Resume Online Workshop

Resume Writing Online Workshop

Copyright 2012, Wellesley College Center for Work and Service

• Chronological: lists experiences in reverse time order

• Functional: organized according to specific skill categories

• Combination: includes elements of both chronological and functional formats

• Curriculum Vitae (C.V.): for use in academic or medical careers with a comprehensive listing of professional history and achievements; may run multiple pages

• Federal Resume: requires specific formatCopyright 2012, Wellesley College Center for Work and Service

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Types of Resumes

• A resume is an effective self-assessment tool to review and highlight your accomplishments.

• Use spacing to make your resume easy to read. Cluttered resumes are easily ignored!

• You may want to list everything that you have done in a master resume file, then pick and choose what may be relevant to the position or employer.

• For undergraduates and recent graduates: create a one-page resume. Present only experiences and skills that showcase your candidacy.

• The audience reads from top to bottom, left to right. What would you like people to see first? What impression do you want to create from the onset?

• Describe and quantify your experiences when possible. Focus on specific accomplishments.

• A resume is a factual summary of your experience –include current and past activities only.

• First-years and sophomores: high school experiences are still relevant.

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Resume Strategy


Required Sections• Contact information

• Education

• Experience (or specific types of experiences, e.g., Research Experience, Work Experience, Relevant Experience, Other Experience, etc.)

• Extracurricular activities, leadership, and/or service experience

• Skills, including language, laboratory skills and/or computer

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Three Examples of Contact Information

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Jennifer M. Hardy103 West StreetActon, MD 20901203-365-5522

[email protected]

JENNIFER M. [email protected]

21 Wellesley College Road, Unit 2233 103 West StreetWellesley, MA 02481

Acton, MD 20901339-555-0102

203-365-5522

Jennifer M. Hardy21 Wellesley College Road ● Unit 2233 ● MA 02481 ● 339-555-0102103 West Street, Acton, MD 20901 ● 203-365-5522 ●

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Education• College(s) attended; include study abroad, summer school(s)

• Degree(s)

• Year(s) of graduation

• Major(s), minor(s), concentration(s)

• Related coursework

• GPA and honors (optional; include if above a 3.0/4.0)

• High school (optional)

• For current students, education will usually be the first section on the resume

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EDUCATION

WELLESLEY COLLEGE, Wellesley, MABachelor of Arts in Japanese; minor in Art History; expected May 2010.Coursework includes: Japanese Area Studies, Asian Art and Architecture, Women Filmmakers.GPA 3.3/4.0

Kobe University, Kobe, Japan, Sept. 2008 – May 2009Studied abroad and participated in Japanese culture. Taught Englishas a Second Language to Japanese high school students.Coursework included: History of Japan, Japanese Literature, and Landscaping Painting of East Asia. All courses taught in Japanese.

EXPERIENCE

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Example of Education


Experience

List items in reverse chronological order.

May include: Past internships Summer, on-campus, and part-time jobs Community service or volunteer experience Academic projects Campus activities Leadership

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National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MDResearch Intern. Recruited subjects for research study related to ovarian cancer. Assisted with interviewing subjects. Complied and analyzed data. Wrote report and presented to physicians on team. Summer 2009

Legal Assistant Spring 2009 - present

LEGAL SERVICES AND COUNSELING CENTER Boston, MAVolunteer at a non-profit agency that provides free legal services to low-income citizens. Research background material to prepare for cases. Obtain medical records, retrieve court documents, update materials in law library, and prepare outreach mailings. Observe legal proceedings.

JFK School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Summer 2009Women’s Leadership Initiative InternWrote successful grant to support an endowed chair; managed student registration for annual conference; met with Kennedy School applicants to answer questions about the Initiative; participated in the Mentor Program; assisted with web development.

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Examples of Experience


Writing Experience Descriptions

• Each entry should have a position or title, organization name, date, location, and description of your responsibilities and accomplishments, using action verbs to highlight skill sets.

• The first sentence of the description should summarize functions you performed and describe the organization, if the purpose of the organization is not immediately clear to readers.

• If there are multiple positions within the same organization, e.g. “Wellesley College,” create one heading/location, and list all positions under it, separated by date.

• Quantify accomplishments when possible.

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Experience Descriptions – continued• To highlight a specific skill area or area of expertise, group experiences with similar themes in one section, e.g. “Research Experience”

• To better focus a broad range of experiences, group all relevant experiences, paid or otherwise, in a “Relevant Experience” section.

• Experienced workers should list their experiences before the “Education” section.

• Articulate functions you can perform rather than describe responsibilities. For example, “entered client phone numbers and addresses” can be stated as “maintained client contact information.”

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Other Experience• Jobs not directly related to current career or internship objective may be listed in “Other Experience”

• Use the same format as in the “Experience” section, or use a short listing format if not as relevant or short on space, e.g.:

Server, Friday’s Restaurant, Boston, MA, 2007 – present

• First-years and sophomores may want to expand on these positions

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Extracurricular Activities and Leadership• Use “Leadership” as category heading if

applicable. Expand the description if useful to show the skills and tasks involved, e.g.,Publicity Chair, Wellesley College Asian Student Union, 2008-09Planned and promoted lectures and social events for a 300-member student organization. Presided over team meetings to implement over 20 events during the school year.

Or, use a shortened listing:Student Tutor, Wellesley College Chemistry Department, Spring 2008

• Extracurricular activities:

Admissions Tour Guide Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, Fall 2008 – presentGreet and lead perspective students and parents on campus tours. Answer inquiries on academic and student life.

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Extracurricular Activities and Leadership – continued• Be selective and strategic about what you list where

• If you are active in organizations related to your field of interest, list the activity under “Relevant Experience” e.g., if you are pursuing a position in journalism and were an editor for the Wellesley News, categorize the editor position as “relevant”

• List committee assignments, budget responsibilities, fundraising events, specific outcomes, etc.

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Examples of Skills• Computer – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Adobe Dreamweaver and Photoshop; SPSS; and internet research (i.e. Lexis/Nexus)

• Language - bilingual in English and Spanish; proficient in German; knowledge of Hindi

• Laboratory - titrations, analyzers and experience handling lab animals

• Other - CPR certification, aerobics instructor, concert flutist, 6 years competitive figure skater

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Optional Sections

• Objective

• Awards and honors

• Interests or additional information

• References are not required on a resume but can be included on a separate sheet

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Optional Sections: Objective• If you are using an objective, it should enhance the resume, e.g. help describe the transition if you are switching fields, highlight skill sets, or specify positions you will consider.

• Be specific and concise about the position and industry or organization that you seek, highlight key skill areas.

Objective: To obtain an editorial position in magazine publishing to further enhance writing skills and journalism experience.

• Your objective should be further explained in a cover letter.

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Optional Sections – continuedMore for a C.V. than a resume

• Professional associations

• Publications

• Presentations

• Research

• Licenses and certifications

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Federal Resumes

• Very different from private industry resumes, typically longer than one page

• Has many requirements for details in your background (e.g. SSN, announcement number for position desired, citizenship, previous pay)

• Federal resume builder and tips are online: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Most_Effective_Resumes

• See sample resume at:http://www.sec.gov/jobs/jobs_sampleres.shtml

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Resume Format

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• Layout: logical, easy-to-read, sufficient margins (minimum ½”), and consistent placement of job title, organization name, job description, dates and location

• Text: traditional fonts (Times, Arial), at least 10-point

• Style: highlight using bold, CAPS, italics, underline

• Paper: if sending hard copy, use matching bond paper for both resume and cover letter

• Bullets vs. paragraphs: whatever you prefer!


Sample Action Verbs• acquire

• budget

• conduct

• develop

• edit

• facilitate

• generate

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• help

• improve

• investigate

• initiate

• manage

• market

• negotiate

• observe

• plan

• question

• represent

• schedule

• supervise

• train

• update

• verify

• write


Proofing the Resume

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• Proofread, proofread, proofread!

• Read it backwards

• Check your verb tense: if you are currently performing the job function, use the present tense. Otherwise, use the past tense.

• Delete unnecessary words/sentences

• Avoid abbreviations (except degrees and states)

• Do not use personal pronouns

• Review dates and numbers for accuracy


Resume Submission

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Follow the directions on employer’s Web site. There are several forms of submission:

• Upload the electronic file to the organization’s secure database via an internet connection

• Email electronic resume file as an attachment• Be sure the file contains your name and position desired (e.g., JenParkGalleryAsst.doc)

• To preserve font and formatting, save the file as a PDF using Adobe Acrobat (e.g., JenParkGalleryAsst.pdf)

• Cut sections from your resume file and paste onto employer’s resume builder on their Web site

• Send hard copy 8”x11.5” on bond paper along with your cover letter


General Resume Worksheet

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1. Know the position and industry you are seeking2. From your list of experiences, which ones are the

most relevant? What should be included on one-page to present yourself best?

3. Organize experiences according to your resume sections (Relevant Experience, Work Experience, Extracurricular Activities and Leadership, etc.)

4. List skills and/or interests.5. Prioritize according to what you want the reader

to see first.6. Your goal is to get an interview.


How the CWS Can Help

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• Extensive information on resume writing, including sample resumes, special concerns, and a list of action verbs is on CWS Web site, http://new.wellesley.edu/cws/career

• For Wellesley students, quick resume reviews are available during daily drop-in sessions. Please bring a hard copy.

• Counselors can meet with students and Wellesley alumnae in an appointment to discuss the best strategy for presenting yourselves on a resume.


Career

Resume Online Workshop