RESUME

the difference between a resume and a cV

part I part III part V

part IV part VIpart II

resume Vs. cV

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the objectiVe the sociaL resume

additionaL resources

accomPLishments cLosinGformattinG Your resume

CONTENT

Difference between a resume and a cvWho uses a cvElements of a cv

Format options

Sections to include in a resume

Appearance

Text

Purpose of the objectiveObjective versus personal brand statement

Purpose of accomplishments

Being specific

Problem action result

What is your social resume?

Why your online personal brand is important?

How to make your online brand mirror your resume

Updating your resume Things to leave off your resume

PART I

resume VS. cV

Professional Licenses or Certifications

Listing of Relevant Course Work to Match Career or Academic Objective

Scientific or Academic Research, Laboratory Experience, Grants Received

Description of Thesis or Dissertation (if you have advanced degrees)

Papers, Books And Other Related Publications You Have Written

Academic or Professional Presentations Delivered

Travel / Exposure to Cultural Experiences

Related Extracurricular Activities, Professional and Association Memberships

Additional Information that May Support Objective or Qualifications

Letters of Recommendation or a List of References

Professional Development You Have Undertaken

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Senior Executive

Lawyer

Professor

Physician

Scientist

Both a resume and CV contain a summary statement that tries to capture the best of you in 100 words or less. Then you have the work history (also known as employment highlights, work experience, etc.) This is followed by any special skills you may have, and possibly a section devoted to awards and honours you may have received over the years.

For a CV, the following content is merely a starting point. Beyond the standard fare is a range of sections that might be included, depending on what type of employer you are applying to. Here are the other areas that you might consider adding when putting together your Curriculum Vitae:

who

ELEMENTS

DIFFERENCEuses a cV?BETWEEN A RESUME AND A CV

OF A CV

In order to determine what makes up a good resume, its important to know the differ-ence between a resume and a CV. A resume is typically a one to two page document that answers the question why ShoUld I hIRE yoU?

That question is answered through a break-down of your career objective, skills, and em-ployment history. A CV, in comparison, is a much longer document that is highly detailed.

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PART II

formattinGYourresume

Formatting is an important aspect of a resume. Everything from the content, to the layout of the text, to the amount of white space, makes a difference in whether or not a potential employer will pick your resume out of the stack.

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Format optionsResumes can take on several different formats, each for a different set of circumstances. Formats include:

chronoLoGicaL functionaL

The chronological resume seems to be the most popular format used. This type of resume usually contains an objective and/or summary statement and a chronological listing (from most recent to past) of all your employers along with related accomplishments. Educational information is included along with certifications and special skills.

This type of resume may be fine for someone who is experienced, but if you are switching careers or are just entering the workforce, this type of re-sume will most likely help you wind up in the no pile.

Take the time to develop a strong func-tional resume. functional resumes highlight your abilities, such as hiring, managing or coaching, rather than your chronological work history. Youll still need to summarize your work his-tory, but this is usually done at the bot-tom of your resume. Dont panic. By the time the reader has gotten to that point, he is usually sold on bringing you in for an interview.

Most books on resume writing contain sections on how to write functional or skills-based resumes. Go to your lo-cal bookstore or library and thumb through some books. Then make your selection.

A functional resume is particularly use-ful for people who:

Have gaps in their work history Are reentering the workforce Have frequently changed jobs Are looking to transition into new

careers Dont exactly fit the mold of what

recruiters are looking for in the po-sitions they want

Like previously mentioned a CV is mainly for senior executives, lawyers, professors, physicians or scientists and is a much longer, more detailed document.

mixed

A combination of chronological and functional formats.

cV

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There are basic sections every resume must have - name and contact details (personal details), educa-tion, work history, and details regarding any additional skills or experience, training undertaken, com-puter skills, foreign languages spoken and professional associations you belong to. If you have been out of work recently, any voluntary work done during this time is also a good selling point.

Your resume should contain factual information on the details above. It should not contain your opinion on what you think you are good at. Whoever is reading your resume wants to see proof of these skills. So describe your skills by detailing your qualifications, responsibilities, and achievements - that is what you have actually done and when you did it. You will be asked what you think your strengths are at the interview stage. Section descriptions:

SECTIONS

woRk ExpERIEncE

Your work experience is one of the most im-portant sections of a resume. It outlines your past accomplishments and value at previous employers. This section should include:

Company Name Position Dates Employed Brief bullet points regarding accomplish-

ments/value proof for each position

contact InfoRMatIon

At the top of your resume should be your contact information. Typically, this section in-cludes:

Name Address Phone number (home/cell/work) Email address

RESUME objEctIVE

A resume objective is a brief statement de-scribing the position you want to be hired for. More recently, objectives have begun to be re-placed with personal brand statements. These statements are a more strategic approach to engaging the readers attention.

EdUcatIonal hIStoRy

The best placement depends on what you are trying to emphasize.

Place experience before education if you have five or more years of experience relat-ed to your goal. Hiring managers will be more interested in your job accomplishments than your education.

Place education before experience if you are a recent graduate or have less than five years of work experience. If you are changing careers and have continued your education to support your new goal, education should come first. Academic and scientific professionals typically place education before experience on their CVs.

On your Monster.ca resume, the Resume Builder will place your education after expe-rience. If you need to highlight educational credentials, use the Objective section as a career summary and mention your relevant education and training both here and in the designated Education section.

SkIllS

Your skills section should outline the various skills youve obtained either through educa-tion or previous job experience. Examples of skills one could include are:

Computer program proficiencies Administrative skills Budgeting experience

IN A RESUMETO INCLUDE

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While a resume is mainly about the content, it also needs to be visually appealing. A text-heavy resume with little white space can seem cluttered and un-readable. Make your resume attractive through the use of similar fonts and a combination of short paragraphs and bullets to highlight your career experience and subsequent accomplish-ments within each.

One of the worst mistakes someone can make on a resume is being sloppy. When writing your resume keep in mind the following:

APPEARANCE TEXT

Your resume needs to be free of spelling errors and grammatically correct. A first impression is everything, and if your resume contains silly errors, then your potential employer could view you as lazy or sloppy.

Use action verbs. Often, resumes contain phrases like responsible for when instead they should use action verbs such as: resolved, developed, reorga-nized, recruited, reversed, contributed, etc.

Simple, clean fonts like Arial or Verdana guarantee the readability of your text. For a font family such as Arial, using a font size of 10.5 to 12 points gives the best results. When in doubt, go with 11 points. It gives you excellent readabil-ity and allows you to fit a good amount of content into your application.

SocIal MEdIa pRofIlES on:

chEck oUt

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theobjectiVe

PART III

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Jobseekers have begun to create a resume ob-jective that reflects less of a job position objec-tive and more of a personal brand statement. Your personal brand is: Credible, relevant and expresses your

unique value. Consistent throughout your resume, cover

letter, online and personal networking. A key marketing tool in differentiating you

from the competition.

To determine your personal brand, which ap-pears directly below where your name, address and contact information appear, consider the following questions:

What is one word that describes you? (Think powerful words like: robust, resil-ient, tenacious, courageous, etc.)

What is your leadership style? (Are you a leader or a supporter?)

What is your communication style? (Are you a listener or more outspoken?)

What makes you stand out from another candidate? (Do you speak a second language? Are you a subject matter expert?)

PURPOSE OBJECTIVEOF THE OBJECTIVE PERSONAL BRAND STATEMENTVS.

Any one hiring manager typically spends no more than 30 to 60 seconds on an initial resume overview. Thus, an objective quick-ly tells employers which type of role they should keep you in mind for. Just like in the following example:

samPLe career objectiVe: To secure a mid-level Customer Service job with a respected employer in the hospital-ity or entertainment industries, with room for upward advancement based on perfor-mance.

You can see that a career objective is short and sweet, with just a sentence or two that describes the kind of job (and industry, if you want to be more specific) youd prefer to be hired for.

In addition to answering these questions, talk to your friends, family and others in your network. Make sure that your personal brand statement is consistent amongst those groups. an example of an objective and a per-sonal brand statement are:

objectiVe: To secure a position as a Retail Manager in a fast growing company.

PersonaL brand statement: Steadfast, committed and passionate sales leader, conceives and deploys creative pro-posals to overcome challenges and advance organizational measurables. Motivating and enthusiastic mentor and coach, instills own-ership to engage successful performance-driven teams. Intuitive and attentive listener, readily uncovers customer need to offer viable and enticing product solutions.

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PART IV

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PURPOSEOFACCOMPLISHMENTS

One of the most common mistakes is to write experience sections that read like job descrip-tions. Some job seekers go so far as to copy job descriptions word for word. The result is a boring recap of job duties with no indication of actual job performance. Instead, job seekers should position their past work experience in terms of accomplishments.

Hiring managers scan your resume looking for clues about what type of worker you are. If you show that you consistently produced positive results for previous employers, you will be seen as a desirable candidate. The key is to emphasize your accomplishments and provide proof of your potential value.

examPLes of accomPLishment statements:

Decreased cost of prepar-ing reports by an average of $1,000 per month by eliminat-ing unnecessary paper copies. This freed up funds that were used to hire a part-time sup-port person which enabled us to improve accuracy by elimi-nating errors from the previ-ous incumbents two per re-port to zero.

1Prepared a series of reports used in key decision making by senior executives. Reduced time required to prepare these reports by 25%, thereby help-ing management to make im-portant decisions faster.

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BEING SPECIFIC

Make these achievements as specific as pos-sible and highlight the information that your desired employer might want to know, such as quantifiable results (i.e. increased reve-nues from $250,000 in 2012 to $1.5 million in 2011 and tripled client base from 2,500 to 7,000). Wherever possible, include measur-able results of your work.

PROBLEM - ACTION - RESULT

Note that not everyone can release company performance figures. If presenting this infor-mation is a breach of confidentiality, find an-other way to present your accomplishments. For example, use percentages rather than ac-tual dollar figures.

Par stands for Problem Action Result and is a good starting point for thinking about your accomplishments.

What types of challenges did you face? What actions did you take to overcome the problems? What was the result of your efforts, and how did your performance benefit the company? Write down a list of your Par accomplishments and incorporate the most impressive ones into your resume.

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thesociaLresume

PART V

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WHAT IS YOUR SOCIAL RESUME?

WHY IS YOUR ONLINE BRAND IMPORTANT ?

Something else to consider when putting to-gether your resume, is your social resume. Social media has grown significantly over the past several years, and what this means for

Just like your resume, your social networks should reflect your professional self. Its be-coming the norm to create online profiles for yourself through social media. An employer then has the option of viewing information about you on several platforms, in addition to your standard resume.

job seekers is that more and more potential employers are looking to candidates social media profiles as a factor in evaluation.

While this gives you extra exposure, it also opens the door to making more errors. You need to be careful that what you write about yourself remains similar across the various profiles and platforms. Otherwise you are planting seeds of suspicion in the minds of po-tential employers about your honesty (or your attention to detail).

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start bY usinG Your name in a consistent, ProfessionaL waY.

What name appears atop your resume? It should be precisely the same one you use on your transitional business card, cover let-ters, and each social media profile you create for yourself. Sounds like a no-brainer. Except for people who have middle names, hyphenated names, or names that changed after marriage or di-vorce.

For instance one of Monster.cas career ex-perts is Mark David Swartz. Hes chosen not to use his middle name, David, in any of his profiles. Thus it would be a mistake for him to start using Mark David Swartz on his resume, but keep only Mark Swartz for his social media sites. It would confuse people who are search-ing for him online.

However if you happen to have a popular first and last name, like John (or Jane) Smith, the opposite may apply. It might actually be in your favour to start using your middle or hy-phenated name on all your marketing material and social media pages. Youd have a better chance of standing out.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR ONLINE BRAND MIRROR YOUR RESUME

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other common inconsistencies Here are some additional information bits that job seekers tend to switch around arbitrarily.

photoS

If youre going to use a different picture of yourself on each of your social media sites, just be sure that each one resembles the other. Big differences in appearance can trigger doubts about what you might be hid-ing. (Note: it is NOT necessary to include a photo of yourself on social media profiles, so dont feel that you have to).

cRoSS-pRoMotE yoURSElf foR bEttER RESUltS

Each of your communication touch points should give a similar message about you. And they should cross-promote you at every opportunity. Cross-promote? Yep. Your con-tact info atop your resume should contain the URLs for your social media pages. So should your transitional business card. Now youre letting people know exactly where to find you without them having to use a search engine.

tyIng It togEthERconSIStEntly, of coURSE.

The key to presenting yourself to potential employers in a uniform, easy to find way, is to use the same name for yourself and provide similar information about you across all of your marketing communications.

Included in this are your three foundational marketing pieces: your resume, cover letter and transitional business card. So is any virtual marketing you produce for yourself, e.g. social media profiles, a blog, personal website, comments you make on others blogs, and so on.

When harmonizing your content and contact information, proofread carefully to catch any errors. The extra care you put in today will avert employer distrust tomorrow.It can be a pain to re-enter this basic information on each social media site. But its essential that each time you do so, its exactly the same.

tItlES and datES of EMployMEnt

It can be a pain to re-enter this basic infor-mation on each social media site. But its essential that each time you do so, its ex-actly the same.

accoMplIShMEntS

Why do people insist on varying the info about their key achievements or skills from one profile to another? The one-step solution for this: copy and paste from your resume to your social media profiles. There, problem solved.

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examPLes of transitionaL business cards

Mai LeVanNetwork Administrator

tel: 702-416-2222email: Mlevan@services.com

Sam Harvinder- Sales Professional -

tel: 604-333-1111email: sam.harvinder@service.com

tel: 905.222.1616 // email: l.lee@services.com

Lena LeeCopywriter // Marketing Consultant

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cLosinG

PART VI

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You should constantly update your resume. Rather than trying to throw one together at the last minute, you should add accomplishments as they happen. This will make your accomplishments section much more impactful and accurate.

UPDATING YOUR RESUME

THINGS TO LEAVE OFF YOUR RESUME

The following information is unnecessary for a Canadian resume and should not be included:

Physical attributes

Origins

Marital status and sexuality

Personal beliefs

Problem areas

Religion

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