CREATING AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

WHAT IS A RESUME?

• One-page summary of your skills, education, and experience

• Serves as an advertisement of your qualifications to a potential employer

Creating a resume

• How long do employers typically look at a resume?• A. Less than 30 seconds• B. 3 minutes• C. 1 minute

What should be included in a resume?

• Heading

• Objective

• Education

• Experience

• Activities

• Summary of skills

• References

HEADING

• Includes your essential personal information• Formal name• Address• Phone number• Email address

OBJECTIVE

• Perhaps the most important part of the resume

• One-sentence explanation of the job you are seeking

• Should be fairly specific

education

• List your education in reverse chronological order

• Specify the dates of attendance or graduation (or expected graduation)

• No need to include middle school and elementary school

experience

• Work Experience/ Employment Experience

• Include previous employers, their locations, your dates of employment, and your job title

• Include at least two one-line descriptions of what your job duties and responsibilities were• Use action verbs to begin these descriptions• Do NOT use “I”

Activities

• School activities

• Community activities

• Volunteer work

• Sports

Summary of skills

• Can use this section to include skills or talents not included elsewhere on the resume

• Have to be relevant to the employer• For example:

• Types 75 words per minute• Fluent in Spanish

references

• Need at least 3 references

• Individuals who have observed your work habit

• People who can speak about your character

• NO FAMILY!

• References’ contact information• Names, addresses, employers, job titles, phone

numbers

Setting up the resume

• Chronological Format• Follows your work history backward • Suited for young adults with little work

experience

• Functional Format• No employment dates or company names• Focuses on skills and responsibilities• More suited for individuals who have held many

jobs