Resume Resume Writing Writing Abhishek Shukla (IMB2010027)

Soumajit Gosh (IMB2010036)

Road Map0Role of the Resume0Types of Resumes0Resume Formats0Resume Sections0Additional Documentation0Miscellaneous Tips0Miscellaneous Tilts0Sample Resumes

What is a Resume?0 A marketing tool

0 Your first tool for building a career0 The first impression a prospective employer has of you0 A selling tool that allows you to highlight to an employer how

you can contribute to the company0 Request for an interview

0 Purpose of the resume is to get you an interview0 Must capture the reader’s interest and attention0 Must convince the employer that you have the ability to fill

their position0 Your “big picture”

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

Types of Resumes0 A Paper/PDF Resume

0 A printed resume for use at job fairs, conferences, …0 Should be clean, concise, professional, and pleasing to the eye0 Use bullets, bolding, and indentation0 Take this resume with you on job interviews, career breakfasts, …

0 An Electronic Resume0 A plain text resume for on-line submission0 Typically must conform to employer specifications0 Use left-justified and space indented formatting0 If desired, use “+”, “*”, and “0” to represent bullets

0 An HTML Resume0 Typically includes links to homepage, images, … 0 Avoid this type of resume0 Most people don’t want an employer walking around in their homepage

Resume Formats - Chronological0Highlight your work

experience in reverse chronological order

0Be sure to not leave gaps

0The most widely used format for working professionals

Cut off

Resume Formats - Functional0Highlight specific

skills for which the market has high demand

0 Seldom used by new graduates

0Frequently used to change jobs or careers

Again, cut off

Resume Formats - Combinational0Highlight specific work

experience0Highlight marketable

skills0Use reverse

chronological order0The best resume style for

most college students

I would prefer bullets

The Silver Bullet0 What Is Your “Story”?

0 What slant can you take on your resume?0 Do you want to emphasize internship experience?0 Do you want to emphasize work experience?0 Do you want to emphasize course work?0 Do you want to emphasize project experience?0 Do you want to emphasize research experience?0 Do you want to emphasize personal traits?

0 What is unique or interesting about your college experience?0 My Recommendation

0 If you have an interesting internship – emphasize it – if not get one!0 Most UW-EC graduates have interesting project experience0 Build on your liberal arts education!!!0 Demonstrate leadership, communication, cultural awareness

Standard Resume Sections

0Header0Objective0Education0Honors/Activities0Work Experience0Relevant Courses0Skills0Projects

Move toward bottom

I prefer other order

The Header Section0 The first line should be your name

0 Larger than the largest font used in body0 Avoid using decorative fonts0 Don’t use black or gray shaded backgrounds0 Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., …

0 Include contact address0 Permanent address0 Current address

0 Include your email address0 Use your UWEC email address 0 Don’t use “BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM”

0 Include your phone number0 Change the message machine to be appropriate

The Objective Section0 Considered optional but I strongly suggest including it

0 Make statement clear, concise, and to the point0 Bad: “I want to get a job”0 Weak: “To attain an internship in the computer industry.”0 Good: “To attain an internship in the computer industry

working with database or network security.”0 Avoid being overly specific to single company

0 “To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working on …”0 I prefer objectives from the company’s perspective

0 “To attain a web application programming position where knowledge of Java and the Struts framework will add value the overall development process.”

The Honors/Activities Section

0 Should only contain honors and awards earned during your time in college

0 You can include academic or extracurricular items0 I prefer only academic or service-related items

0 Include a brief description if not self-evident from title0 “Award given to top performer on the capstone exam”

0 Don’t include hobbies or activities not related to the job or your story0 Good to include leadership positions in CS-related organizations0 Good to list membership in CS-related organizations

0 Don’t include volunteer work unless there is a direct and positive link with the job or your story

This section should scream “I am a leader”This section should scream “I am a leader”

The Work Experience Section0 Dedicated to most recent and relevant employment0 Format

0 Employer and location on the first line0 Don’t need name of supervisor, complete address, or contact information

0 Position and time-span on the second line0 Use only year, not month and year (avoids time gaps)

0 Each position should have at least two bullets0 Explain role and contributions0 Don’t emphasize duties but rather emphasize outcomes

0 “Increased efficiency of … by 20%”0 “Improved user navigation experience on …”

0 Descriptions should be consistent in wording0 Watch the tense

0 Current job uses present tense0 Former jobs use past tense

Employers wantproblem solvers

The Relevant Courses Section0 The keyword is relevant courses

0 Don’t include Foundations of Computing0 Don’t include Algorithms and Data Structures0 Focus on courses the are either unique or would normally be

considered elective0Computer Security0Computer Graphics0Artificial Intelligence0Computer Networks0Database Systems0Data Mining

0 Employers will assume you have had the rest

The Skills Section0 This is where you emphasize your technical skills

0 Programming Languages0 Put in order of familiarity0 Can use “Exposure to:” as the only modifier if you wish

0 Platforms0 Nice to list Windows and Linux

0 Packages0 Eclipse, Oracle 9i, MS SQL Server, ClearCase, Rational Rose, …0 We make a concerted effort to use “real” products so make a

concerted effort to list them

0 Development Methodologies0 Rational Unified Process, Extreme Programming, Agile Development

The Projects Section0 Used correctly, this section can set you apart from other new

graduates0 Most new grads don’t get the opportunity to use this section

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

0 Each project should have at least two bullets (focus on outcomes)“Market Basket Analysis System

0 Designed and implemented a Java application for predicting future purchases based on a probabilistic analysis of past purchase records

0 Deployed system as a web service using XML and SOAP and an Oracle database on the backend

0 Used synchronized threads to increase overall throughput of the system to handle up to 50 client requests per second”

Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (1)

0 Why do I need to write a cover letter?0 Use the cover letter to focus attention on elements of your

background that are particularly relevant to the company0 Letter acts as your verbal introduction to the employer

0 Send it to a person, not a place0 Avoid “To Whom It May Concern,”0 Worst case “Dear Recruiter:”

0 First sentence should tell why you are writing0 “I am writing in regard to your posting listed on …”0 “Dr. Wagner at UW – Eau Claire suggested that I …”0 “As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at …”0 If unsolicited, indicate why you are interested in the company

Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (2)

0 Highlight your skills0 Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth description of

your selling points0 Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved to

different location in text)0 Close with a promise of action

0 If possible, indicating that you will be contacting them in the near future to set up a mutually acceptable meeting time or to further discuss your qualifications

0 Nice if you can say “during my Winter Break, between December 28 and January 12, I will be in your Minneapolis. I will contact your office when I arrive to arrange a possible meeting time”

Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter (3)

Supporting Documentation – References

0 Prepare a separate reference sheet0 Use same paper as the resume itself0 Bring reference sheet (and resume) with you to any interviews,

job fairs, career breakfasts, …0 Do not mail reference sheet with resume and cover letter

0 Reference sheet is a stand-alone document0 Should include your Header from the resume0 Try to arrange contact information in pleasing fashion

0 Use professional references only0 Pick individuals that think highly of you0 Pick individuals that are familiar with your work

0 Always ask your references before using their names0 Be prepared to give supporting materials – courses, projects, …0 Ask again if it has been a while

Scannable Resumes0 Most large employers will scan your resume into a central

database0 Tips to assist the scanning process

0 Don’t use italics, underlining, or graphics0 Use bold only for headers0 Use “scanner-friendly” fonts (Serif or Sans Serif fonts)

0 Times New Roman, Courier, Helvetica, or Arial are good examples0 Font sizes of between 9 and 12

0 Use black ink on white background0 Tips to assist the retrieval process

0 Most lookup is keyword-based0 Samples: Unix, C++, Java, hardware, networking, trouble-

shooting, testing, security, data mining, …

Tips on Delivery of Your Resume

0 Posting Online0 “rules” are still emerging0 Common mistake – formatting that doesn’t make the trip

0 Convert to text only0 Use PDF if allowed0 Proofread carefully after conversion

0 If they ask about salary, leave it empty0 If they force salary, be honest but don’t shoot for the moon

0 Emailing your resume0 Attach resume as a PDF document (or Word document)

0 75 – 80% of companies are running Windows0 Also include text version in the email message

0 Attachments can get dropped or filtered0 Test before deploy

0 Send to at least three friends, ask them to print it and send it back to you

Miscellaneous Tips (1)0Use action words in your descriptions

Miscellaneous Tips (2)

0 Act like a professional0 Avoid cutesy or inappropriate graphics, images, formats, …

0 One page only0 You are a fresh graduate, don’t assume that the one-page rule

doesn’t apply to you!0 Stick to the truth

0 Don’t sprinkle buzzwords in that you really don’t understand0 It speaks volumes about your character when you can’t

explain your own resume0 Focus on achievements and results

0 Laundry lists of duties are not impressive

Miscellaneous Tips (3)0 Use easy-to-read language

0 Winston Churchill - “Use short, old words.”0 Get the words and punctuation correct

0 Errors and “broken English” are the kiss of death0 Follow the instructions

0 If the company asks for specific information, then give it to them

0 Follow up0 If you said you would call, then call

0 Maintain a consistent writing style0 Avoid “To apply …” then “Applying …”

0 Avoid the use of “I” or “my”

Miscellaneous Tilts (1)

0 USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS0 Much harder to read

0 Avoid whitespace0 Use white space (not borders) to break sections apart

0 Include a picture of yourself0 You’re not THAT good looking!

0 Use several fonts to catch their attention0 Creates a “ransom note” effect

0 Print your resume on “day glow” paper0 Be professional

0 Illogical Order Use0 Resume is a story – put most interesting parts at the beginning

Would you hirethis guy?

Print your resume on “day glow” paperPrint your resume on “day glow” paper

How about him?

Miscellaneous Tilts (2)0 Focus on you and your needs

0 Employers have better things to do than hear about you0 They want to know “what can you do for me”

0 Use templates to construct your resume0 Give cookie-cutter look0 Lacks flexibility to your “silver bullet”

0 Use superlatives to emphasis your work0 Great performance as …0 Stick to the facts and figures – not an evaluation of yourself

0 Use long flowing sentences0 Short and to the point0 Sentence fragments are fine if they are understandable – BUT

NOT IN THE COVER LETTER!!!!!

Don’t Make These Famous Mistakes

0 “Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting”

0 “Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet”

0 “Proven ability to track down and correct errors.”

0 “Accomplishments: Oversight of entire department”

0Cover Letter: “Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you Shorty!”

Good Examples (1)

Good Examples (2)

Bad Examples (1)

Bad Examples (2)