Resume Writing

I. What is a Resume?
a. The purpose of your rsum is NOT to get you a job. The purpose of a
rsum is to get an interview, not a job.
b. The resume is a tool with one specific purpose: to win an interview.
c. resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less.
d. !f you buy this pro"uct, you will get these specific, "irect benefits.
e. !t "oes not have to be one page or follow a specific resume format. #very
resume is a one$of$a$%in" mar%eting communication.
f. !t is a mista%e to thin% of your resume as a history of your past, as a
personal statement or as some sort of self e&pression
g. 'eople more often buy the best advertised product than the best pro"uct.
II. Before writing your Resume
a. Only ( out of every )** applicants is invite" for an interview.
b. +ou have between (, an" -* secon"s to convince the employer that you
are worth an interview.
c. The top half will ma%e you or brea% you.
d. +ou can create a resume that ma%es you really stan" out as a superior
can"i"ate for a job you are see%ing. .o, even if you face fierce
competition, with a well written resume you shoul" be invite" to interview
more often than many people more /ualifie" than you
e. The very first thing you shoul" "o is ma%e a list of everything you0ve ever
"one or accomplishe" in your entire life. This means everything: every
single job, awar", honor, volunteer wor%, s%ill, language, hobby an"
sports.
i. 1eep the list for later use.
ii. 2ar" to remember everything off the top of your hea".
iii. .eeing things helps you remember other things.
f. Thin% of the person writing the resume. 2e is usually the one in charge of
operations. 2e cares who he hires. Write to him3 thin% about what he
wants in an applicant.
g. 4uestions to as% yourself5
i. What "oes the employer really want5
ii. What special abilities woul" this person have5
iii. What woul" set a truly e&ceptional can"i"ate apart from a merely
goo" one
iv. What woul" ma%e someone the perfect can"i"ate5
v. Why you are the person who best fulfills the employer0s nee"s.
Write "own everything you have ever "one that "emonstrates that
you fit perfectly with what is wante" an" nee"e" by the
prospective employer.
vi. The whole i"ea is to loosen up your thin%ing enough so that you
will be able to see some new connections between what you have
"one an" what the employer is loo%ing for.
vii. 67rainstorm for answers an" ma%e a list.8
h. 9ather info. bout the job you want from
i. Wante" a"s
ii. !n/uire with frien"s or people who are in the same fiel" or who
have the same job you want.
iii. :all the employer an" as% what they are loo%ing for.
III. How to write the Resume
a. +our name at the top, an" your contact information.
b. ) .ections: !n the first, you ma%e assertions about your abilities, /ualities
an" achievements. The secon" section, the evi"ence section, is where you
bac% up your assertions with evi"ence that you actually "i" what you sai"
you "i".
c. ;irst section
i. Objectives
(. 7egin with the name of the job you are applying for.
). The objective shoul" be specific. ;or an in"ivi"ual job or
job title. !t shoul" be "irecte" for that specific target
au"ience.
-. +ou nee" to be absolutely clear or at least appear to be
clear.
<. +ou nee" to tell the employer, =! want e&actly the job you
are offering. ! am a superior can"i"ate because ! recogni>e
the /ualities that are most important to you, an" ! have
them. ! want to ma%e a contribution to your company.?
,. 'rove that you will ma%e a contribution to that employer.
They want to %now what you can "o for them.
@. #&ample of an" =O7A#:T!B#?
a. A software sales position in an organization
seeking an extraordinary record of generating new
accounts, exceeding sales targets and enthusiastic
customer relations.

ii. Write your objective
(. Ceci"e your specific job. 9o bac% to the answers to the
brainstorm. Dse the answers that best fit that job. ) or - of
them.
). 2ere is a formula to write your resume:

An xxx position in an organization where yyy
and zzz would be needed (or, in an
organization seeking yyy and zzz).
a. E&& is the name of the position you are applying
for. +yy an" >>> are the most compelling /ualities,
abilities or achievements that will really ma%e you
stan" out above the crow" of applicants. +our
previous research to fin" out what is most important
to the employer will provi"e the information to fill
in yyy an" >>>.
-. !f you are applying to several "ifferent jobs ma%e sure each
resume is tailore" to that specific job or business.
iii. The summary
(. Those /ualities shoul" be the most compelling
"emonstrations of why they shoul" hire you instea" of the
other can"i"ates.
). This may be the only section fully rea" by the employer, so
it shoul" be very strong an" convincing
-. To write the summary use the /ualities that employers
woul" most care about. 'ic% the ones that best fulfill the
nee"s of the employer.
<. !nclu"e some but not all of these in your summary:
a. short phrase "escribing your profession
b. ;ollowe" by a statement of broa" or speciali>e"
e&pertise
c. ;ollowe" by two or three a""itional statements
relate" to any of the following:
". brea"th or "epth of s%ills
e. uni/ue mi& of s%ills
f. range of environments in which you have
e&perience
g. a special or well$"ocumente" accomplishment
h. a history of awar"s, promotions, or superior
performance commen"ations
i. One or more professional or appropriate personal
characteristics
j. sentence "escribing professional objective or
interest
,. !f you are a young person new to the job mar%et, your
F.ummaryF will be base" more on ability than e&perience.
@. #&ample of a summary statement for you.
a. Recent :ollege 9ra"uate of a < year private
business college. 9ra"uate" <
th
in a class of )**.
2ighly motivate". #specially s%ille" at buil"ing
effective pro"uctive wor%ing relationships with
clients an" staff. talent for analy>ing problems,
"eveloping an" simplifying proce"ures, an" fin"ing
innovative solutions. :ommitte" to the highest
levels of professional an" personal e&cellence.
iv. !i""s and #ccomp"ishments
(. Write action$oriente" sentences. Ga%e it soun" li%e you
solve" problems, achieve" goals, an" accomplishe" tas%s.
). Dse "etails: Nothing impresses people li%e "etails. Con0t
just say Fraise" money,F say Fraise" over H),<**.F
-. Recogni>e your talents.F
a. #&.
i. tudent !lass "resident. "lanned and
implemented a successful student run
cafeteria. #aised $%%% pesos for e&uipment
and supplies.
<. Other names for .1!II. NC ::OG'I!.2G#NT.:
,. ::OG'I!.2G#NT.
@. .DGGR+ O; ::OG'I!.2G#NT.
J. .#I#:T#C ::OG'I!.2G#NT.
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L. R#. O; ::OG'I!.2G#NT NC #E'#R!#N:#
(*. R#. O; #E'#RT!.#
((. :R##R 2!92I!92T.
(). 'RO;#..!ONI 2!92I!92T.
(-. CC!T!ONI .1!II. NC ::OG'I!.2G#NT.
) other ways of writing your s%ills an" accomplishments:
.#I#:T#C .1!II. NC ::OG'I!.2G#NT.
o Raise" H(L** in )( "ays in canvassing an" a"vocacy on environmental,
health an" consumer issues.
o :on"ucte" legal research for four ssistant D... ttorneys, for the D...
ttorney0s office
o :oor"inate" 7oar" of Cirectors an" :ommunity "visory 7oar" of
community mental health center. Iater commen"e" as Fthe best thing that
ever happene" to that job.F
National Training 'roject M :onference Ganagement.
Cirector of FOutreach on 2unger,F a national public e"ucationMtraining project fun"e" by
D.!C, foun"ations an" all the major church "enomination. Cesigne", manage" an"
promote" three$"ay training conferences in cities throughout the D... 'lanne" an"
manage" -) nationwi"e training seminars an" a five$"ay annual conference for university
vice$presi"ents an" business e&ecutives.
I$. Types of resumes%
a. :2RONOIO9!:I The chronological resume is the more tra"itional
structure for a resume. The #&perience section is the focus of the resume3
each job 6or the last several jobs8 is "escribe" in some "etail, an" there is
no major section of s%ills or accomplishments at the beginning of the
resume. This structure is primarily use" when you are staying in the same
profession, in the same type of wor%, particularly in very conservative
fiel"s. !t is also use" in certain fiel"s such as law an" aca"emia. !t is
recommen"e" that the chronological resume always have an FObjectiveF
or F.ummary,F to focus the rea"er.
i. The a"vantages: Gay appeal to ol"er, more tra"itional rea"ers an"
be best in very conservative fiel"s. Ga%es it easier to un"erstan"
what you "i" in what job. Gay help the name of the employer
stan" out more, if this is impressive.
ii. The "isa"vantage is that it is much more "ifficult to highlight what
you "o best. This format is rarely appropriate for someone ma%ing
a career change.
b. ;DN:T!ONI The functional resume highlights your major s%ills an"
accomplishments from the very beginning. !t helps the rea"er see clearly
what you can "o for them, rather than having to rea" through the job
"escriptions to fin" out. !t helps target the resume into a new "irection or
fiel", by lifting up from all past jobs the %ey s%ills an" /ualifications to
help prove you will be successful in this new "irection or fiel". ctual
company names an" positions are in a subor"inate position, with no
"escription un"er each. There are many "ifferent types of formats for
functional resumes. The functional resume is a must for career changers,
but is very appropriate for generalists, for those with spotty or "ivergent
careers, for those with a wi"e range of s%ills in their given profession, for
stu"ents, for military officers, for homema%ers returning to the job mar%et,
an" for those who want to ma%e slight shifts in their career "irection.
i. "vantages: !t will help you most in reaching for a new goal or
"irection. !t is a very effective type of resume, an" is highly
recommen"e".
ii. The "isa"vantage is that it is har" for the employer to %now e&actly
what you "i" in which job, which may be a problem for some
conservative interviewers
c. :OG7!N#C combine" resume inclu"es elements of both the
chronological an" functional formats. !t may be a shorter chronology of
job "escriptions prece"e" by a short F.%ills an" ccomplishmentsF section
6or with a longer .ummary inclu"ing a s%ills list or a list of
F/ualificationsF83 or, it may be a stan"ar" functional resume with the
accomplishments un"er hea"ings of "ifferent jobs hel"
i. There are obvious a"vantages to this combine" approach: !t
ma&imi>es the a"vantages of both %in"s of resumes, avoi"ing
potential negative effects of either type.
ii. One "isa"vantage is that it ten"s to be a longer resume. nother is
that it can be repetitious: ccomplishments an" s%ills may have to
be repeate" in both the FfunctionalF section an" the
FchronologicalF job "escriptions
$. &'perience%
a. Ceci"e which are most important job titles or names of the places you
wor%e". 7egin with it.
b. 'uts the "ates at the en".
c. !nclu"e military service, internships, an" major volunteer roles if "esire"3
because the section is labele" F#&perience.F !t "oes not mean that you
were pai"
d. +ou can also use: F'rofessional 2istory,F F'rofessional #&perienceF "o not
use F#mploymentF or FWor% 2istory,F
$I. &ducation%
a. Iist e"ucation in reverse chronological or"er, "egrees or licenses first,
followe" by certificates an" a"vance" training.
b. .et "egrees apart so they are easily seen. 'ut in bol"face whatever will be
most impressive.
c. Con0t inclu"e any "etails about college e&cept your major an" "istinctions
or awar"s you have won, unless you are still in college or just recently
gra"uate".
d. !nclu"e gra"e$point average only if over -.<. Iist selecte" course wor% if
this will help convince the rea"er of your /ualifications for the targete"
job.
e. !f you are wor%ing on an uncomplete" "egree, inclu"e the "egree an"
afterwar"s, in parentheses, the e&pecte" "ate of completion: 7...
6e&pecte" )**N8.
$II. #wards
a. !f the only awar"s receive" were in school, put these un"er the #"ucation
section.
b. Gention what the awar" was for if you can 6or just Ffor outstan"ing
accomplishmentF or Foutstan"ing performanceF8
$III. (ersona" #ffi"iations
a. !nclu"e only those that are current, relevant an" impressive. !nclu"e
lea"ership roles if appropriate
I). *ivic or community "eadership
). (ub"ications
)I. (ersona" interests
a. "vantages: 'ersonal interests can in"icate a s%ill or area or %nowle"ge
that is relate" to the goal, such as photography for someone in public
relations, or carpentry an" woo"$wor%ing for someone in construction
management. This section can show well$roun"e"ness, goo" physical
health, or %nowle"ge of a subject relate" to the goal. !t can also create
common groun" or spar% conversation in an interview.
b. Cisa"vantages: 'ersonal interests are usually irrelevant to the job goal an"
purpose of the resume, an" they may be meaningless or an interview turn$
off 6FTB an" Rea"ing,F F;un" raising for the 2ell0s ngelsF8.
c. 'robably shoul" not inclu"e this.
)II. References
a. +ou may put FReferences available upon re/uestF at the en" of your
resume, if you wish. This is a stan"ar" close 6centere" at bottom in italics8,
)III. What +ot to put on your resume
a. The wor" FResumeF at the top of the resume
b. ;luffy rambling FobjectiveF statements
c. .alary information
d. ;ull a""resses of former employers
e. Reasons for leaving jobs
f. F'ersonalF section, or personal statistics 6e&cept in special cases8
g. Names of supervisors
h. References
Reminders
The resume is visually enticing, a wor%
of art. .imple clean structure. Bery easy
to rea". .ymmetrical. 7alance".
Dncrowne". s much white space
between sections of writing as possible3
sections of writing that are no longer
than si& lines an" shorter if possible.
There is uniformity an" consistency in
the use of italics, capital letters, bullets,
bol"face, an" un"erlining
There are absolutely no errors
ll the basic, e&pecte" information is
inclu"e". resume must have the
following %ey information: your name,
a""ress, phone number, an" your email
a""ress at the top of the first page, a
listing of jobs hel", in reverse
chronological or"er, e"ucational "egrees
inclu"ing the highest "egree receive", in
reverse chronological or"er.
Aobs liste" inclu"e a title, the name of
the firm, the city an" state of the firm,
an" the years
!t is targete" !t has focus
.trengths are highlighte" M wea%nesses
"e$emphasi>e"
Dse power wor"s 6see list8
.how you are results$oriente"
Writing is concise an" to the point
Ga%e it loo% great. Dse a laser printer or
an in% jet printer that pro"uces high$
/uality results. laser is best because
the in% won0t run if it gets wet. !t shoul"
loo% typeset. Co not compromise. !f you
"o, your resume will loo% pathetic ne&t
to ones that have a perfect appearance.
Dse a stan"ar" conservative typeface
6font8 in (( or () point. Con0t ma%e them
s/uint to rea" it. Dse off$white, ivory or
bright white K (M) & (($inch paper, in the
highest /uality affor"able.
.horter is usually better
Watch your verb tense
7rea% it up
#&perience before e"ucation...usually
Telephone number that will be answere"
Try not to inclu"e anything on the
resume that coul" turn the employer off,
anything that is controversial 6political,
etc.8 or coul" be ta%en in a negative
light.
Dse bol" caps for your name on page
one. 'ut your name at the top of page
two on a two$page resume. 'ut section
hea"ings, s%ill hea"ings, titles or
companies 6if impressive8, "egrees, an"
school name 6if impressive8, in bol"face.
.pell out numbers un"er an" inclu"ing
ten
::DR:+M
2ON#.T+M.TR#T:2!N9 T2#
TRDT2
Ga%e your name stan" out: bigger fonts,
all capitals, bol" it.
!t is o% for Gr. or Grs. n" if your
name is not special a"" mi""le name of
mi""le initial.
Dse regular fonts: Times, 'alatino,
2elvetica, an" riel
2ighlight what you want to be rea":
bol"e", un"erline", cappe" or
highlighte".
7e consistent
'roofrea".
:hec% margins are even formatting is
consistent you "onOt have any spelling
errors.
There is no correct way.
9ive to someone else to chec% over.
CO NOT 2B# N+
T+'O9R'2!:I #RROR..
The final touch on your rsum: at the
bottom, put FReferences vailable Dpon
Re/uest.F Then, when you go into the
interview, at the en" you shoul" han" the
interviewer a nice, smooth sheet of paper
with your references on them 6full name,
a""ress, telephone number, an" relation
to you8, an" your name an" contact
information nice an" big at the top.
W2T !; ! 2B# NOT '#R;ORG#C 7R!II!NTI+5 !f you are not really
e&ceptional at "oing this job or at least potentially e&ceptional but ine&perience",
maybe you are applying for the wrong job. Why woul" anyone want to spen" their
"ays "oing something they "i" not e&cel at an" "i"n0t really enjoy5