Career Development Center workshop@hamline.edu 651-523-2302 Résumés Creating your own self-portrait There is no right or wrong way to craft a resume but the more time spent organizing the information you would like to present, the more likely your resume will ensure accurate reflection of who you are. Your resume is simply a matter of piecing yourself together on the page. Focus: The more you recognize who you are and what your accomplishments have been, your ability to project an accurate reflection of your experiences and unique skills will develop. Target: A resume is not a generic description: it is about YOU and the employer you are trying to persuade. Utilize job descriptions to your advantage and give thought to what skills and experiences may be valuable to what the employer needs. Define: Your goals will change throughout your life and so will your career objectives. Think about the field you would like to work in and consider why you would like to work in this field. Tailor your career objectives to your interests now. Eliminate: Employers do not want to know about every activity you have participated in over the years or every class you received a good grade in so eliminate extraneous details. If you had twenty seconds to tell an employer about yourself, what would you highlight? One Size Does Not Fit All Resumes generally come in four accepted formats: Chronological o The Chronological Resume is organized primarily by job title beginning with the most recent position. Employers tend to prefer this format because it is fact-based and easily skimmed. Resumes presented in this format demonstrate: a consistent work history names of recent and past employers job titles showing growth and development o This resume can also be challenging for new graduates who may be just beginning their work history. However you likely have more experience than you realize. Some items to include are: work study internships summer jobs volunteer positions
Functional o The Functional Resume organizes your experience by specific skills or accomplishments. While you may not use this type of resume during the first few years after leaving college, this resume will likely be a useful tool in the future. Sample categories of experience in a Functional Resume may include: management media and communications political campaigns teaching Combination o The Combination Resume merges the best elements of the other approaches. You can use this format to present capabilities and transferable skills as well as highlight past positions. Curriculum Vitae o A Curriculum Vitae may be required for certain positions in the education and scientific fields in particular. If you are going on to graduate school, you may be required to provide a structured list of items in addition to your work history like: education publications research projects awards General Outline for a resume Resumes in whatever format you choose have a variety of components that may include: A heading and contact information A stated career objective A summary of your education An outline of your experience Any awards and honors received A succinct list of key skills Resume Do s and Don ts DO Be brief, selective, clear, concise and specific. Make your resume 1-2 pages Be positive and honest List competencies and skills Focus on accomplishments Use action words and phrases Proofread your resume Seek feedback on the format and content DON T Use pronouns I, me, or my Use abbreviations Be purposely misleading or lie Dwell on the negative Send out a resume without a cover letter or application
Action words and phrases Action verbs help you get to the point quickly and creatively and communicate your assets, experiences and accomplishments effectively. Management Skills Organizational Skills Communication Skills Creative Skills Accomplished Achieved Administered Appointed Approved Assigned Chaired Convinced Coordinated Decided Delegated Directed Established Evaluated Improved Increased Mediated Oversaw Prioritized Recommended Reviewed Scheduled Supervised Arranged Coordinated Compiled Completed Developed Expedited Facilitated Generated Handled Implemented Monitored Organized Prepared Processed Purchased Recorded Retrieved Systematized Tabulated Addressed Arbitrated Articulated Authored Collaborated Communicated Corresponded Directed Drafted Edited Influenced Interpreted Lectured Persuaded Presented Promoted Proposed Published Composed Conceptualized Created Designed Developed Directed Drafted Edited Established Fashioned Founded Illustrated Initiated Integrated Introduced Invented Originated Performed Counseling Skills Research Skills Financial Skills Administrative Skills Advised Assessed Assisted Clarified Coached Confronted Consulted Counseled Diagnosed Educated Empowered Encouraged Facilitated Guided Referred Collected Diagnosed Evaluated Examined Identified Inspected Interpreted Interviewed Investigated Researched Reviewed Summarized Surveyed Accounted for Administered Allocated Appraised Audited Balanced Budgeted Calculated Forecasted Managed Prepared Administered Coordinated Designed Established Evaluated Managed Negotiated Organized Prepared Supervised
Resume Sample One Steven Nguyen 111 Converse Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota 651-555-6556 Education Experience Bachelor of Arts, Anticipated graduation May 200X Hamline University, Saint Paul, Minnesota Management Major Cumulative GPA 3.2 Marshall Fields, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota Team Lead, June 2002 - Present Work 35 hours per week and attend classes full time. Hire, train and supervise team members to ensure service expectations are met. Primary contact for scheduling, productivity and staff issues for fifteen team members. Empowered to make credit decisions up to $50,000 for charge accounts. Selected to plan Guest Credit Operations summer picnic for 700 team members. Recognized for providing outstanding service to guests and store personnel. New Accounts Processor, October 2000 June 2002 Trained teammates on credit systems and phone etiquette. Earned numerous star performer awards based on department productivity standards. Wilson s the Leather Experts, Roseville, Minnesota Sales Associate, April 2000 October 2000 Gained a solid understanding of the retailer/consumer relationship. Consistently exceeded weekly sales goals. Activities And Honors Volunteer at People Serving People homeless shelter Hamline University Varsity Track Team Presidential Achievement Award Recipient Dean s List References available upon request
Resume Sample Two Adriana Casparillo 909 Stonebrook Way Minneapolis, MN 55444 612-555-1122 acasparillo@gw.hamline.edu EDUCATION Hamline University, St. Paul, MN Bachelor of Arts Degree: May 200X Major: Art History GPA: 3.8 University of Italy, Venice, Italy Art History studies, February to July 2003 EXPERIENCE Gallery Staff, May 2003 to Present Minnesota Center for Photography, Minneapolis, MN Assist curator in exhibition installations and openings Organize and updated computer records Answer questions over the phone Manager of Slide Collection, September 2002 to May 2003 Department of Studio Arts, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN Catalogued slide collection and oversaw slide production Managed four student workers Provided administrative support to Department faculty Student Assistant, September 2002 to September 2003 Department of Art History, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN Assisted in gallery set-up, classroom preparation, indexing and archiving Provided administrative support to Department faculty COMPUTERS ACTIVITIES File Maker Pro, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Excel, Word Perfect, Web research skills New Perspectives on Marcel Duchamp s The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even A comprehensive review of Marcel Duchamp, which attempts a feminist-based interpretation of selected works. Research conducted in the Twin Cities and Philadelphia, September to December 2002 National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Rochester, NY April 7-10, 2002 Presentation of senior independent study Paper selected from national pool of undergraduate scholars Extensive travel in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Austria, England and Scotland. References and portfolio available upon request
A Few Words About Electronic Resumes Many companies and organizations accept resumes electronically and by use of a scanning process. Old methods are becoming obsolete as each day passes and resume scanning software and automated systems are taking the business world by storm. Submitting a resume by email is not as easy as pressing the send button. Formats can shift during transmission. Conversion into a particular format may be necessary. When emailing a resume to a potential employer use these cautions: Follow the instructions you are given for submitting your resume on-line otherwise you might be eliminated as a candidate. If your resume is requested in an ASCHII Text File, you may need to convert it from your word processing program. Bullets, font size and underlining may be read differently electronically so use minimally. Samples to Guide You As mentioned earlier, there is no right or wrong way to craft a resume and the resumes included in this handout are only two of the various examples available. For more resume samples, please our Resource Library which has a number of books available for check out. Drew Science Bldg., Room 113 ~ 1536 Hewitt Ave, MS-B1802, St Paul, MN, 55104 Phone: 651.523.2302 Fax: 651.523.3085 ~ Email: workshop@hamline.edu ~ Website: www.hamline.edu/cdc