of the resume is to get you an interview Must capture the reader’s interest and attention Must convince the employer that you have the ability

to fill their position Your “big picture”Your “big picture”

A snapshot of what you believe are your most important experiences and qualifications

A Paper/PDF ResumeA Paper/PDF Resume A printed resume for use at job fairs, conferences, … Should be clean, concise, professional, and pleasing to the

eye Use bullets, bolding, and indentation Take this resume with you on job interviews, career fairs

An Electronic ResumeAn Electronic Resume A plain text resume for on-line submission Typically must conform to employer specifications

Highlight your work experience in reverse chronological order

Be sure to not leave gaps

The most widely used format for working professionals

First Name Last Name 123 Any Street

Some Town, CA 91745 home: 555.555.5555 cell: 566.486.2222

email: imgood@itt.com

Education Arlington High School, Arlington, Virginia 2010 - Present

Experience Pet Sitter 2009 - Present • Provide pet sitting services including dog walking, feeding and yard care. Child Care 2011 - Present • Provide child care for several families after school, weekends and during school vacations. Achievements • National Honor Society: 2010, 2011 • Academic Honor Roll: 2009 - 2010 - 2011

Volunteer Experience

• Big Brother / Big Sisters • Arlington Literacy Program • Run for Life

Interests / Activities

• Member of Arlington High School Tennis Team • Girl Scout • Piano

Computer Skills

• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Internet

Highlight specific skills for which the market has high demand

Seldom used by new graduates

Frequently used to change jobs or careers

First Name Last Name 123 Any Street

Some Town, CA 91745 home: 555.555.5555 cell: 566.486.2222

email: imgood@itt.com

EDUCATION Any High School, Any City CA High School Diploma anticipated in May 2012

Sophomore, GPA 3.84

Electives: Art, Culture & Foods, Independent Living, Family Advocacy Activities: Band and Stage Crew

SPECIAL SKILLS & INTERSTS

Love to work with children Can create attractive posters and flyers using graphic software Able to follow written instructions Good with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Can do internet research using MS Explorer and FireFox Enjoy biographies of famous people and plays Travelling with family Manage family recycling assignments

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY SERVICE Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA Ongoing Pediatric Ward Volunteer

Read, watch television or play games with children Make sure the play area is neat and toys are put away after use Run errands or do assignments from staff

Any Recreation Department, City of Any Summer 2009 Volunteer Camp Counselor

Led arts, crafts, sports, games, camping and hobby workshops for groups of 8-10 year olds

Monitored groups of up to seven children on weekly field trips to the zoo, water parks and on walking tours

Made sure campers were dropped off and picked up safely

GOALS Planning to study Psychology or Music as a major in college Join the Pep Squad in Junior year

Highlight specific work experience

Highlight marketable skills

Use reverse chronological order

The best resume style for most students

First Name Last Name 123 Any Street

Some Town, CA 91745 home: 555.555.5555 cell: 566.486.2222

email: imgood@itt.com

OBJECTIVE To obtain knowledge of the day-to-day workings of a communications, public relations, or publishing firm through a part-time job or summer internship. EDUCATION Completed three years at Any Town High School. Graduation date: May 2012. G.P.A. 3.85. Top 5% of class. EXPERIENCE Newspaper Staff Member, Any Town High School

Aug 2009 - present. Features editor of campus newspaper. Yearbook Committee Member, Any Town High School

Aug 2010 - 2011. Editor-in-chief of yearbook staff. Leader of design and publication teams from initial layout through finished product.

RELEVANT HIGH SCHOOL STUDIES Technical writing; advanced composition; debate; video production; computer classes providing knowledge of word processing, desktop publishing, and Web software. HONORS, AWARDS, AND MEMBERSHIPS

U.S. Media Association Scholarship recipient Scholarship based on academic achievement, community service, and campus participation and leadership in high school communications projects and studies.

2011 Best High School Newspaper Design winner California Regional Communications Contest,

Treasurer of National Honor Society, 2010 - present

What Is Your “Story”?What Is Your “Story”?What slant can you take on your resume?Do you want to emphasize internship

experience?Do you want to emphasize work experience?Do you want to emphasize course work?Do you want to emphasize project

experience?Do you want to emphasize personal traits?

What is unique or interesting about your What is unique or interesting about your HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL experience?experience?

Recommendations:Recommendations: If you have an interesting internship –

emphasize it – if not get one!Most high school students have interesting

project experienceBuild on your elective education!!!Demonstrate leadership, communication,

cultural awareness

Header Objective Education Honors/Activities Work Experience Relevant Courses Skills Projects

The first line should be your nameThe first line should be your name Larger than the largest font used in body Avoid using decorative fonts Don’t use black or gray shaded backgrounds Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., …

Include contact addressInclude contact address Permanent address Current address

Include your email address Use your personal email address Don’t use BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM

Include your phone numberInclude your phone number Change the message machine to be appropriate

Considered optional but it is strongly suggested to include Considered optional but it is strongly suggested to include itit

Make statement clear, concise, and to the pointMake statement clear, concise, and to the point Bad: “I want to get a job” Weak: “To attain an internship in the computer industry.” Good: “To attain an internship in the computer industry working

with database or network security.”

Avoid being overly specific to single companyAvoid being overly specific to single company “To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working on …….…”

Objectives derived from the company’s perspectiveObjectives derived from the company’s perspective “To attain a web application programming position where

knowledge of Java and the Struts framework will add value the overall development process.”

Should only contain honors and awards earned Should only contain honors and awards earned during your time in high school or afterduring your time in high school or after

You can include academic or extracurricular You can include academic or extracurricular itemsitems

Include a brief description if not self-evident Include a brief description if not self-evident from titlefrom title “Award given to top performer on the capstone

exam” Don’t include hobbies or activities not related Don’t include hobbies or activities not related

to the job or your storyto the job or your story Good to include leadership positions in Student

Service Organizations Good to list membership in Student Service

Organizations

This section

This section

should scream

should scream

““I am a le

ader”

I am a le

ader”

Dedicated to most recent and relevant employmentDedicated to most recent and relevant employment FormatFormat

Employer and location on the first line Don’t need name of supervisor, complete address, or contact

information Position and time-span on the second line

Use only year, not month and year (avoids time gaps) Watch the tenseWatch the tense

Current job uses present tense Former jobs use past tense

The keyword is The keyword is relevantrelevant courses courses Include the highest attained level of courses Don’t include basic courses: Algebra 1, Freshman

English Focus on courses the are either unique or would

normally be considered an elective for the job that you are applying Food Service & Hospitality Child Care Animation Computer Applications Medical Assistant Retail Sales

This is where you emphasize your technical This is where you emphasize your technical skillsskills Food Service & HospitalityFood Service & Hospitality

Remarkable knowledge of sanitation principles applicable to food serving, kitchen maintenance, and cleaning of food eating areas.

Set up serving area and serve a wide variety of food items.

Child CareChild Care Uncommon knowledge of child cognitive, social, and skills

   development methods and techniques. Exceptional knowledge of play, reading, and quiet-time

   activities for children.

Nursing AssistantNursing Assistant Experienced in obtaining patients’ vital signs; performs and

maintains accurate medical record keeping. Relate very well with others at all levels including patrons,

patients, professionals, children and students.

Used correctly, this section can set you apart from other new graduates◦ Most new grads don’t get the opportunity to use this section

Show any lengthy, impressive, or relevant projects to which you have made real contribution

Why do I need to write a cover letter?Why do I need to write a cover letter? Use the cover letter to focus attention on

elements of your background that are particularly relevant to the company

Letter acts as your verbal introduction to the employeremployer

Send it to a person, not a placeSend it to a person, not a place Avoid “To Whom It May Concern,” Worst case “Dear Recruiter:”

First sentence should tell why you are First sentence should tell why you are writingwriting “I am writing in regard to your posting listed on …” “Dr. Wagner at UW – Eau Claire suggested that I …” “As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at …” If unsolicited, indicate why you are interested in the

company

Highlight your skillsHighlight your skills

Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth description of your selling points

Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved to different location in text)

Dear Mr. Doe,

I’m currently a senior at Any Town High School in the Computer Science Program, and I’m looking for a summer internship position in the San Gabriel Valley area. I am particularly interested an internship in your software department. As a candidate with a strong academic background, relevant experience, and communication skills, I’m confident that I could make a positive and productive contribution to your organization.

My attached resume gives evidence of my strong performance in my coursework. I have been selected to the Principal’s Honor Roll for the past three years. My coursework has given me a rich mixture of both the theoretical and practical sides of my field.

I would greatly appreciate your consideration for the internship position.

Prepare a separate reference sheetPrepare a separate reference sheet Use same paper as the resume itself Bring reference sheet (and resume) with you to

any interviews, job fairs, career breakfasts. Use professional references onlyUse professional references only

Pick individuals that think highly of you Pick individuals that are familiar with your work

Always ask your references before Always ask your references before using their namesusing their names Be prepared to give supporting materials –

courses, projects, … Ask again if it has been a while