Resume Workbook

Introduction

Sections

Tips

Power Words

Design

Sample Resume Form

The Art of Writing a Resume

A resume is a brief sketch of your goals, background and achievements. It is all about you. It is probably one of the most important documents that you will ever compose, for a resume serves as an introduction or first impression of your qualifications to an employer. It is designed to sell you. It is recommended that you prepare one before looking for a job because most employers expect a resume. It is also more convenient for you, and to those helping you in your job search, if you have one to give people. Resumes can be used to showcase your special talents and reflect your uniqueness to potential employers. Keep in mind that resumes are generally only perused for approximately 20-30 seconds. However, compiling a resume does not have to be difficult. You can avoid making its preparation a headache by keeping a few things in mind.

The first rule of resume writing is that there are no hard, set or fast rules. While there is wide agreement among the experts on many points about resume writing, the style, content, and format are dictated by what you want to communicate. Depending on the job search strategies you adopt, you may want two or three different resumes.

When looking for a job, it is important to project a professional image of yourself. The potential employer wants a neat, concise and focused presentation of your skills and experience to show him/her that you are well qualified to do the job he/she wants to accomplish.

Your resume should be "fat with facts" from the top down, but don't crowd your resume with everything you can think to say about yourself. Highlight your strongest qualifications and principal achievements. Critical information should stand out. Feel free to bold, underline, and italicize key portions that you would like to emphasize. Since a resume is an outline, use short concise phrases. It should be clutter free. The use of POWER words on a resume is a highly effective technique for highlighting skills. (We have provided you with a list in this packet.) Use the present tense when describing current work; otherwise use past tense.

If possible, use word processing for your resume and cover letters. You may want to revise and update your resume as your job search proceeds. Documents stored on a disk can be easily revised and letters can be tailored to the specific job or company to which you are applying.

Be certain that it is error free. Many times resumes may not be given full consideration when there are typos and misinformation. Be careful. Have several people critique your resume - ask your parents, a professor or a professional in your area of interest. They may catch something that is unclear that you may have overlooked.

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