Writing your Resume Megan Bergeron Dan Bocchino Getting

Writing your Resume Megan Bergeron Dan Bocchino

Getting Started o Step 1: n o Sit down and do a self assessment. Think of all of the things that you’ve done in the past four years (e. g. work, school, internships, extracurricular activities, etc. ) Anything that you feel may be relevant to an employer or school. Step 2: n Draft it up!

General Tips o o o Use standard size, white or off-white paper. Use 10 -14 font size Choose one font style and stick to it Print on one side of the paper Avoid things like Italicizing, underlining, graphics, etc. Use Action Words whenever possible

Resume Content o o o Personal Information (Name, Address, Telephone number, email address, website, etc. ) Objective Education Experience/Employment Skills References

Personal Information o Dos n n n o This information should go at the top of your resume. Make sure you include your permanent address and telephone number. Include email address Don’ts n n Use nicknames Give your website only if relates to your professional goals.

Objective The Objective of your resume will let the employer or school know exactly what your goals are. This is the first step in assessing whether or not you are a good candidate. o Dos n n Be specific about what it is that you want. Make sure that your objective matches what you are applying for. o Don’ts n n Give one generic objective for every place that you apply to. Be vague

Education • The Education section of your resume should include all of the college level work that you have done to date. • New graduates should list this section before his or her work experience section. Alumni who have been working should list that experience first. o Dos n n Add your most recent education experience first Include degree (or expected date of graduation), GPA and academic honors. o Don’ts n List high school education!

Experience/Employment o Dos n n List the most recent work experience first Give an overview of all that you learned from the experience List extracurricular activities (e. g. sports, clubs, etc) Give specifics of experience (e. g. position title, name of organization, location, etc) o Don’ts n n n List Hobbies or irrelevant information Don’t add extraneous personal information (you may be a club team dodge ball champion, but they don’t want to know about it!) List TOO much experience

Skills o Dos n Include transferable skills that you have acquired. These are especially helpful if you don’t have a lot of work experience to speak of. o Don’ts Emphasize skills and or jobs that you do not want to do in the future. (even if they are some of your strong points!) n

Your References • This section will generally conclude your resume. • Do these on a separate sheet of paper, they are a part of the resume process. o Dos n Include the phrase “References available upon request” o Don’ts n List the References right on the resume, this is a later part of the job search.

Resume Checkup o When you’ve completed your resume make sure that you: n n o Do a spell check Have someone proofread your resume for you Proofread it again How about once more Get outside opinions on what your resume. It’s not about what you think it looks like, it about what other people think!

Top Resume Mistakes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Typos and grammatical errors Lack of specifics Using a “one-size-fits-all” resume Focusing on duties as opposed to accomplishments Too long or too short Poor objective No action words Leaving off important information Too cluttered Incorrect contact information

Resume Resources for You! o Career Development Center n n o Drop your resume off today for review Meet with a career counselor Do it Yourself (with a little help) n Microsoft Word o o Resume Wizard Resume templates

References o o o http: //www. jobweb. com/Resumes_Interviews/resume_guide/how_to. htm Hansen, Katharine, Resume Preparation Do's and Don'ts, Quintessential Careers (17 March 2005) http: //www. quintcareers. com/resume-dos-donts. html http: //content. monstertrak. monster. com/resources/archive/jobhunt/resume mistakes