resume writing in a nutshell

8/2/2019 Resume Writing in a Nutshell

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Resume writing in a nutshellThe content for resume writing workshop has been developed by following students

1. Omkar Shivam2. Roli3. Namrata4. Swapnil5. Manjeet6. Nupur7. Ankit8. Manish


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Content developed byOmkar, Roli, Namrata, Swapnil, Manjeet, Nupur, Manish & Ankit

Table of Contents

Resume - a summary of your academic and work history. .............................................................. 4

It's the first meeting between you and a prospective employer... .................................................. 5

Resume Layout .................................................................................................................................. 6

TYPES OF RESUME ......................................................................................................................... 6

Chronological Resume: .................................................................................................................. 6

Functional Resume: ....................................................................................................................... 6

Hybrid Resume .............................................................................................................................. 6

Resume Objective...or Summary Statement....................................................................................... 6

How to Showcase Your Professional Experience ................................................................................ 7

Decide on What Accomplishments to Include .................................................................................... 8

Academic Credentials ................................................................................................................ 8

Professional Associations/Community Involvement ....................................................................... 8

OUTLINE OF A RESUME ..................................................................................................................... 9

Contact Information ...................................................................................................................... 9

Summary Statement ...................................................................................................................... 9

Professional Experience ................................................................................................................. 9

Academic Credentials .................................................................................................................... 9

Professional Organizations .......................................................................................................... 10

RESUME CHECKLIST ......................................................................................................................... 11

9. Of all the things to proofread again, look at your contact information. Make sure your phone

number(s) and email addresses are accurate. One wrong number or letter and you might never

know what you missed. ............................................................................................................ 11

Most frequent resume mistakes ...................................................................................................... 12

Including typos and other spelling or grammatical errors: .................................................... 12

Lengthy resume: .................................................................................................................. 12

No Dates Listed: ................................................................................................................... 12

Sending a resume without a cover letter: ............................................................................. 12

Poorly organized: ................................................................................................................. 12

Lying: ................................................................................................................................... 12

Using really small fonts: ....................................................................................................... 12

Really wide margins with content squeezed in the middle: .................................................. 13

Too personal: ....................................................................................................................... 13

Writing in the first person: ................................................................................................... 13


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TIPS FOR RESUME WRITING ............................................................................................................. 14

Know the purpose of your resume ............................................................................................... 14

Back up your qualities and strengths ........................................................................................... 14

Make sure to use the right keywords ........................................................................................... 14

Use effective titles ....................................................................................................................... 14

Use bullet points.......................................................................................................................... 14

Avoid negativity ........................................................................................................................... 15

Achievements instead of responsibilities ..................................................................................... 15

Analyze job ads ............................................................................................................................ 15

Get someone else to review your resume .................................................................................... 15

One or two pages ........................................................................................................................ 15

Use action verbs .......................................................................................................................... 15

No jargon or slang ....................................................................................................................... 16


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Resume - a summary of your academic and work history.

A resume is an advertisement of who you are in terms of your competencies,

accomplishments, and future capabilities. It is your chief marketing tool or calling card for

opening the doors of prospective employers.

From the applicants perspective, resumes are supposed to help get interviews which, in turn,

lead to job offers.

From the employers perspective, resumes are supposed to communicate value, i.e.; what

applicants will do for them.

When writing a resume, always remember that you are advertising yourself for an interviewand not for a job. An effective resume should make a prospective employer want to meet you

in person to discuss your qualifications and possible contributions to solving his or her

problems.

Only you should chart out your destiny

You should write your own resume; you should not imitate or plagiarize someone elses

resume and letters. You must begin from your own ground of experience in developing a

resume and letters which clearly communicate who you are, what you want to do, and whatyou are most likely to do in the future for an employer.

A resume is as much for ourselves as it is for future employers, as it reminds us of everything

weve done so that we have the confidence to continue to reach higher, to set new goals, and

to truly be a success.

A resume is a record of where youve come from and how hard youve worked to get where

you are, so even if you dont feel the need to write a resume for employment purposes, you

should do it for yourself so that you dont forget one skill, certification, or experience that

youve obtained to get you to where you are.

A resume is something that most employers associate with high quality people, individuals

that have the experience, motivation, and credentials to get the job done.


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Employers truly do use resumes as a screening process, and often times it doesnt matter how

well qualified you are, if you cant bother to submit a resume they wont bother to consider

you for employment.

In addition to writing a resume youll also want to write a great cover letter. A cover letter is

something that you will attach to the resume to explain what you are applying for and why.

Benefits of building a resume

A specially tailored resume can get your readers attention, generate interest and

position you above your competition, including those who may be more qualified

than you.

Preparing your resume is a self- assessment process that will sharpen your ability to

articulate your value while networking, interviewing and negotiating offers.

Youll get a confidence boost when you see in print all that you have accomplished.

Confidence and your sense of worth are important factors in job search process.

A good resume can help structure the interview and keep a meandering interviewer

focused on your strengths.

It's the first meeting between you and a prospective employer...

"First impressions are lasting ones." Well, your resume is the first meeting between you and a

prospective employer more often now than ever. So, how do you want to be remembered?

Wrinkled and unorganized. Neat and structured. Long and boring. Precise and interesting.

Resumes tell an employer a great deal about you. Where you have been, where you are and

where you are headed. However, the story must be told quickly and clearly. You only have a

few moments to convince the employer that your resume deserves further attention before its

trashed. Your resume needs to shoutPROFESSIONALLY , I am the one you want on

your team,so much that even if you are not appropriate for the advertised position, he or

she would be inclined to start one for you.


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Resume Layout

Your resume layout - meaning the sections you include in your resume and how you present

them - is important to get right. Busy recruiters and hiring managers don't have time to hunt

for the information they need in order to decide on whether your background fits their needs.

TYPES OF RESUME

Chronological Resume:This type of resume is used most frequently. With this format ,

you present information in reverse chronological order(most recent first) and give a detailed

account of education, work experiences and other relevant skills.

Functional Resume:This type of resume includes functional skill categories that

highlight work experiences and transferable skills. A functional resume may be used if your

experience and /or education do not support your professional objective.

Hybrid Resume: This type of resume includes functional skill categories that highlight

work experience and transferable skills within the reverse chronological listing of work

history.

Resume Objective...or Summary Statement

I have some definite advice to give you here, but keep in mind that there is no right answer.

Ultimately, you need to choose a solution that's best for your personal situation. That being

said, I advise my candidates to forego an Objective statement and opt instead for a Summary

of their relevant skills. I do this for a couple of reasons...

The Problem with an Objective

Objectives can really only fall into one of two categories - generic, so no one can argue with

it; or narrowly defined, which limits your options in a job search.

An objective that's very generic does not add anything of substance to your

credentials.

An objective must be specifically tailored to each opportunity you're applying to. Fail

to customize each resume submission and you're likely to land in the "NO" pile. If the


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opening is for a senior sales professional, but it's an individual contributor role - and

your objective is sales management...what's going to happen to your resume?

You can't always tell from a job advertisement, or a networking contact, what the real

scope of the role is.

The objective section in the resume increases your opportunity to grab the attention of the

employer and raise your chances of getting short listed. Shortly speaking, it is the

introduction that provides the instant sense of how you would fit into the advertised position.

This section is positioned in the beginning of the resume after the candidate's contact details.

As it is the beginning part of the resume, it should be effective enough to hold the interest of

the employer in reading your further details.

Need of Objective Section in the Resume:

Students applying for trainee jobs or internships can use objective section to explain

the recruiter what they stand to gain from a young applicant with little experience.

Entry-level candidates and recent graduates often use resume objectives in order to

give focus to a resume that does not yet include much job experience. The same is

applicable for people with only one or two years of job experience.

Those in artistic careers, where the latest experience doesn't essentially reflect the

breadth of candidate's creative abilities, use them to show how applicant's creativity

can be applied to gain outcome in the employer's area.

How to Showcase Your Professional Experience

Keep in mind that hiring managers and recruiters want to see your professional experience in

reverse chronological order - that means, the your resume layout should start with your most

recent experience and working back to your earliest positions. The list might look like this

Company

Location

Dates of Employment

Title

Brief Description of what the company does, including a scope statement (i.e. revenue

size, number of employees, locations, etc.)


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Decide on What Accomplishments to Include

You'll need to incorporate some of your most significant accomplishments in each position

you've held. An accomplishment should be included if it provides a good example of the

scope of your work effort and authority. Think strong action verbs and metrics as you put this

section together.

As you're building your list of accomplishments, include as many as you can think of for each

position you've held. You'll eventually need to edit this list, but brainstorming now can help

you draft a top notch document - and help to prepare you for upcoming interviews.

Academic Credentials

Unless you are just entering the workforce and have little experience to talk about, Academic

credentials should appear after your work experience in your resume layout. If you've

attended an Ivy League school, you might mention this in your Summary (e.g. Wharton MBA

with 10 years of finance experience...), but generally speaking, you want to include your

academic experience towards the end of your document.

Professional Associations/Community Involvement

In this final section of your resume layout, include only those organizations in which you are

currently active, unless you've held a leadership position worth mentioning.


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OUTLINE OF A RESUME

Contact Information

In this section, you'll list your basic contact information: name, address, phone numbers, and

email address.

Summary Statement

A summary statement will take the place of an objective on your resume. It's a short narrative

that highlights your key skills. It's easiest to actually write this section after the rest of your

resume is completed.

Professional Experience

Present your experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your present position

and working backwards until your first professional experience, Post College. For each

employer, you'll need to include the following:

Name of EmployerBrief description of the employer

Location (City/State)

Dates of Employment

Position Titles & Dates

Short description of your responsibilities (i.e. your job description)

Selected accomplishments for each role. What did you do to distinguish

yourself in each position you held?

Academic Credentials

Make a note of the schools you attended (post high school!), and degrees conferred. If you

have attended professional training programs, list those as well. If you've received any special

academic recognition, like a scholarship or academic award, make a note of those as well.


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Professional Organizations

List all of the professional organizations you belong to, and any officer positions held. You

can include any volunteer activity here as well.

That's it! You're done. If you did not spend much time on listing your accomplishments, go

back and revisit that area.

Accomplishments are the most important part of your resume. They bring your experience to

life for the hiring manager, so make sure that you think through this section carefully.


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RESUME CHECKLIST

1. Proofread again and again. Check for grammar, spelling errors and consistency. Beespecially consistent in typing every accomplishment and every activity in the past

tense. Do not switch from past to present tense.

2. Do not use the pronoun "I". Just don't.o Show your enthusiasm! You want the employer to sit up and take notice.

Energy and excitement are contagious

3. If you go into too much detail about your work experience, you will bore the reader todeath. Employers want relevant information, but they don't want to be inundated with

every aspect of the position you held. They are not especially concerned if you

opened the mail or filed personnel records.

4. Are you using good quality paper? White, off white, off off whiteyou get the idea.Make sure it is at least 24 lb paper.

5. Exclude all personal information, such as weight, height, age, etc.. It probably will nothelp your chances at all.

6. Does your resume have a clear and concise Objective Statement? If it doesn't, youprobably ought to consider it, unless you have a good reason not to

7. Have you told the truth? Presenting your accomplishments and skills in the bestpossible light is highly recommended. If you start leaning toward stretching the truth,

then you might be crossing a very important line.

8. Does the overall layout of your resume look pleasing to the eye? That is a hard thingto qualify, yes. Having someone else give you their opinion might be the best

approach here. After all, you have looked at this piece of paper for days or weeks by

now, right?

9.Of all the things to proofread again, look at your contact information. Make sure yourphone number(s) and email addresses are accurate. One wrong number or letter and

you might never know what you missed.


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Most frequent resume mistakes

Including typos and other spelling or grammatical errors:Before you

send out your resume, make sure you have proofread it several times. Many hiring

managers will automatically throw away a resume that has typos or other errors.

Lengthy resume:Surveyed managers reported that resumes only get a 15 second

review. "More is not better," noted Martha, an HR Director. "Long careers often

travel into numerous pages and important accomplishments get lost. We won't read

anything beyond a page especially with so many people applying."

No Dates Listed:From a recruiter's perspective, candidates eliminate dates on their

resumes for only one reason: to hide information, such as a history of job-hopping or

a long period of unemployment. As an alternative, Mr. Hughes suggests focusing only

on the last 10 to 15 years of your professional experience.

Sending a resume without a cover letter:One of the worst things you can do is

send a great resume without an official introduction. Resumes and cover letters should

be inseparable. Make sure you don't give up your chance to really sell yourself with a

cover letter.

Poorly organized:Information on a resume should be listed in order of

importance to the reader. Don't ask employers to wade through your hobbies first.

Dates of employment are not as important as job titles. Education should be

emphasized if you are freshly out of school and have little work experience;

otherwise, put it at the end. If your resume is difficult to read or key information is

buried, it's more likely to be cast aside.

Lying:Employers reported they are on the lookout for the significant increase in lies

or serious exaggerated claims made in people's resumes. Common deceptions include

accomplishments, salary, or size of the team managed. Helen, an HR Executive

Recruiter inside a prominent company, wrote on her survey form: "Never, ever, lie.

One person I hired lied about having a college degree when she did not have one. We

fired her when the lie was uncovered."

Using really small fonts:Really small fonts are hard to read and don't photocopy

as well. (That applies to your address block as well.) What's too small? Generally

don't go smaller than a 10 point


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Really wide margins with content squeezed in the middle: Your margins

should be at least one half inch. You really don't need more than one inch.

Too personal:If your Web site includes photos of your cat or your personal blog

about what you did over the weekend, don't steer prospective employers there byincluding it on your resume. Keep your personal and your professional life separate in

order to be taken seriously.

Writing in the first person:Your resume is not a personal correspondence, and

should not include words such as "I," "my," and "me." Save the first person pronouns

for your cover letter.


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TIPS FOR RESUME WRITING

Know the purpose of your resume

Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result

they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job

hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview, and the interview will land you

the job (hopefully!).

Back up your qualities and strengths

Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative,

problem solver) tries to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words,

you need to back these qualities and strengths up; else it will appear that you are just trying to

inflate things.

Make sure to use the right keywords

Most companies (even smaller ones) are already using digital databases to search for

candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific

keywords. Guess what, if your resume doesnt have the keywords related to the job you are

applying for, you will be out even before the game starts.

Use effective titles

Like it or not, employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds.

Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the

resume, so make sure they grab the attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the

employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example:

Bad Title: Accounting

Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping

Use bullet points

No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure,

therefore, to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational

background and professional objectives.


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Avoid negativity

Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is

valid both to your resume and to interviews. You dont need to include, for instance, things

that you hated about your last company.

Achievements instead of responsibilities

Resumes that include a long list of responsibilities included are plain boring, and not

efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your

professional achievements.

Analyze job ads

You will find plenty of useful information on job ads. Analyze no only the ad that you will be

applying for, but also those from companies on the same segment or offering related

positions. You should be able to identify what profile they are looking for and how the

information should be presented.

Get someone else to review your resume

Even if you think you resume is looking kinky, it would be a good idea to get a second and

third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so

another people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and

make appropriate suggestions.

One or two pages

The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists,

however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that,

provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.

Use action verbs

A very common advice to job seekers is to use action verbs. But what are they? Action verbs

are basically verbs that will get noticed more easily, and that will clearly communicate what

your experience or achievement were.


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No jargon or slang

It should be common sense, but believe me, it is not. Slang should never be present in a

resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are

talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the

person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise.


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Student Resume Sample

FIRSTNAME LASTNAME

67-61 75th Street

Anytown, NY 00000

(555) 555-5555 [email protected]

87 Washington Street

Hopedale, NY 11233

(555) 555-5555

[email protected]

EDUCATION

XYZ University

Bachelor of Arts, May 2000

Major: Psychology. Minor: Studio Art

Hopedale, NY

BRITISH AMERICAN COLLEGE OF LONDON

Student during the semester of Spring 1999

London, ENGLAND

EXPERIENCE

Fall

1999

AMERICA READS PROJECT

Tutor

Assisted children ages 6-7 with the

fundamentals of reading

Aided with capitalization, punctuation and

printing

Read stories aloud, entreating children to

address content

Helped with other activities, from math

assignments to art projects

Eased frustration by providing support and

encouragement

Hopedale, NY

1997- XXX CAREER SERVICES Hopedale, NY


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1999 Office Assistant

Gathered alumni career surveys and

updated hundreds of data files utilizing

Microsoft Access

Maintained employer literature and

credential, counseling and recruiting

information files

Compiled materials needed for mailing of

credential requests

Performed various administrative duties

Summer

1999

CITYARTS, INC.

Intern

Researched corporate and foundation

funding sources, using resources at the

Foundation Center

Drafted preliminary correspondence with

possible philanthropists

Prepared grant applications and supporting

materials

Helped with fundraising events such as

benefit auctionProvided general office support

New York, NY

Summer

1999

MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

Artist Assistant

Supervised young participants in painting

workshop

Aided children in the creative process by

New York, NY


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providing support with painting

Assisted the lead artist in all phases of

project implementation, from hanging

canvases to cleaning workspace

Fall

1995

NEW YORK PUBLIC INTEREST

RESEARCH GROUP

Volunteer

Collaborated with others to rebuild a

brownstone in Brooklyn under the auspices

of Habitat for HumanityRecruited others to participate in NYPIRG

meetings and events

Posted material around the Queens College

campus which advocated public awareness

of issues

Flushing, NY

SPECIAL SKILLS/TRAVEL

Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Netscape, and research databases, including PsychInfo.

Travel throughout Europe.


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Amy L. Cherwin

336 W. Chugalug Way, Sentinel, WY 33666

c: 444-222-4339 e: [email protected]

Experience Dec. '04 - Present Manpower Temporary Services Naperville, IL

Independent Contractor

Assigned to GE Silicones in the industrial sales division. Responsible for analysis of monthly, weekly, and, daily sales reports. Responsible for scheduling training classes, seminars, and conferences.

June '98 - Dec. '04 Minnesota Life Insurance Barrington, IL

Administrative Secretary

Primary responsibility was research and design of sales and training presentations. Responsible for scheduling a three person sales and training staff.

March '98 - June '98 SBC Warburg Dillon Reed Chicago, IL

Facilities Assistant

Responsible for balancing a $7 million dollar facilities budget. Responsible for scheduling maintenance calls, staff meetings, office relocation's, and

construction projects.

May '96 - May '97 KSMR Radio 92.5/94.3FM Winona, MN

General Manager

In charge of a 36 member staff, as well as a 7 member management team, with duties that

include disciplinary actions, budgeting, special requests, program scheduling, and hiring.

Balancing a $15,000 dollar budget, as well as chairing a committee to receive a grant for

increasing station amenities such as wattage, equipment, space, and music library.

May '95 - May '97 KSMR Radio 92.5/94.3FM Winona, MN


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Sports Director

Responsible for a 3 member broadcast staff, with standard duties that includedscheduling daily on-air sports reports, scheduling all on-air game broadcasts,

maintaining all broadcast equipment, training broadcast team, and making travel

arrangements for broadcast team.

Responsible for a weekly sports talk show, with duties that include scheduling guests,doing background research, and running the production board.

Education St. Mary's University of Minnesota Winona, MN

Resume Example for an Administrative Assistant / Office Manager

John Applicant

1 23 Main Street

Albany, NY 12345

(111) (111 -1111)

[email protected]

Experience

Office Manager

National Painting Society, New York, NY

June 2007 - Present

Maintenance of office library, including cataloging, distribution, and record keeping

Assuring office is neat, and stocked with necessary tools for functionalityMember management, including email reminders, member roster, and records of

financial dues

Assist with planning and execution of all society events

Management of summer interns including interviewing, tasks delegation, and

scheduling


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Administrative Assistant

Saratoga Springs City Hall, Saratoga Springs, NY

September 2003- May 2004

Assist clientele as they enter office and via phone

Perform filing, data management, drafting and editing short office memos

Assist with all other office administrative duties

Office Assistant

Skid mire College, Saratoga Springs, NY

September 2002- May 2004

Inputting data, office errands, internship and alumni updates

Scheduling appointments and assisting students register and find information

Education

Hunter College

May 2002

Bachelor of Arts in English, department honors

Skills

Mastery of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Acess)

Experience with maintaining office budget

Ability to work with several operating systems, including Windows, Mac OSX and

Linux

resume writing in a nutshell

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