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Resume Writing Guide The Resume Writing Guide is available as a PDF to print in its entirety. Below is the online version for easy navigation to the topic of your choice. Sample resumes are also available below for individual print. What is a Resume? Writing Objectives Accomplishment Oriented Statements References Sample Resumes
A resume is your selling tool outlining your experience and skills so an employer can see at a glance how you can contribute to the employer’s work environment. Your Resume should REACH! In other words, it must:
One style does not fit all people. Choose the resume style that suits your job history and target position. There are two types of resumes, Chronological and Functional/Hybrid. Chronological This is the most popular format. It arranges information in reverse chronological order. Employers tend to prefer this format as it demonstrates a candidate’s consistent and upward career growth. Hence, the focus is on time, job continuity, growth, and achievements. General Template for a Chronological Resume Functional/Hybrid This particular type of resume focuses on skills, credentials, and accomplishments over the course of all jobs held. Emphasis is on what you did, not when or where you did it. Accomplishments, qualifications and experience are grouped together, to stress your experience in specialty areas. It lists employment history including organization, position title, dates of employment, and location in reverse chronological order. General Template for a Functional/Hybrid Resume DO
DON’T
An objective statement expresses a career goal in one or two short phrases and tells the employer what your target job is or what you want to do as well as what you can contribute to the company. Some people believe that this category should be omitted from the resume and the extra space can be used to include more information on experience and accomplishments. Reasons for Having an Objective Statement:
Do not include an objective statement when:
Writing an Objective Statement for Today’s Job Market Remember the old style objective statement? It usually starts with “To obtain a position” and ends with “where I can utilize my skills and experience.” In today’s job market, resumes are automatically scanned with computer software and may not even reach the human eye unless they contain key words that identify specific skills. Employers are becoming more skilled at browsing resumes online and never even printing them on paper. If your resume does not have something to quickly catch the browsing eye, then it will never be truly read. The ultimate goal is to have your resume not only read, but also to entice the reader to invite you to interview. On average, employers spend approximately 30 seconds viewing a resume before moving to the next candidate. One way to improve your chances of being read is to entice the reader with your objective statement. This can be achieved by following the four step process below:
Next, using the format below and the items listed above, write your objective statement. [Degree or skill area] candidate with experience in
[job strength], [job strength], and [job strength], seeks career in
[industry/job environment].
How to Make Your Resume Accomplishment Oriented The experience, employment, internship, and activities (if explained) sections should be described in the following way:
Focus on the Three Types of Skills Skills are competencies or developed abilities used to perform a wide variety of tasks and activities. Work Content Skills have to do with mastering a particular body of information related to a particular type of work, profession, occupation, or leisure activity. They are learned and developed through formal education, on-the-job training, reading or experiencing. Nouns - people, data and things. Examples:
Self Management Skills are personality attributes. Allow people to adapt to their environment and surroundings. Are related to your personality and temperament and how you perform tasks. They are learned early in life from significant individuals, groups, and social situations. They are further developed as you gain more educational and work experience. Adjectives and adverbs (ask “how”). Examples:
Transferable Skills (functional skills) are skills which can be applied to a variety of work settings. They are skills no matter where they are acquired - skills developed in one setting can be used in another. They are learned or developed through education or experience or inherited at birth or in formative years (work-content or self-management). They can be directly or indirectly transferable (see examples). Verbs - ask “what” or “who” after; answer will be a noun or work content skill Examples:
Action and Result: Writing Effective Resume Bullet Points Many resume bullets list only brief skills and do not fully capture the audience by showing results. A good resume will not only show technical skills, but will also show how they achieved success for a company. To achieve this on your resume, brainstorm the following areas listed below.
Example Bullets:
Action Words for Resume Writing Work Content Skills are critical to the concept of Keywords in a resume. Employers are inundated with resumes from job seekers. They have to rely on technology to help them store and then locate resumes. They use software that stores resumes in databases that use key word searches to locate potential candidates. Most Fortune 1000 companies use this technology.
In the following examples, the underlined nouns are the keywords that relate to the action indicated by the verbs:
Source: QuintCareers.com - Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers: http://www.quintcareers.com/resres.html According to a literature review of national resume resources performed by the Career Development Center, references DO NOT go on the resume. They should be a separate document much like a cover letter is separate from a resume. It is still questionable whether or not the statement “References Available upon Request” should be included at the bottom of the resume. The Basics:
Employers want to ensure that the individuals they hire actually have the necessary skills to perform the job and have the experience stated on the resume. As a result, employers are placing greater emphasis on checking references provided by the prospective employee. They may also outsource their reference checking, using another company to do a background check. The term “reference” refers to a person who knows you and may be asked to discuss your experience, skills, background, and work ethic. In general, employers seek professional references (faculty/advisors, former supervisors, staff involved in your leadership activities). References should not be confused with letters of recommendation, which are letters written by your references, recommending you for graduate or professional school. According to the 2004 Reference and Background Checking Survey Report released by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), ninety-six percent of organizations conduct some kind of reference check. Seventy-three percent surveyed stated that checking references is very or somewhat effective in identifying potential poor performers, and thirty-eight percent report that over the last three years they have increased the amount of time spent on checking references for potential employees. Employers do not have much independent information to use when they hire people and are fearful of making hiring mistakes. References can help identify poor performers before they are hired. Two or three references can have a profound effect in impressing an employer. How are references used? References are an integral part of the hiring process, and reference checks often take place through a phone conversation between the employer and the reference. References may be requested as part of completing the employment application or as a separate list as part of the interviewing process. Most employers will eventually request your references before extending a job offer. Employers typically ask for references after an interview, so be sure to take a copy of your reference page with you to your interviews. Employers ask references questions to find out more about the applicant in the areas of:
Your reference list should include three to five individuals who have agreed to be a reference for you. In choosing your references,
You want to be certain that your references are aware of your accomplishments so that they can better discuss the work you’ve done in the context of your career goals. You should provide each reference with:
After providing this information, prepare your references before their first phone call from an employer. Be tactful, but basically, you want your references to confirm with enthusiasm and completely accurate detail the important achievements that you use on your resume and in your interviews. Be sure that you both agree on the facts. It is also critical that you communicate with your references regarding progress during your job search and that you call or email your references if you know they may be contacted. Tell them when you have given out the reference page, give them a copy of the job description, and explain how you are a good candidate for the job. Always follow up with your references when you have accepted the position. Send them a thank you letter telling them about your new job. Since this is a separate page apart from your resume, give this page the heading “References”. You should list three to five references under that heading. Be sure to include your name and contact information at the top of the page, just as it appears on your resume. For each reference, list the name, title, company or organization, company address, email address, and work phone number. Make sure you ask the reference what contact information they want listed. Use the same paper as your resume, and as with any other job search correspondence, take the time to make sure your reference page is of the highest quality.
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