Resumes
Resumes are an essential part of your job-hunting tool kit. They are the most common instruments job seekers use to get their foot in the employer’s door. No matter what type of initial contact you mak with an employer — whether it is in-person, through the mail, over the phone or via the Internet, you will want to leave the person with some written reminder of who you are and why you are interested in his or her company or business.
Your resume is a selective picture of who you are. It’s more like an outline than a full autobiography. It gives the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are, leaving out what is unimportant and letting you fill in the details in your job interview. Employers match your resume against their job openings to discover if you’d be a good fit. As such, it’s important to make your résumé a good representation of yourself. Here’s how, step by step:
1. Create a career objective
In one or two sentences, state the job type and organization type (or industry) you’re aiming for. Make it simple. Consider the type of work you enjoy and are looking for.
Tips:
Think about the type of job and industry you’re interested in. Tailor the objective to describe that job, job type, or industry.
Examples:
To obtain an entry-level editing position in a large publishing company.
2. List your experiences
Starting with your most recent or current job, list your previous work experiences.
Tips:
This section shows where you have worked and when. It also states specific accomplishments for each position or job.
Don’t worry if you think your experiences are “good enough.” Employers admire people who have worked hard in sometimes difficult jobs.
Always start each accomplishment with an accomplishment verb. Verbs are the movers and shakers of any language; let them work for you.
When choosing experiences to list, pick those that seem most relevant to the position you seek. However, if you’ve had an interesting job unrelated to the field you are pursuing — such as reading to blind children or teaching English as a second language (ESL) to foreign adults — consider adding it on. Employers want interesting people working for them.
As sources for your accomplishments, think of your full-time or part-time work, summer jobs, occasional jobs, internships, field work, and special projects. Don’t worry if there are gaps in the timeline, just keep everything in chronological order, with most recent jobs at the top. Remember, you’ve been in school and people aren’t expecting you to have been employed all the time.
Examples:
Parker-Johnston Writing Center, Peer Writing Tutor, Oxford, NY
April 2004 - Present
Tutored students in writing for all disciplines. Critiqued peers’ writing.
Camp Greystone, Area Director, Tuxedo, NC
June 2003 - September 2003
Directed staff of four while supervising 20 campers. Taught crafts, sports, and cooking.
3. List your skills
Since you’ve just graduated from high school and haven’t had too much time for “real world” experience, the “Skills” section of your resume is a place where you can show your strengths and individuality. Start by stating each skill. Then back it up with a two- to three-line explanation of how you learned that skill or why you believe you have it. Make these entries short, clear, and to the point.
Tips:
List skills that are most relevant to the job you are looking for. Think about what the employer might need in relation to what you’ve done and who you are as a person.
As sources for your accomplishments, think of your full-time or part-time work, summer jobs, occasional jobs, internships, field work, and special projects.
Examples:
Team player: Four years on the Oldham Track Team has taught me the importance of being a quality team member — working cooperatively, watching out for my teammates, offering a helping hand when needed.
Hard worker: Involvement in community service, extracurricular activities, and being on the honor roll have taught me the importance of setting priorities in my work, leisure, and studies so I can maintain quality performance in all areas.
4. List your activities
List activities in which you have participated and include what your specific role was in each.
Tips:
This is the place to note membership or leadership positions in clubs, organizations of any kind, athletic teams, community organizations, and so on.
Examples:
Track Team: Team Captain, Senior year. Fall 2003.
Drama Club: Played Lank in “Crazy for You” and Tony in “West Side Story.” Fall 2002 and 2003.
5. List your education
Tips:
List your previous schools, starting with the most recent one.
Here’s your chance to list not only high school but other educational experiences, such as training programs, community college or summer courses, seminars, and so on.
Examples:
Oldham County High School, Oldham, PA. Anticipated graduation: June 2005.
Bellville Community College, Bellville, NY. Running Start Student, September 2002-Present. 36 credits earned. Grade average: B (upper 25% of class).
6. List any awards you’ve won, and when
Tips:
When you’ve been recognized by someone else, employers like it. But don’t worry if you’ve not received any awards yet; simply skip this section.
Examples:
Richmond County National Essay Contest, Honorable Mention, May 2003.
Honor Roll, South Satchewan High School, Junior and Senior Years, 2002-2004.
7. List your personal interests
Tips:
This section is where to show that you are a well-rounded person; someone people would want to know and work with.
This section is often used by the employer at the start of an interview to break the ice.
Examples:
Ceramics, camping, reading, soccer, automotive repair, carpentry
For comparison, you may want to take a look at these two sites for resume samples:
