Résumé Workshop

University of Miami School of Law

STREET Law

What is a Résumé?

Document that sums up your skills, experiences and accomplishments so a potential school or employer can quickly see whether you are a good fit.

Getting into a good college is a lot like trying to get a good job. In both cases, you need a way to sell yourself. That’s where your résumé comes in.

Marketing tool.

A strong résumé can help you stand out in the crowd.

What should it look like?

Résumés don't all look alike, but there are some general guidelines.

Generally, the preference is that they fit on one side of one page.

Should always look professional—no pink paper or fancy fonts.

Should be properly formatted and have no typos.

What goes on a résumé?

A résumé usually has several sections. These can include the following:

Name and contact information

Objective or summary statementUsually limited to employment résumés.

EducationAchievements

Work experience

Volunteer and extracurricular experience

Skills

Interests

Name & Contact Information

John Doe1234 W 56th St., Hialeah, FL

33013(305) 123-4567 • jdoe@email.com

Objective or Summary

Limit to employment résumés.

Tailor it to the job you’re applying to. What can you do for them?

No fluff!“As a high school student so far I have achieved many things.”

Objective

Objective: I am looking for a sales position with JCPenney, where I can apply my experience to increase the company’s reputation and profitability.

Objective: I am looking for a receptionist position where I will use my skills in data entry and with Microsoft Office and Excel.

Summary

Summary:Current junior in high school with an interest in law. Excellent research, time management and problem solving skills. Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple organizations and consistently meet deadlines.

Education

Only list your high school!

List GPA and/or class rank only if favorable.

Can do Awards/Honors/Clubs here or in separate category.

Education

Hialeah High School, Hialeah, FLExpected Graduation Date: June 2014GPA: 3.2 Class Rank: 25/425Awards: Miami-Herald Sports AwardHonors: President’s Honor Roll

Experience

Employer, City, State

Position, Date Range

• Action verb, duty and accomplishment.

Volunteer Org, City, State

Number of Hours, Date Range

• Action verb, task.

School Org, City, State

Title, Date Range

• Action verb, task.

Skills

Languages:Make sure you state the language.

Computer skills:Only if relevant.

Skills:Fluent in English and Spanish.Proficient with MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Interests

OptionalThink of the implications your interests may have.

Interests:CrossFit and Yoga.

Interests:Tennis and Reading.

Do’s and Don’ts

Don’ts:

Don’t go crazy with color! Best practice—Stick to black & white.

Don’t make things up or inflate your accomplishments, level of responsibility, or skills.

Don’t confuse your résumé with your autobiography.

Focus on the aspects of your life and career that address the target audience's needs.

Don’t use pronouns ("I") or articles ("a," "the").

Don’ts:Don’t provide personal data.

Marital status, date of birth, height/weight, and similar non-work-related information.

Don’t repeat the same action words throughout the resume.

Don’t leave out dates.

Don’t use clichéd adjectives like dynamic or self-starting.Let the details of your resume speak for themselves.

Don’t make your résumé a list of your job duties — make it a list of your accomplishments!

Weave your job responsibilities into your descriptions of your accomplishments.

Do:

Make objective “employer-centric.”What you will offer, not gain.

Place your strongest material near the top of your résumé.

Give the most weight to your most recent experiences.

Most recent experience should have more bulleted accomplishments than the rest.

Rank the accomplishments in order of decreasing relevance to the audience you are targeting.

Do:

Lead with action verbs.Match verb tenses.

Quantify your impact—hours worked, people supervised, etc.

Pay as much attention to your résumé’s design as you do to its content.

Edit and proofread. Make every word count.

Prepare to talk about EVERYTHING on your résumé.

Tailor your résumé.

Activity

Re-write your résumé.

Have your neighbor peer-review it.

Always:

Proof-read your résumé.

Use action verbs and keep your sentences short with correct punctuation.

List school activities that show leadership or experience (athletics, organizations, government).

Summarize your qualifications and duties.

Get feedback.

Never:

Omit dates and locations of education or work experience.

Provide a list of references.

Go over two pages.

Include excessive amounts of personal data.

LIE!