Resume Writing

1
Resume Writing
2
Agenda

• What is a Resume?
• Format Tips
• Recommended Sections
• A Note on Cover Letters

3
What is a Resume ?

• Concise marketing tool
• Summary of education, skills, experience,
  honors, activities
• Has one specific purpose to get you an interview
• Be honest

4
Format

• Co-op Handbook (Chapter 3)
• The 10 second scan
• Should be neat, clean and attractive
• Paper of good quality
• One page unless you have considerable experience

5
Format

• Use normal typeface
• Font size
• End punctuation not required
• Avoid too much special formatting
• Do not use graphics
• Write in consistent style

6
Format

• Use bullets rather than paragraphs
• Use approximately 1 inch margins
• Make sure resume is visually appealing
• Avoid excess white space
• Incorporate white space between sections to
  facilitate skimming

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Format

• Spell check
• Proofread
• Get friend, family, professor and/or career
  services to critique
• Co-op advisor must review resume before applying
  for jobs on P2D2
• Update each semester

8
Format

• DO NOT Include
• Your Picture
• Age, Race, Religion, Marital Status
• DO Include
• High School Info
• Hobbies and Leisure Activities
• If they demonstrate leadership, civic
  responsibility, etc.
• Citizenship Status
• If you have a foreign name and want to convey
  that you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident

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Format

• Chronological
• Discussed in next slides
• Functional
• Good for individuals with diverse experiences
  that don't add up to a clear-cut career path or
  for new grads with limited experience
• Use Skills Clusters
• For example
• Leadership
• Selected as president-elect of Omicron Delta
  Kappa honorary and vice president of Phi Eta
  Sigma honorary
• Acquainted new students with campus as
  orientation leader
• Served as president of residence hall on
  Residence Hall Council
• Functioned as vice president for intellectual
  development and assistant recruitment chair for
  social sorority
• Combination

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Recommended Resume Sections

• Contact Info
• Objective
• Education
• Skills
• Experience
• Honors and Activities

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Contact Info

• Place contact info at top
• Avoid nicknames
• Include local and permanent address
• Make sure telephone number is correct including
  area code
• Do NOT use a work number
• Professional voicemail
• Choose professional e-mail address

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1. Contact Info Example

• George P. Burdell
• georgeburdell_at_gatech.edu
• Campus Address Permanent Address
• 999999 Georgia Tech Station 1234 Peachtree Place
• Atlanta, GA 30332 Macon, GA 30334
• 404-999-9999 770-123-1234

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2. Objective

• To obtain a co-op position related to mechanical
  engineering for spring or summer 2007
• Tells employer type of position youre seeking
• On a co-op resume, its not necessary to be
  specific unless
• Wish to target specific industry (automation,
  automotive, manufacturing, etc.)
• Wish to do specific type of work (design, coding,
  testing, etc.)
• Avoid long, uninformative objectives
• To utilize my education and experience in a
  creative setting to positively affect the bottom
  line of the company.

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Education

• Recent education before experience
• Reverse chronological order
• Include expected graduation date
• Overall GPA
• Possibly major GPA
• Academic honors

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3. Education Example

• Education
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
  9/2005-present
• Candidate for Bachelor of Science, Electrical
  Engineering (May 2010)
• Overall GPA, 3.13/4.0
• Presidents Scholar Georgia Techs foremost
  merit-based scholarship, awarded to approximately
  3 of entering freshmen each year
• Northwest Area High School, Macon, GA
  9/2001-5/2005
• Overall GPA, 3.6/4.0
• National Honor Society
• Accelerated Learning Program

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Skills

• Software, Programming Languages
• familiar with, experience with, proficient
  in, knowledge of
• Foreign Languages
• Fluent, Conversational, Ability to speak and
  write or list years of study
• Hardware and Technical Skills
• Soldering, Lab Equipment, Power Supplies,
  Circuits
• Certifications
• Soft Skills
• Leadership, Communication, Organization,
  Team-Building
• Best to demonstrate concretely in Experience and
  Honors Activities sections

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4. Skills Example

• Skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel,
  PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Experience with Java, C and MATLAB
• Ability to speak and write Spanish (4 years of
  study)
• Experience with HTML and web design
• Knowledge of hardware/software installation and
  maintenance
• Experience with engine repair and network design
• Ability to learn new material quickly with little
  supervision

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Experience

• Include all experience
• Non-technical experience is relevant because it
  shows responsibility and people skills
• Include internships, volunteer experiences,
  community service, summer jobs
• Start each bullet with an action word
• Coordinated, created, designed, organized, etc.
• Do not use pronoun I. It is understood you are
  the subject of the sentence.

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Experience

• Reverse chronological order
• Focus on accomplishments
• Be specific
• Use numbers and statistics
• Increased sales 17, Raised productivity by
  23
• Use industry jargon
• Read trade magazines, join professional
  organizations
• Highlight soft skills
• Communication skills, team work

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5. Experience Example

• Experience
• Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA
• Teaching Assistant 9/2005-present
• Teach two-hour lab on fluid mechanics to thirty
  students
• Hold weekly office hours and grade lab reports
• Southern Landscaping Company Norfolk, VA
• Landscaper Summer 2004
• Performed routine lawn maintenance for
  approximately ten residential customers per week
• Planted new shrubbery and flowers at various
  commercial sites including nursing homes,
  elementary schools and community centers
• Received Landscaper of the Summer Award
• DJ Dynamite Hampton, VA
• DJ and Owner 1/2002-5/2004
• Conceived and created my own DJ business which
  had over 25 repeat clientele
• Provided DJ services at over one hundred
  weddings, bar mitzvahs, and parties

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Honors and Activities

• Clubs and Sports
• List office and leadership roles (captain,
  committee chair, president, secretary, founder)
• Volunteer Work
• Hobbies including music, writing, etc.
• Awards or Scholarships
• Memberships in professional organizations (IEEE,
  SWE, NSBE, ASME)
• Spell out acronyms

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6. Honors and Activities Example

• Honors and Activities
• Member of Georgia Tech Crew Team (2005-present)
• Secretary of Mechanical Engineering Student
  Faculty Committee (2005-present)
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer (Spring 2006)
• High School Student Council Member (2001-2003),
  Vice President (2004)
• Guitar Lessons (2002-2004)
• Editor of The Gazette, High School Newspaper
  (2004)
• Church Mission Trip to El Salvador (2002)
• Tai Kwando, Earned rank of Brown Belt (2000-2002)

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A Note On Cover Letters

• Cover Letter Uses
• Explain why youre interested in particular
  company/position
• Tells employer how youre qualified for that
  position
• Highlights aspects of your experience
• Can explain things that resume can't
• Acts as window into your personality
• Samples in Co-op Handbook and on the internet

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DoPP Contact Info

• Located in Savant Building
• 631 Cherry Street, 1st Floor
• Corner of Cherry St. Ferst Dr. near
  Tech Tower
• www.profpractice.gatech.edu
• 404-894-3320