Networking Resume Guide Index Why a Resume It

Networking Resume Guide Index Why a Resume? It All Starts Here Creating Your Resume n Before you Begin n Sample Resumes ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ Create Your Resume Career Objective Education Activities Honors Experience Additional Info References Spell Check - Preview - Print Appendix A. n I. U. Sample Resumes n Finnish Sample Resumes Appendix B. n Tips for Creating a Concise Resume C. Randall Powell Back to Index

Why a Resume? It All Starts Here Career Service Offices worldwide provide career counseling and job placement assistance to students, regardless of major, who are interested in pursuing careers after an academic degree. They also assist employers in identifying and interviewing potential talent for their available career opportunities. The first “stepping stone” of all job searches is a good resume. This step-by-step guide has been designed to aid you in the process of writing your resume. Back to Index

Creating Your Resume In today’s fast-paced marketplace, it is of critical importance to get your resume distributed as widely and as quickly as possible. To assist you in preparing your resume, examples have been provided for reference (and editing). Many additional examples can be found in the Career Planning textbook. For extra help, you may want to work with a friend. Experienced counselors are available at most Career Service Offices (CSO) to help if you have problems or questions. This guide is designed to familiarize you with typical resume requirements and procedures. It provides detailed information on writing and composing HTMLcompatible resumes. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with this material BEFORE you sit down to actually enter your data and construct your resume. Resume preparation is an activity that is likely to follow you for a lifetime. The skills you learn will be useful to you for many years. Take this opportunity to build a solid foundation from which to make future revisions. Back to Index

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Browse sample resumes. Copy and edit from other resume templates and samples if you wish. Create your resume using MS Word Save your resume in Word. Upload your resume to various websites. Review your uploaded resume from those websites if possible. Enhance, review, and update (ongoing). Back to Index

Before You Begin Although we know you are eager to jump right into this process, this document cannot provide ALL of the information you need to create an effective resume. It is intended to be your guide. Before you leap into the resume construction process presented here, be sure to get advice from faculty and other professionals. Professor Powell’s lecture titled “Creating Great Resumes” will provide you with the key information regarding resume preparation and orient you to the terms and concepts you will need to draw upon while composing your resume. We also encourage you to read through the Career Planning Strategies: Hire Me! textbook by Dr. C. Randall Powell for additional ideas. Back to Index

Before You Begin If you feel prepared to begin, make sure you have the following materials at hand: A copy of your existing resume, if you have one. n A computer with Internet access and MS Word installed. n A floppy or personal hard disk where you can store a local copy of your resume. n Back to Index

Sample Resumes Over many years, my Indiana University students have prepared professional resumes using the ideas presented here. Many of their efforts have been saved and edited for privacy reasons. As a guide in preparing your resume, you may wish to review some of the resumes of these students. If you feel confident about your design, format, and content, feel free to move to the next step. My Finnish students have also prepared hundreds of resumes. All of these are in the appendix of this article along with the sample I. U. resumes. Back to Index

Create Your Resume Now it is time to concentrate on your resume content. The goal is to generate an attractive, clear, and concise HTML resume. In this section, we provide helpful hints and examples for each major section of a good resume: Career Objective Experience Education Additional Information (optional) Activities & Honors References Back to Index

As you type your resume, remember these important tips: n n n Avoid complicated graphics, icons, backgrounds, frames, or colors. If you include hypertext links to other pages or files, be certain to list the complete URL (e. g. , “http: //www. indiana. edu/~username/filename”). Fonts, spacing, and page breaks are dependent upon browser settings—you have limited control over these elements. For printing purposes, many websites will use the default Times New Roman font in the 12 -point size with half-inch margins. Back to Index

Career Objective Helpful Hints: n n To start, select a brief title (one to four words) which serves as a “job target. ” Follow this by a one- or two-sentence statement that defines your targeted area. Write another sentence that describes the skills that you wish to acquire or that you wish to use. Finally, finish your objective by stating your future goals. Refer to the Career Planning Strategies textbook for additional illustrations of the type of statements to write. This key-screening portion of your resume is one of the most important elements that employers use to compare similarly qualified candidates. What you want to do distinguishes you from other candidates with similar degrees and majors. Back to Index

Career Objective (continued) n Be concise but descriptive. Remember that you need to present a great deal of information in a small amount of space! Some phrases often used in the career objective statement include: . . . utilize skills and abilities of _____, . . . work in the functional areas of _____, . . . interested in industries like _____, . . . skills obtained through courses in _____, . . . skills acquired by _____ years/months of experience in _____. . . _____ and _____ are my targeted job interests. . . exploring _____, and _____ areas of interests. . n Avoid the use of personal pronouns (I, me, etc. ) Back to Index

Common Examples: Management Trainee. Prefer a medium-size firm that rotates new employees through the sales, finance, and operations functions and makes final assignments to one area within several months based upon a joint assessment of personal talents and firm needs. Strongest area may be in marketing since best course work is in the humanities and social sciences that develop extensive writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills. Very flexible in relocations, especially international tours, which might draw upon my multilingual talents. Aspire to become a senior manager or partner in a service industry organization. Product Management. After experience in sales force management, desire staff level responsibilities in advertising coordination, pricing, packaging, and market research. Prefer involvement in a consumer or commercial product line with multiple distribution channels for specific well-known brands. Wish to use strong analytical skills, copy writing abilities, and assertive personal characteristics in initial assignments. Interested in advancement to a product manager within ten years with profit and loss responsibilities. Back to Index

Common Examples: (continued) Sales Representative. Desire extensive contact with customers and regular exposure to management to help build upon talents of facilitating relationships. Prefer on-the-job training that quickly introduces products and services. After training and experience, seek a promotion into first line management that involves recruiting, hiring, training, and motivating subordinates. Prefer experience doing a line management career in some staff assignments, such as advertising, market research, and merchandising. Eventually wish to move into a marketing management position. Retailing. Plan to start in a management development program with an upscale fashion retailer that rotates associates through the buying, store management, and operational aspects of a hectic and exciting environment. Desire assignments in merchandising, advertising, sales, customer service, and supervision. As a senior executive, desire to buy merchandise on a global basis and manage large multiemployee operations. Interested in using multi-cultural background in positions that build upon technical skills, positive attitudes, and leadership qualities. Back to Index

Common Examples: (continued) Staff Accountant. Desire to join a medium to large public accounting firm in the audit function. After training and several client assignments, would consider working in the tax function. Interested in the continual professional education offered by major firms as practice and knowledge develops with client assignments. Aspire to a partnership responsibility within a 12– 15 year time frame that would enhance leadership skills and build upon improving external relationships. Staff Accountant. Desire a position with a large prestigious industrial firm that leads controllership candidates through the technical departments like internal auditing, management accounting, financial systems, tax preparation, financial reporting, and information management. With over 30 hours in finance, systems, and accounting course work, expect to employ talent in a progression of positions leading to senior financial management responsibilities. Willing to relocate frequently including international rotational assignments that draw upon multiple language fluencies developed in various academic programs and academic studies. Back to Index

Common Examples: (continued) Systems Consultant. Wish to begin in computer systems to expand on academic training but later hope to merge technical skills with management ambitions. Plan to draw upon a strong background in statistics, computer programming, data structures, and information systems management. Seeking initial work in systems support, MIS consulting, and internal and external client relations, which require unique interpersonal skills, presentation abilities, and technical competencies. Willing to start in programming but wish to soon move to a system support team with a career path leading toward a senior information systems officer position. Management Consultant. Drawing upon previous extensive work experience in accounting systems, plan to start in the management service function of a large public accounting or national consulting firm. Desire to use academic courses in accounting, finance, and systems in analyzing data, writing proposals, writing analytical reports, and making specific recommendations to client organizations. Eventually wish to be involved in strategic projects involving product positioning, acquisitions, divestitures, and organizational design. Aspire to become a partner within the next decade. Back to Index

Common Examples: (continued) Personnel Assistant. Desire to start in human resource management with rotational assignments in employment interviewing, selection tools, compensation studies, benefit administration, training, labor relations, contract administration, and personnel services. After some division level rotations, expect to transfer to headquarters assignments. Ambition is to advance through department manager jobs into senior human resource officer positions. Back to Index

Education Helpful Hints: n n n List your educational institutions in reverse chronological order (i. e. most recent first). Do not include high school education. List only college level and beyond. Possible exceptions include terms spent studying abroad, class officer, and top honor recognitions. You should include your cumulative GPA, especially if you have less than 5 years of work experience. Use common abbreviations to conserve space if necessary. Use bullet points to denote graphic style and emphasis. Back to Index

Education (continued) n Use comments to clarify or highlight relevant educational information: ¨ ¨ ¨ n Describe curriculum content and purpose. Discuss courses/departmental major. Offer how you financed your education. Provide major GPA and GPA of last 2 years. List specific courses and grades. Document term projects where you excelled. Illustrate improving grade trends. Discuss grades in major subject(s). Stress academic excellence and recognitions. Describe team-oriented performances. Emphasize presentation-type courses. Thoroughly discuss study-abroad programs Other education, such as company-sponsored schools, study abroad, military schools, and short courses and seminars, may be included. Make this section as complete as possible. Be concise but extremely thorough. Back to Index

Examples: Grade Performance: n Grades the past three terms have been 3. 0, 3. 25, and 3. 6, which show deep interest and special abilities in the major field where most courses now are being taken. n Grades reflect the fact that financial needs require a work commitment of 30+ hours per week to earn expenses to complete the degree. n Academic performance has excelled in courses that draw heavily upon communication and teamwork abilities. Grades in the humanities have been very strong; recent grades in analytical courses have improved significantly. n Grade performance has improved steadily after a poor first-year GPA caused by illness and immaturity. Have maintained at least a “B” average the last three terms. n Overall grades rank in the top quarter; grades in my major have been 3. 65, which is near the top in a highly competitive program. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) Job Related: n Completing 24 hours of accounting and 12 hours of finance. n Job-related topics studied include cost accounting, capital budgeting, electronic auditing, advanced taxation, and investment analysis. n Need two courses to complete a second major in economics. n Liberal arts education has been supplemented with courses in marketing, sales management, retailing, basic accounting, and computer programming. n Communication and business teamwork abilities developed in several honors seminars should improve skills in decision making. The honors courses are small classes with senior faculty who competitively selected course participants. n Strong scientific, engineering, and technical course background supported by college activities that indicate leadership capabilities in a compassionate social setting. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) Academic Topics: n Double major in finance and marketing to enhance my technical and analytical skills, which should aid in the goal of moving into a management assignment later. n Many human resource courses involve term projects that draw upon several courses in information systems. n Presentation skills have been enhanced by taking several courses in such areas as speech, theater, television, mass communication, and broadcast journalism. n Course work has included two internships, one of which earned academic credit in addition to teaching about day-to-day commitments. n Studied Spanish extensively and supplemented this fluency and cultural awareness with courses in business. n Plan to use business and analytical skills to function in international environments after the skills are improved by actual work in the domestic environment. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) Global Experiences: n Studied abroad for one year in Latin America and visited several multinational corporations in “real world” educational projects supervised by local faculty and professors at my home university. n Lived with a local family for six months in France while participating in a student exchange program. This exposure provided a significant learning opportunity that created a strong appreciation for other cultures, different environmental conditions, and improved language fluency considerably. n Participated in several courses designed to provide an awareness of different cultures, economic conditions, and business methods in other societies. n Worked closely with a faculty advisor who is an internationally recognized expert on East-West trade relations. Fluent in Japanese, which resulted from a military assignment. Back to Index

Activities Helpful Hints: n n n Activities are indicators of your leadership, professional interests, contributions, and social skills. Consider including: professional memberships, community activities, college activities, committee involvements, and social organization responsibilities. List your most impressive activities first. Elaborate on organizations in which you were most involved and indicate gains made under your leadership. Describe the purpose and size of the organization and the role you played in it. If you include honors, group the honors together. Consider eliminating: Activities you joined but in which you never participated. Least significant activities, if you have several. Some or all college activities if you have substantial work experience and/or professional memberships. ¨ All high school activities if you have graduated from college or have significant experience. Use high school activities only if they are highly significant. ¨ ¨ ¨ Back to Index

Activities (continued) n n Provide explanations for names of organizations if they are not self-evident. Describe the purpose of the group and your contribution to its goals. Be complete and thorough. Elaborate thoroughly on a few activities that have consumed major portions of your time rather than list each event with no explanation. Avoid appearance of being a “joiner” but not a “doer. ” Indicate offices held and your involvement dates for verification purposes. Show in-depth involvement for a few activities instead of tangential involvement in many organizations Back to Index

Examples: n n n SAE Social Fraternity, President, 20 xx-xx; worked about 20 hours per week to manage many responsibilities of a 100 member facility. College Radio Station, Announcer, 20 xx-xx; introduced and interviewed personalities and edited and delivered news broadcasts on a regular basis for about 10 – 15 hours per week to a local student audience of about 2, 000 listeners. Beta Gamma Sigma, Treasurer, 20 xx-xx; this accounting honorary has 380 members and runs over 20 professional programs each year. Manage a budget of $3, 000 per year. Last year, we managed a large job fair on campus. Student Union Board, Vice Chair, 20 xx-xx; this policy-setting 12 -student board reviews a $32 million budget that includes a 200 -room hotel, food service, and recreation facilities. Chair the Audit and Food Service Committees. Student Association, Chair, Professional Activities Committee, 20 xx-xx. This committee of the 500 -member association is responsible for hosting over 50 senior executives who make presentations to our group each year. The committee is responsible for invitations, marketing, hosting, and other logistics. Chair supervises over 20 different members. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) n n Finance Guild, Vice President, 20 xx-xx. This student group coordinates several programs between 300 finance students, 25 faculty, and scores of senior financial managers. The professional programs of the group cover current issues and topics which are discussed in lively group settings of 25– 75 participants each. Phi Gamma Delta Social Fraternity, Treasurer, 20 xx-xx. Our fraternity earned superior academic recognition during the four-year period and the 150 members were very involved in the Greek life on campus. Elected to the Policy Board of the Interfraternity Council during senior year. Indiana Daily Student, News Reporter, 20 xx-xx. Wrote several news articles based upon wire news, TV feeds, and interviews. Won an award for reporting on an issue involving investment policy of the I. U. Foundation. Dean's List. Ranked in top 10 percent academically in six of eight terms. Back to Index

Honors Examples: Dean’s List Presidential Scholar Big Ten MVP in Cross Country National Achievement Scholarship Who’s Who Among Colleges AKO Leadership Honorary AT&T Scholar Consortium Fellowship Athletic Student Tutor National Merit Scholar Hispanic Society Fellowship Myers Writing Award Beta Gamma Sigma Honorary MIS Association Scholarship Athlete of the Year of Fraternity Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Metz Merit Scholarship High School Valedictorian Army Medal of Honor Back to Index

Experience Helpful Hints n n Do not just list routine duties and responsibilities. Show results and significant contributions. Be verbose and thorough in describing what you did. It is easier to edit once you have entered all of your responsibilities. Include: ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ n internships full-time jobs clinicals co-ops field experience full-time summer jobs other unpaid experience volunteer jobs Use numbers (people and dollars) to emphasize teamwork, responsibility level, and accomplishments. Back to Index

Experience (continued) n n n n Use action verbs and illustrations with adjectives that both describe what you did and describe some of your personal attributes. Label skills or strengths that you demonstrated and substantiate your claims with concrete examples. Use quantitative illustrations of success and contributions, when impressive (e. g. , size, sales, people, percentage increases, and other indicators of the magnitude of your duties, accomplishments, and achievements). Do not be modest. Present a tone of confident self-reliance and pride. Read the chapters in Career Planning Today for ideas and specific illustrations. Consult books and sample illustrations for innovative ways to display your academic credentials and highlight your academic honors and achievements. Use examples of where you were given progressively increasing responsibilities. Emphasize teamwork, personality, willingness to do nitty-gritty duties, commitment to hard work, and decision responsibilities. These relate to maturity, an attribute which employers seek. Back to Index

Examples: n KPMG Public Accounting Firm Cincinnati, OH 5/xx to 8/xx and 5/xx to 8/xx Accounting Intern This credit and salary based internship lasted for two consecutive summers. Participated in 6 -8 audit team assignments each summer. Handled various tasks, such as loan documentation, cash verifications, confirming Bank Secrecy Act, payroll testing, and footing various reports. Spent time working with a client doing some electronic spreadsheet and database analysis on a lap top computer. Worked 50 -60 hours several weeks on deadline-oriented client assignments. n INDIANA UNIVERSITY Bloomington, IN 8/xx to Present Teaching Assistant Assisted Professor Smith in teaching a sophomore-level course on basic computer hardware and software use. Served as consultant for student inquiries, graded assignments, and communicated to students via e-mail extensively. Worked about 10 hours per week in assisting 100 students in the two sections taught. Maintained an electronic grade book. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) n TRENDSETTERS Indianapolis, IN xx/xx to Present Sales Clerk As school schedule permits, work 10 -20 hours per week with local women’s fashion shop. Duties include sales, cash control, gift wrapping, display, merchandising, customer service, and floor supervision. Worked full-time the past two summers; commission aspect of pay permits significant earnings potential. Top-paid part-time clerk recognition for past six months. Do limited fashion modeling for store in local ads. n MAXI DISCOUNTS Fort Wayne, IN Summers xx–xx Bookkeeper Worked full-time the past two summers at this family owned electronic discount center which is the fastest growing store in the region. Frequently returned to work during holidays, school breaks, and peak weekend periods. Started as a sales clerk and moved through cashiering, personnel, credit, security, marking, stocking, loss prevention, merchandising, advertising coordination, and many other areas. Invited into the finance function when supervisors learned of course work in accounting and systems. Helped develop several new control procedures and suggested some new weekly analytical reports. n ABC CERAMICS Cincinnati, OH 5/xx to 8/xx Tile Setter Handled grout work, tile cutting, and layout for bathrooms, kitchen, and entry floors and halls. Usually worked without supervision within four weeks. Earned funds for senior year. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) n MEGA DEALER Cincinnati, OH 5/xx to 8/xx Lotman Worked in various assignments in this dealership that sells 5, 000 vehicles per year. Checked in new and used vehicles, cleaned vehicles, repaired minor mechanical problems, moved vehicles, and handled some new car preparation for customers. n FAST FOODS Cincinnati, OH 5/xx to 8/xx Restaurant Associate Started in shift work. Served customers during very hectic periods. Worked with a team of 30 people under stress and many pressure points. Cleaned floors, tables, and other equipment. Occasionally prepared food. Awarded “Associate of the Week” plaque for six consecutive weeks. n NUMEROUS PART-TIME JOBS Hometown IN 5/xx to Present Various Assignments Held many part-time jobs while enrolled full-time in college. As a financially independent person, worked at least 30 hours per week to provide support for college. Jobs included sales clerk, general labor, security person, waiter, bus boy, cashier, attendant, fast food, etc. In the past six years, worked for numerous employers, but the past year has been with a local security firm where night work permitted time off in the day for attending class. Back to Index

Examples: (continued) n INDIANA UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE Bloomington, IN 8/xx to Present Sales Clerk Work about 10 hours per week selling and handling students’ needs for books, supplies, equipment, and software. Responsible for special computer inventory control system which permits placing direct orders. Worked many hours during peak periods since freshman year and now supervise and train a group of about 10 other part-timers. n AMOCO ENERGY Chicago, IL 5/xx to 8/xx Junior Systems Analyst Wrote code for software system based on a needs assessment obtained in interviews with operating managers. Served as a systems consultant to the market planning function that invited systems staff to regularly scheduled Marketing Systems Policy Committee meetings with senior directors. Systems team of 12 staff works with a $2 million budget used to establish sophisticated technical control systems in marketing data analysis. n JONES CONSTRUCTION Jefferson, IN 5/xx to Present General Laborer This local construction firm builds single- and multiple-family housing in a three state area and is owned by family members. Worked here every summer and at other breaks since 16 years old. Typically worked 50 -60 hours per week, which generated income to pay for the next school year. Duties have included truck driver, carpenter, electrician, plumber, roofer, errand person, installer, carpet layer, and other tasks associated with residential construction. Given the opportunity last summer to supervise a crew of five people on a large apartment project. Worked 60 hours per week and learned about personal capacities, commitments, people management, and other lessons which proved to be extremely valuable. Back to Index

Additional Info Helpful Hints n n This optional section can contain any information that you couldn't fit neatly into any other area. It may include licenses, certifications (held or seeking), family obligations, publications, civic responsibilities, professional associations, and commitments that consumed significant amounts of your time and effort. Give each item a one to three word descriptive title. You could use this section to list your most relevant skills or examples in brief paragraphs noting how you developed them. You could use this to highlight three to five of your most relevant academic or work achievements and recognitions. You might use two or three boldfaced words followed by descriptive paragraphs. Back to Index

References Helpful Hints n n n n Provide the name and title (if appropriate) of each reference. Complete addresses need not be included; city, state, and phone number are sufficient. Include fax numbers and email addresses, if appropriate. Select faculty, supervisors, counselors, neighbors, and acquaintances who have observed your behavior over time and who know you very well. Where possible, draw upon leaders, managers, professionals, and others who have, judging by their titles, achieved significant success. References are rarely contacted prior to your initial interview, but are often called just prior to your being extended an offer. They can be extremely beneficial to your success. Names of well-known people and titles of respected professionals imply a willingness to say positive things even though they may never be contacted. We strongly recommend that you list three to four references on your resume. At least one (or two) of your references should be a faculty member who knows your academic credentials. It is redundant to state “References Available Upon Request. ” Either list your references (recommended), or eliminate this section entirely. Employers do contact counselors and faculty regularly and most graduates need the power of these network referrals, so include them if at all possible. Back to Index

Examples n MS. INDIVIDUAL NAME Title/Position, Employer Address: City, State, Zip, Telephone Number, Fax, e-mail address. n MR. LONG ACQUAINTANCE Credible Position, Reputable Employer Hometown, IL, xxxxx, (xxx) xxx-xxxx, Fax: (xxx) xxx-xxxx n DR. GREAT PROF Professor of Goodstuff, Indiana University Collegetown, IL, xxxxx, (xxx) xxx-xxxx, e-mail: goodstuff@indiana. edu n MR. PAST SUPERVISOR Position of Authority, Organization Inc. Desired Town, IN, xxxxx, (xxx) xxx-xxxx, e-mail: boss@organization. com DR. I. M. SMART Dean, School of Business, Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405, (812) 855 -xxxx, e-mail: dean@indiana. edu MR. MANY BUCKS President, First National Hometown Bank Richmond, IN 43000, (812) 855 -xxxx, e-mail: bank@first. com DR. C. NUMBERS Professor of Accounting, Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405, (812) 855 -xxxx, e-mail: prof@indiana. edu MS. GREAT ADVICE Honors Academic Advisor, Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405, (812 ) 855 -xxxx, e-mail: advisor@college. edu n n Back to Index

Spell Check – Preview - Print Now that you have typed all of your content into the resume, it is time to polish it up. First, run spell check to catch any obvious spelling errors. Once your resume has passed the spelling check, save your work. It should be attractive and very easy to read, with your most important information appearing on the first "screen" before having to scroll downward. Quickly check how it will print. Select “Page Setup” on the “File” menu and uncheck all options in the “Header” and “Footer” sections. This will assure that your printed copy will be “clean”—devoid of distracting URLs and other material that often prints in the top and bottom margins. Also make sure that your margins are set to 0. 50 inches and that the default font is set to the same Times New Roman, size 12 font that most recruiters use when printing your resume. Back to Index

Appendix A. I. U. Sample Resumes n Finnish Sample Resumes n Back to Index

Appendix B. n Tips for Creating a Concise Resume Back to Index