1
RESUME WRITING Presenting Yourself on Paper
Ali DastangooAlireza VahdatpourMohammad Khabbazian
By:
2
Agenda
Purpose and Impact of a Resume General Guidelines Various Formats Scannable Resumes Email & Electronic Submissions Key Components Optional Categories Resume Check List Cover Letters/ Thank You Letter Follow Up
3
Purpose and Impact
Marketing Tool– Designed to create a favorable first impression– May get you an interview, won’t get you the
job! Personal Account of Your:
– Education and Training– Experience– Skills and Abilities
4
Purpose and Impact
Provides an accurate, concise, and original presentation of who you are
Resource for employer at interview Remember: Employers spend 4 - 5 minutes
at most reviewing a Resume. Make each word count!
5
General Guidelines
Length– Generally one page (especially recent grads)– Two pages with extensive related experience
Layout– Direct reader’s eye using headings and layout– Choose standard font in 10-14 point size— Use appropriate color & high quality 8 1/2 x 11
paper, one-sided only!
6
General Guidelines
Layout continued– Leave ‘white space’ for uncluttered look
• One inch margins on all sides is standard
– Be consistent with:• indentations
• capitalizations
• font
• spacing
7
General Guidelines
Content– Proofread! Don’t rely on Spell-check
• grammar
• spelling
• typographical errors
• punctuation Stress accomplishments and results Tailor contents to each position (e.g. rewrite
Objective/revise Skills section)
8
General Guidelines
Omit information which could be used in a discriminatory way – Leave all these things off your CV:
• Marital status - Description of health• Citizenship - Age - Irrelevant awards, publications,
scholarships, associations, and memberships• Recreational activities or hobbies• Travel history - Previous pay rates• Reasons for leaving previous jobs• The words “References available upon request.”
9
Resume Formats
CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT– Easy to read, most commonly used– Presents education and work experience in
reverse chronological order
Very effective if majority of education and work experience is related to objective
10
Resume Formats
FUNCTIONAL FORMAT– Focuses on skills and abilities, not dates of
employment– Lists skills you’ve demonstrated which are
required for a particular job Allows you to emphasize skills gained through
volunteer work and extra curricular activities Often used by career changers, graduate
students and postdoctoral scholars
11
Resume Formats
COMBINATION FORMAT – Uses elements of Chronological and Functional– Emphasizes skills and abilities– Provides job/experience descriptions
Effective when job objective has multiple components (e.g. research and management, marketing and administrative)
12
Resume Formats
TECHNICAL FORMAT– Used as a term to describe a resume prepared
for technical positions (e.g. computer science or engineering)
– Can use any format; emphasizes technical skills such as specific computer languages, laboratory skills, etc.
– List GPA if 2.5 or above
13
Resume Formats
CURRICULUM VITAE– Used by individuals seeking teaching and/or
research positions in a post-secondary institution or high-level research industry
– Often two or three pages for master’s or doctoral degree candidates
– Specific “CV” workshops are offered through the Internship & Career Center
14
Scannable Resumes
Uses nouns indicating specific job functions, skills, responsibilities (see detailed job description to select key words to use)
Use “key words” associated with position you are seeking. Include terminology of the business or industry
Do not fold, bend or staple resume. Mail in a large, flat envelope
15
Scannable Resumes
Forget “fancy fonts”, flashy graphics and colored paper– 10 - 14 point size, standard font– white, off-white, 8 1/2 x 11 paper– avoid shadingshading, graphics, bolding, italicizing,
and underlining
16
Scannable Resumes
Avoid:– Bullets – Lines– Columns– Brackets
17
E-mail and Electronic Submission
Maintain professional tone Use professional sounding email address
(not [email protected]!) Be specific in subject header Follow employer directions carefully! Avoid use of characters and symbols Use left-justified format
18
E-mail and Electronic Submission
Do not underline, bold, or italicize text Use “standard” font, such as Arial or Times New
Roman Use hard return to insert line, not word wrap Sign your email with your full name Proofread and use spell-check before sending Do a ‘trial send’ to yourself or a friend to see how
your resume looks after sending
19
Resume Components
What goes where?
20
Resume Key Components
TITLE BLOCK/HEADING– The identification “Resume” at the top of the page is
unnecessary.
– Your name
– Address, including postal code
– Daytime telephone number(s) - don’t forget area codes
– Email address - ONLY IF YOU CHECK DAILY!
– Cell phone or pager number(s)
21
Resume Key Components
Example:
Ali Kuchulu
210, Azadi Avenue
Tehran, Iran, 34512
22
Resume Key Components
OBJECTIVE– Gives resume focus, credibility and direction– Be concise and logical - develop different
resumes for different types of jobs– Avoid cliches such as “like working with
people”– Emphasize short term aspirations– Considered by some to be optional
23
Resume Key Components
OBJECTIVE continued– May be oriented to:
• A degree
• A position
• A field
• Skills
• …
24
Resume Key Components
Example:• Computer Engineering internship which will use my
design skills.
• A position in software design, development, and testing.
• Pursuing graduate studies toward PhD Degree in Electrical Engineering field with special interests in Wireless and Digital Communications, Information and Coding Theory.
25
Resume Key Components
EDUCATION– List highest degree first, followed by other
degrees received– Degree level– Major(s), minor(s) and emphasis if applicable
• If your major/degree is relevant, list that first; if not, emphasize university name , then list major.
– Sharif University of Technology
26
Resume Key Components
EDUCATION continued– Date to be conferred– GPA if 3.0 (16/20) or higher– NOT necessary to include High School degree!
27
Resume Key Components
EDUCATION continued– Lower division students seeking an internship
should consider• listing class standing first
• followed by major(s), minor(s) and emphasis if applicable
• then listing Bachelor’s degree expected in month and year
28
Resume Key Components
Example:
Bachelor of Science, Computer Engineering, May 2002
Sharif University of Technology
Overall GPA: 17.80/ 20.00 Major GPA: 18.00/ 20.00
29
Resume Key Components
EXPERIENCE– Summarize significant full and part time positions
– Include relevant volunteer work or internships• Volunteer experiences may be incorporated into Career
Related Experience or listed separately under heading: Community or Volunteer Experience.
– Highlight responsibilities, skills developed, and accomplishments
– List job title, employer, city, state, and dates of employment, followed by description
30
Resume Key Components
EXPERIENCE continued– Present information in reverse chronological order
» OR
– Create special sections (e.g. Related Experience, Research Experience)
– Use action verbs and sentence phrases, NOT complete sentences
– Always put verbs in the past tense even though you may be currently performing these duties.
31
Resume Key Components
EXPERIENCE continued– May include significant academic assignments
and relevant extra-curricular activities– List accomplishments and contributions you
have made– Quantify accomplishments, if possible
32
Resume Key Components
Example:
33
Optional Categories
SKILLS– List skills you can perform with little or no
direction– Computer - list hardware, software, and
operating systems– Laboratory - list techniques, procedures and/or
equipment– Language - indicate fluency level, specify if you
can read/write/speak the language
34
Optional Categories
SKILLS continued– Research - list research skills with which you are
familiar– General skills, including communication (written
and verbal), problem-solving, managerial, etc.– Presentations– Others specific to the job– Skills are often underestimated by students!
35
Optional Categories
Example
36
Optional Categories
Publications– List articles published and those accepted for
publication– Include in Experience section
Qualifications or Skills Statement– If major is not obviously related to job
objective, this provides an opportunity to tie everything together
37
Optional Categories
Example
38
Optional Categories
Licenses, Certifications, Credentials, Training– Related items only (Olympiads, Languages,
Computer Abilities, etc.)
Professional Affiliations– List memberships and offices held
39
Optional Categories
Example
40
Optional Categories
Honors/Awards/Hobbies/Interests– Avoid listing those which may be controversial
References– Usually state “References Provided Upon
Request” as last line of resume– Ask permission before listing someone!
41
Resume Review Check List
Does your resume look appealing? Is it clearly labeled, using appropriate
headings? Does it highlight your skills and abilities? Have you had it critiqued by others? Have you triple checked for accuracy?
42
The Cover Letter
43
The Cover Letter
Should be customized for each position Establishes personal contact Should be addressed to a specific person, using
name, and title– In salutation, never use first name! – Use “Dear Recruiter” if no name is available
Use same paper, font and format as resume Keep letter to one page in length
44
The Cover Letter
Use standard business format Emphasize how your skills, education,
experience can benefit the employer Close by indicating your interest in the
position and follow-up plans Don’t forget to sign the letter!
45
The Cover Letter Paragraph one
– What position are you applying for and how did you find out about the position?
Paragraph two– Why do you want to work for this particular
employer, and why should employer hire you?
Paragraph three– What’s your next step going to be? Indicate how you
will follow through or express desire for an interview.
46
Thank You Letter
47
Thank You Letter
After an interview, write a brief follow-up letter.
Few people interviewed take the time to send such a note
reinforce your value to the company or organization
Correct any misunderstandings Add forgotten points
48
Follow Up
– Teacher Resume Writer Booklet, Available at:• http://www.k12jobs.com/resumes/
Teacher_resume_writing.pdf
– Resume, Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letter examples can be found online at:
• http://ucdavis.placementmanual.com/resume/index.html
– Thank you from:
49
Q&A