RÉSUMÉ GUIDE. The Center for Student Professional Development

Transcription

1 RÉSUMÉ GUIDE The Center for Student Professional Development

2 Résumé How-To What is a résumé? A document used to present one s backgrounds and skills. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. The résumé is usually one of the first items, along with a cover letter, which a potential employer sees regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants. A marketing document o A way for you to brand and sell your qualifications, experience and skills A streamlined document that provides the reader with the most essential information o Not a work history legal document Representation of your professional self your skills, your successes, your strengths Résumé Building Steps 1. Brainstorm all of your experiences (See Résumé Brainstorm handout) 2. Focus and edit your résumé a. Identify what experiences are most important to list b. Limit extraneous high school extra-curricular activities (focus on those applicable to your field or those in which you had a leadership role). c. Listing your high school education is not necessary, unless you went to a high school that is specific to your field (i.e. vo-tech high school, or agriculture-focused high school) 3. Format to fit on one page if possible (see Formatting document for help) Format of Your Resume Font size should be between 10 and 12, with your name being a bit bolder and larger Bullets - use bullets to show the skills that you gained from a certain experience. Do not use full sentences. What makes a strong résumé? Focused o A résumé can and should change for different types of positions Should be focused on the position / industry you are applying to You should not use the same résumé for a field-related internship that you would for an unrelated part-time job (i.e. food service, retail, etc.) Easy to read o The employer should understand who you are and what your experiences are after a quick onceover Initiative focused and action oriented - what did you succeed? Why were you valuable to your organization, your co-workers? Think of special projects, initiatives you led. o Start every bullet point with an Action Word see Action Verbs document

3 Résumé FAQs Should I list my GPA? If your GPA is below a 3.0, omit it. Can I list my Major GPA instead of my Cumulative GPA? You can list your major GPA on your resume, especially if that GPA is higher than your cumulative GPA. When doing so, it is best if you list both. How should I list my experiences on my resume? All experiences should be listed in reverse chronological order by end date - most recent experiences should be at the top of each section. Don t forget to include dates. As someone with little to no internship experience, how can I best market my skills? Experience o Focus on transferable skills - teamwork, communication, training, leadership, customer service. o Use action verbs. Activities and Community Service - include any extracurricular activities that demonstrate communication, leadership or academic merit. Be sure to elaborate on your role within each organization. Relevant Coursework List courses that relate to the internship. Projects - Highlight projects that were hands-on in nature Key Competencies and Skills - A skills section summarizes for the employer exactly what you feel your strengths are. These competencies could have developed through your coursework, jobs or activity involvement. Should I include references on my resume? Employers assume that if they ask for references, the applicant will provide them. In this case, no need to include the phrase References available upon request or the actual references in your resume, but do have a separate document listing references. References should be people who can speak to your key skills and career ambitions. They can be employers or faculty. They should never be relatives, even if an employer asks for a personal reference.

4 Résumé Do s and Don ts Résumé Do s: In your Experience section, include: o Your title o Name of organization/company o Location (town, state) o Dates of participation List experience in reverse chronological order by end date Maintain consistency with verb tense in the experience section o Present tense = present, assist, coordinate o Past tense = presented, assisted, coordinated Only list your GPA if it is 3.0 or above Place all dates on the right side of the résumé Avoid abbreviations o (PAWZ = Positive Awareness of Wildlife and Zoos; FBLA = Future Business Leaders of America) Maintain consistent font style, spacing Use a font size that is easy to read - 11 or 12 pt. is recommended Aim for one page! o Format your resume to use the best use of white space. o Your résumé should be focused and easy to read o There are exceptions to the one-page résumé rule, but only after your résumé has a strong focus and unrelated or unnecessary information is removed. Include key words o Look for key words in the job description and use them in your résumé! Use bullet points to outline your responsibilities and achievements Résumé Don ts: Don t use personal pro-nouns - I, me Don t use complete sentences Don t list everything you ve ever done

5 Resume Brainstorm and Focus General Experiences Volunteer work / community service (Volunteer / Community Service section) Any and all part-time jobs (Work Experience section) Any field-related part-time jobs, internships or job-shadow experiences (Internship Experience / Field-Related Experiences / Related Experience sections) Special programs you ve been a part of (Activities section) o i.e. Future Farmers of America, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc. Any workshops / seminars / programs you ve attended (Professional Development if fieldrelated, or Activities section) College Experience Classes (Education section) o Special projects as part of a class (Education or Field-Related Experience section, depending on the project) Student organizations / clubs (Activities section) o Special projects or initiatives o Volunteer work as part of student organization Volunteer experience (Volunteer / Community Service section) Any programs, seminars, workshops (Professional Development if field-related, or Activities section) o i.e. Participant, Precarious Alliance - Eco-friendly Rain Water Harvesting Systems and Water Development in Africa lectures Skills Technical skills that you ve learned or developed in class or during a job (Experience section if related to a position, or a separate Skills section) Soft skills that you ve developed through a variety of experiences (Experience section if related to a position, or a separate Skills section) o Communication, leadership, etc High school experiences Special Projects (Professional Development if field-related, or Activities section) o i.e. a Senior Seminar project Related extra-curricular activities college-related activities are more relevant than high school, include only those related to your field (Activities section) Edit. Focus and prioritize your experiences! Which are the most related to your field? In what role did you take initiative or act as a leader? Which are most likely to help you get the job / internship / position? Remember quality is more important than quantity

6 Resume Action Verbs Accomplished Achieved Acted Activated Adapted Addressed Administered Advised Aided Allocated Analyzed Answered Appointed Appraised Approved Arbitrated Arranged Assembled Assessed Augmented Awarded Broadened Budgeted Built Calculated Catalogued Charted Checked Classified Coached Collected Communicated Compiled Complied Completed Composed Computed Conceived Conceptualized Condensed Conducted Constructed Consulted Contrived Controlled Cooperated Coordinated Corresponded Counseled Created Decided Defined Demonstrated Derived Designed Detailed Determined Developed Devised Diagnosed Diagrammed Directed Dissected Distributed Edited Effected Eliminated Employed Enforced Engaged Established Estimated Evaluated Examined Explained Extracted Filed Financed Fixed Focused Followed Formulated Founded Gathered Gave Generated Guided Handled Headed Helped Identified Illustrated Implemented Improved Incorporated Increased Influenced Informed Initiated Innovated Inspected Installed Integrated Interpreted Interviewed Inventoried Investigated Judged Launched Learned Led Lifted Listed Listened Logged Made Maintained Managed Manipulated Mediated Mentored Met Modeled Modified Monitored Motivated Negotiated Observed Obtained Offered Operated Ordered Organized Oriented Originated Oversaw Participated Perceived Performed Persuaded Piloted Planned Prepared Presented Preserved Processed Produced Programmed Projected Publicized Qualified Raised Realized Reasoned Recommended Recruited Reduced Referred Related Reorganized Reported Represented Researched Responded Restored Reviewed Scheduled Selected Served Set up Sold Specialized Streamlined Structured Studied Suggested Summarized Supervised Supported Synthesized Taught Team-built Tested Trained Transcribed Translated Treated Tutored Typed Umpired Understood Understudied Unified United Upgraded Utilized Verified Volunteered Weighed Wrote

7 Resume Sections Some students utilize many of these sections, some utilize a few. What sections you use depends on your experiences and what you want to highlight. The only required information on a resume is Education (the degree you re pursuing) and Experience. You should choose the other sections based on your resume brainstorm. Summary summarize your experiences and education (sometimes called a Qualifications or Skills Summary). The summary should provide those looking at it with a quick snapshot of your experiences. The skills section shows employers what you bring to the table, what you have learned, and how you can use your experience to enhance their company. Education list the degree you are pursuing (Bachelor of Science/Arts in your major ) and anticipated graduation date GPA (if 3.0 or higher) Relevant Coursework - provides the reader with the opportunity to see how you have developed your skills in an academic setting. These listed courses should support the position you are applying for. You should not need to list every class you have taken. This is helpful if you have little to limited field-related experience. Special Projects projects as part of a class; those that are real-world applicable are best to highlight; can also market your organizational and project management skills. Experience you can use one general Experience section or can separate experiences into different sections depending on the experiences you are listing Field-Related Experience anything related to your degree / goal (including work experiences, internships, volunteer work related to your field) Internship Experience all internships / job shadows Work Experience (or Other Work Experience ) part-time or full-time jobs Research Experience research projects in or outside of class that are noteworthy Skills include technical skills and soft skills. This section is helpful in showing your qualifications based on skills developed in the classroom. Be careful not to include too many soft skills without evidence of how you ve developed them in your Experience section (if you list leadership as a skill, your Experience or Activities section should show evidence of you demonstrating leadership). Activities activities involved with inside and outside of school (be careful to focus on quality rather than quantity focus on the most related to your field, those you are most involved with and those you have taken a leadership role in). Awards awards received in and outside of school (quality over quantity list recent and relevant awards) Professional Development professional organizations related to your field, special seminars, conferences or similar programs attended, presentations outside of school through other organizations, trainings or certifications.

8 Resume Formatting Guide 1. Use one inch margins or half-inch margins (if you need more space) note: one inch margins are preferred In Microsoft Word, go to: Page Layout Margins 2. Use only one font type in the body of your resume. You may vary size for emphasis. 3. Utilize bold and italics to separate information. For example: Manager, ABC Company, Anytown, PA Manager, ABC Company, Anytown, PA 4. Utilize colons, semi-colons and dashes to separate information: Treasure, Accounting Club, Delaware Valley College, September 2012-present vs. Treasurer, Accounting Club; Delaware Valley College September present or 12 pt. font is best Utilize half-point font sizes such as 10.5 or 11.5 pt. if having trouble fitting information 6. Make sure there is a space between each section (it will be difficult to read and look crammed otherwise) If your resume is longer than one page, try minimizing the size of the space between sections Click your cursor on the line between the sections, go to Font and decrease size. Education Experience vs. Education Experience This one is 12 pt. between each word. This one is 6 pt. between each word. 7. Only utilize all caps (all capital letters) for headings (i.e. Education, Experience, etc). 8. Utilize lines to separate headings from body content a. In Microsoft Word, go to: Insert Shapes Lines hold down Shift for straight line to edit line, double click (can choose color and change weight, how thick, the line is). Education Delaware Valley University Education Delaware Valley University

9 Nancy M. Miller Local Address: 123 Street Road Doylestown, PA Permanent Address: 123 Happy Home Road Town, PA Make sure that the address you list is professional (an address including your last name is best) as well as the voic message on your phone. You may list both a local and permanent address if you are applying to positions in both geographical locations. If not, you can choose to only list one address. Education Delaware Valley College Doylestown, PA Graduation May 2018 Pursuing Bachelor Degree in Small Animal Science GPA: 3.65 List the degree you are pursuing. Only list GPA if it is 3.0 or above. Only list relevant education. If you graduated from a votech program/high school related to your major, you can list high school level education. Otherwise, college level education may only be relevant. List your anticipated graduation date Qualifications Summary Hands-on experience and classroom training in animal anatomy and physiology, reproduction, animal behavior, vaccination procedures, neonatal care, anesthesiology and procedures of a spay and neuter surgery. Strong communication and organizational skills. This section is optional and summarizes your skills and qualifications. An Objective can be used in place or in addition to this section. List your qualifications and skills do not use I, my or other personal pronouns. Experience You can either list all experience under an Experience section or separate it by Work Experience, Relevant Experience, Intern Experience or Other Experience. Volunteer experience counts, especially if it s relevant to your major! Private Animal Caretaker, Anytown, PA Seasonal Present Provide specific nutritional needs twice a day Exercise and socialize each dog twice daily Explain responsibilities using action verbs. Use present Transport the dogs to and from a local dog park tense (manage) for positions that you are still currently Groom each dog according to the needs of their specific breed involved with. Use past tense (managed) for former Trim each dogs nails, remove debris from ear canal positions. ABC Grocery Store, Anytown, PA October Present Customer Service Associate Maintain cleanliness of all food prep areas Represent department with a friendly, welcoming and helpful environment to customers Follow specific food and safety regulations Operate cash register and provide sales help to customers ABC Animal Hospital, Anytown, PA June 2016 August 2016 Volunteer / Veterinarian Assistant Observed and assisted in routine exams and surgeries Handled and transported animals accordingly Answered phones, filed and scheduled appointments Other possible sections include: Activities, Awards, Research, Relevant Coursework, Skills, Additional Training & Professional Development (seminars, workshops, and conferences),

10 NAME 123 Street Address City / Town PA tel: EDUCATION: aabcdefg@delval.edu DELAWARE VALLEY UNIVERSITY, Doylestown, PA Anticipated Graduation: May 2016 Pursuing Bachelor of Science Degree in Minor: GPA: 3.0; Dean s List: Spring 2012 Selected Courses: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Special Project(s): Title: description EXPERIENCE: NAME OF COMPANY, City, State Month Year - Month Year Administrative Intern, Department Provide a job description with responsibilities using action verbs Describe an example which demonstrates a way that you took initiative in your role and assisted the team If applicable a brief statement about promotions such as started as server; promoted to hostess/supervisor. NAME OF FIRM, City, State Month Year - Month Year Job Title, Department Provide a job description with responsibilities using action verbs Describe an example which demonstrates a way that you took initiative in your role and assisted the team If applicable a brief statement about promotions such as started as server; promoted to hostess/supervisor. SKILLS: Computer skills such as Excel, PowerPoint, MS Word Technical skills specific to your field ACTIVITIES & AWARDS: Member, Positive Awareness of Wildlife and Zoos (PAWZ), present Women s Cross Country, Varsity Team Member, present Assistant Coach, Happy Valley Junior Swim League, 2008

11 Kelly Smith 210 Happy Road, Anytown, PA / firstnamelastname@gmail.com References Name Title, Department Organization/School Address Phone Dr. Joseph Miller Professor & Advisor, Biology Department Delaware Valley College joseph.miller@delval.edu Jane Doe Manager, Animal Facilities Delaware Valley College jane.doe@delval.edu Amy Lock Manager, Joe s Pizza amy@joespizza.com Kristen James, Manager Express, Inc Robinson Center Drive Philadelphia, PA