A GUIDE TO RESUME WRITING

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A GUIDE TO RESUME WRITING

• Science, Technology, Society CLASS
• MR. CANOVA
• PERIOD 11
• (References used www.jobweb.com)

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HOW TO PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

• Your Guide to Resume Writing
• Resumes are what people use to get jobs, right?
• Wrong!
• A resume is a one- or two-page summary of your
  education, skills, accomplishments, and
  experience. Your resume's purpose is to get your
  foot in the door. A resume does its job
  successfully if it does not exclude you from
  consideration.
• To prepare a successful resume, you need to know
  how to review, summarize, and present your
  experiences and achievements on one page. Unless
  you have considerable experience, you don't need
  two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and
  concisely.
• Your resume is your ticket to an interview where
  you can sell yourself!

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1. Resume Essentials

• Before you write, take time to do a
  self-assessment on paper.
• Outline your skills and abilities as well as your
  work experience and extracurricular activities.
• This will make it easier to prepare a thorough
  resume.

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2. THE CONTENT OF YOUR RESUME

• Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web
  site address
• Objective or Summary
• Education
• Work Experience
• Other Information
• References

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2a. Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web
site address

• All your contact information should go at the
  top of your resume.
• Avoid nicknames.
• Use a permanent address. Use your parents'
  address, a friend's address, or the address you
  plan to use after graduation.
• Use a permanent telephone number and include the
  area code. If you have an answering machine,
  record a neutral greeting.
• Add your e-mail address. Many employers will find
  it useful. (Note Choose an e-mail address that
  sounds professional.)
• Include your web site address only if the web
  page reflects your professional ambitions.

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2b. Objective or Summary

• An objective tells potential employers the sort
  of work you're hoping to do.
• Be specific about the job you want. For example
  To obtain an entry-level position within a
  financial institution requiring strong analytical
  and organizational skills.
• Tailor your objective to each employer you
  target/every job you seek.

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2c. Education

• New graduates without a lot of work experience
  should list their educational information first.
  Alumni can list it after the work experience
  section.
• Your most recent educational information is
  listed first.
• Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.),
  major, institution attended, minor/concentration.
  
• Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is
  higher than 3.0.
• Mention academic honors.

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2d. Work Experience

• Briefly give the employer an overview of work
  that has taught you skills. Use action words to
  describe your job duties. Include your work
  experience in reverse chronological orderthat
  is, put your last job first and work backward to
  your first, relevant job.
• Include
• Title of position,
• Name of organization
• Location of work (town, state)
• Dates of employment
• Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis
  on specific skills and achievements.

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2e. Other information

• Your career services office can advise you on
  other information to add to your resume.
• You may want to add
• Key or special skills or competencies,
• Leadership experience in volunteer organizations,
  and
• Participation in sports.

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2f. References

• Ask people if they are willing to serve as
  references before you give their names to a
  potential employer.
• Do not include your reference information on your
  resume. You may note at the bottom of your
  resume "References furnished on request."

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3. Resume Checkup

• You've written your resume. It's time to have it
  reviewed and critiqued by a career counselor. You
  can also take the following steps to ensure
  quality

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3a. Content

• Run a spell check on your computer before anyone
  sees your resume.
• Get a friend (an English major would do nicely)
  to do a grammar review.
• Ask another friend to proofread. The more people
  who see your resume, the more likely that
  misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen
  (and corrected).

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3b. Design

• These tips will make your resume easier to read
  and/or scan into an employer's data base.
• Use white or off-white paper.
• Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch paper.
• Print on one side of the paper.
• Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
• Use nondecorative typefaces.
• Choose one typeface and stick to it.
• Avoid italics, script, and underlined words.
• Do not use horizontal or vertical lines,
  graphics, or shading.
• Do not fold or staple your resume.
• If you must mail your resume, put it in a large
  envelope.

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Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing

1. Pay attention to detail. Don't cut corners by,
   for instance, not proofreading the cover letter,
   failing to include information the hiring manager
   asked for, or beginning the cover letter "Dear
   Sir or Madam" when the hiring manager's name is
   on the company web site. Take the time to make
   sure the correspondence and information sent is
   correct and error-free.
2. Do the basics. Proofread for spelling, grammar,
   and tone, and make sure you have followed the
   instructions of the employer. Firing off an
   e-mail is a convenient method of communication.
   However, don't let the sloppy nature and
   informality of e-mail correspondence seep into
   your communicationswhether it's e-mailed or
   writtenwith potential employers.
3. Construct an effective resume. Organize your
   information in a logical fashion and keep
   descriptions clear and to the point. Include as
   much work experience as possible, even if it
   obviously doesn't relate to the job you are
   seeking. Also, use a simple, easy-to-read font.
4. Customize their response. Address the hiring
   manager directly, and include the name of the
   company and the position for which it is hiring
   in your cover letter/e-mail response.
5. Make it easy for the hiring manager. Use your
   name and the word "resume" in your e-mail header
   so it's easy to identify. If the employer asks
   for informationsuch as references or writing
   samplesprovide it.
6. Focus on what you bring to the employer, not what
   you want from the job. This is an opportunity for
   you to market yourself and stand out from the
   other candidates. What can you do to make the
   hiring manager's life easier? What can you do to
   help the company?
7. Be professional. You won't be taken seriously if
   you don't have e-mail or voice mail/answering
   machine. If you don't have e-mail, set up a free
   account through Yahoo! and Hotmail. Provide the
   recruiter with a cell phone number if your voice
   mail/answering machine doesn't pick up when you
   are online. Also, it's a good idea to ditch the
   cute e-mail address or voice mail/answering
   machine messages in favor of something that
   sounds professional.

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RESUME MISTAKES

• Skills Excellent memory strong math aptitude
  excellent memory." But how's your math aptitude?
• "Experience Professionally watered 22,500 office
  plants." And never lost count. Impressive.
• "Other activities Along with the project
  engineer, I worried a lot." Glad you weren't
  alone.
• "Reason for leaving Want to be facing Times
  Square so I can read the news." It's important to
  keep current.

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COVER LETTER MISTAKES

• "Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear
  from you shorty!" Hey, let's not get personal.
• "I'll need 30K to start, full medical, three
  weeks of vacation, stock options and ideally a
  European sedan." No corporate jet?
• "I need just enough money to have pizza every
  night." But those toppings can get pretty
  expensive.
• "I have never had a single blemish held against
  me and my IQ is off the charts." And have never
  been accused of excessive modesty?
• "I'm submitting my resume to spite my lack of C
  and HTML experience." Don't be so hard on
  yourself.
• "I am quick at typing, about 25 words per minute,
  35 with caffeinated coffee." How 'bout with
  espresso?
• "I have unsuccessfully raised a dog." His bite is
  worse than his bark?
• "Being in trouble with the law, I moved quite
  frequently." We appreciate your candor.
• "At the age of 12, I began hustling newspapers
  like many other great Americans had done. The
  only difference was that they became
  great."Thanks for letting us know.
• "I prefer informality like wearing sports shirts
  and sandals for footwear in the summer. I prefer
  setting my own pace. When things get slack I like
  the right to walk out and get a haircut during
  working hours." A pioneer of the business casual
  movement.
• "In my last position, I got nowhere as part of a
  60-person herd. Consequently, I did not give the
  company my full effort and received no chance of
  advancement in return." Funny how that works.
• "Please don't regard my 14 positions as
  job-hopping. I never once quit a job." Uh-oh.
• "Worked long shifts to make myself, and my
  company, a lot of cheese." Sounds like you're
  ready for the "rat race."

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A SAMPLE RESUME
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STUDENT INTERESTED IN AN ENTRY-LEVEL BIOCHEMICAL
POSITION

• Biochemistry

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Typos, Grammatical Errors, Most Common Resume
Mistakes

• Like lifeguards protecting their organization's
  waters, recruiters look for reasons to blow the
  whistle and tell job seekers to get out of the
  candidate pool. According to the results of a
  survey by Accountemps, careless students often
  oblige. In fact, slightly more than one-third of
  executives surveyed recently cited typos or
  grammatical errors as the most common mistakes on
  resumes.
• The national poll includes responses from 150
  senior executivesincluding those from human
  resources, finance, and marketing
  departmentswith the nation's 1,000 largest
  companies. Executives were asked, "In your
  opinion, which of the following is the single
  most common mistake job seekers make on their
  resumes?" Their responses
• Typos or grammatical errors34 percent
• Including too much information22 percent
• Not listing achievements in former roles17
  percent
• Poor layout and/or design17 percent
• Including too little information7 percent
• Other/don't know3 percent

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COVER LETTER RUBRIC by Amy Raphael
GOOD JOB! AVERAGE WORK NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Business format and overall quality of writing ability This letter uses correct business format with date and addresses at the top, and a signature at the bottom. This letter is clear and concise, and grammatically correct. There are no spelling errors. This letter uses correct business format with date and addresses at the top, and a signature at the bottom. There are minimal grammar and spelling errors. This letter is decent in content but does not convince an employer to call. Business formatting is not used in this letter. There is no address or date at the top. This letter is not signed. There are multiple grammar and spelling errors. The content of this letter does not make sense to the reader.
Section 1 Introduction This section identifies the position you are applying for. You have described how you heard about the opening. This section identifies why you are interested in this job. Wording is creative and catches an employers attention quickly. This section identifies the position you are seeking. This letter does not describe how you heard about the opening. You vaguely describe why you are interested in this job. This section is bland and might not catch someones attention fast enough. This section does not clearly identify what position you are seeking. There is no description of how you heard about the position or why you are interested. This letter definitely will not grab an employers attention and keep them reading.
Section 2 Identification of skills and experiences related to position This letter identifies one or two of your strongest qualifications and clearly relates how these skills apply to the job at hand. This letter explains specifically why you are interested in this position and this type of job, company, and/or location. This letter identifies one of your qualifications but it is not related to the position at hand. This letter restates what is on your resume with minimal additional information. You explain why you are interested in this position but you are still too vague. This letter does not discuss any relevant qualifications. You have not related your skills to the job you are applying for. This letter does not state why you are interested in this position, company, and/or location.
Section 3 Closing This letter refers the reader to your resume or any other enclosed documents. This letter thanks the reader for taking time to read this letter. You are assertive as you describe how you will follow up with the employer in a stated time period. You thank the reader for taking time to read this letter. You do not refer the reader to your resume or application materials. This letter assumes that the employer will contact you to follow up. This letter does not thank the reader for taking time to review this letter. There is no reference to a resume or other materials. This letter does not mention any plan for follow up.
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YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

• BEGIN TO PUT TOGETHER A COPY OF WHAT YOU THINK
  YOUR RESUME SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
• TURN IN A HARDCOPY OF THE RESUME TO ME.
• E-MAIL A COPY OF THE RESUME TO ME.
• MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS ON OUR CLASS HOMEPAGE
  (WWW.JPSAOS.COM/CANOVA)
• BOTH WILL COUNT AS HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS (Due
  Monday, October 4)

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OUR NEXT CLASS

• WELL TEST YOUR ABILITY TO FIND ERRORS IN BOTH
  COVER LETTERS AND RESUMES.