Resume Writing: Presenting Yourself On Paper

RESUME WRITING Presenting Yourself on Paper

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Workshop Agenda ✔ Purpose and Impact of a Resume ✔ General Guidelines ✔ Various Formats ✔ Scannable Resumes ✔ Email & Electronic Submissions ✔ Key Components ✔ Optional Categories ✔ Resume Check List ✔ Cover Letters ✔ Follow Up

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Purpose and Impact ✔ Marketing Tool

– Designed to create a favorable first impression – May get you an interview, won’t get you the job! ✔ Personal Account of Your: – Education and Training – Experience – Skills and Abilities 3

Purpose and Impact ✔ Provides an accurate, concise, and original

presentation of who you are ✔ Resource for employer at interview ✔ Remember: Employers spend 4 - 5 minutes at most reviewing a Resume. Make each word count!

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General Guidelines ✔ Length – Generally one page (especially recent grads) – Two pages with extensive related experience ✔ Layout – Direct reader’s eye using headings and layout – Choose standard font in 10-14 point size — Use appropriate color & high quality 8 1/2 x 11 paper, one-sided only! 5

General Guidelines ✔ Layout continued – Leave ‘white space’ for uncluttered look • One inch margins on all sides is standard

– Be consistent with: • • • •

indentations capitalizations font spacing 6

General Guidelines ✔ Content – Proofread! Don’t rely on Spell-check • grammar • spelling • typographical errors • punctuation ✔ Stress accomplishments and results ✔ Tailor contents to each position (e.g. rewrite Objective/revise Skills section) ✔ Omit information which could be used in a discriminatory 7 way (e.g., religious affiliations, age, etc.)

Resume Formats ✔ CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT – Easy to read, most commonly used – Presents education and work experience in reverse chronological order ✔ Very effective if majority of education and

work experience is related to objective 8

Resume Formats ✔ FUNCTIONAL FORMAT – Focuses on skills and abilities, not dates of employment – Lists skills you’ve demonstrated which are required for a particular job ✔ Allows you to emphasize skills gained through volunteer work and extra curricular activities ✔ Often used by career changers, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars 9

Resume Formats ✔ COMBINATION FORMAT – Uses elements of Chronological and Functional – Emphasizes skills and abilities – Provides job/experience descriptions ✔ Effective when job objective has multiple

components (e.g. research and management, marketing and administrative) 10

Resume Formats ✔ TECHNICAL FORMAT – Used as a term to describe a resume prepared for technical positions (e.g. computer science or engineering) – Can use any format; emphasizes technical skills such as specific computer languages, laboratory skills, etc. – List GPA if 2.5 or above 11

Resume Formats ✔ CURRICULUM VITAE – Used by individuals seeking teaching and/or research positions in a post-secondary institution or high-level research industry – Often two or three pages for master’s or doctoral degree candidates

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Scannable Resumes ✔ Uses nouns indicating specific job functions,

skills, responsibilities (see detailed job description to select key words to use) ✔ Use “key words” associated with position you are seeking. Include terminology of the business or industry ✔ Do not fold, bend or staple resume. Mail in a large, flat envelope 13

Scannable Resumes ✔ Forget “fancy fonts”, flashy graphics

and colored paper – 10 - 14 point size, standard font – white, off-white, 8 1/2 x 11 paper – avoid shading, shading graphics♥, bolding, italicizing, and underlining

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Scannable Resumes ✔ Avoid: – Bullets – Lines – Columns – Brackets

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E-mail and Electronic Submission ✔ Maintain professional tone ✔ Use professional sounding email address

(not [email protected]!) ✔ Be specific in subject header ✔ Follow employer directions carefully! ✔ Avoid use of characters and symbols ✔ Use left-justified format 16

E-mail and Electronic Submission ✔ Do not underline, bold, or italicize text ✔ Use “standard” font, such as Arial or Times New

Roman ✔ Use hard return to insert line, not word wrap ✔ Sign your email with your full name ✔ Proofread and use spell-check before sending ✔ Do a ‘trial send’ to yourself or a friend to see how your resume looks after sending 17

Resume Key Components ✔ TITLE BLOCK/HEADING – Your name – Address, including zip code – Daytime telephone number(s) - don’t forget area codes – email address - ONLY IF YOU CHECK DAILY! – Cell phone or pager number(s) 18

Resume Key Components ✔ OBJECTIVE – Gives resume focus, credibility and direction – Be concise and logical - develop different resumes for different types of jobs – Avoid cliches such as “like working with people” – Emphasize short term aspirations – Considered by some to be optional 19

Resume Key Components ✔ EDUCATION – List highest degree first, followed by other degrees received – Degree level – Major(s), minor(s) and emphasis if applicable • If your major/degree is relevant, list that first; if not, emphasize UC Davis, then list major

– University of California, Davis 20

Resume Key Components ✔ EDUCATION continued – Date to be conferred – GPA if 3.0 or higher (in engineering, list if 2.5 or higher) – Other colleges/universities attended, including Education Abroad – DO NOT include High School degree! 21

Resume Key Components ✔ EDUCATION continued – Lower division students seeking an internship should consider • listing class standing first • followed by major(s), minor(s) and emphasis if applicable • then listing Bachelor’s degree expected in month and year • then listing University of California, Davis 22

Resume Key Components ✔ EXPERIENCE – Summarize significant full and part time positions – Include relevant volunteer work or internships – Highlight responsibilities, skills developed, and accomplishments – List job title, employer, city, state, and dates of employment, followed by description 23

Resume Key Components ✔ EXPERIENCE continued – Present information in reverse chronological order » OR

– Create special sections (e.g. Related Experience, Research Experience, Marketing Experience) – Use action verbs and sentence phrases, NOT complete sentences 24

Resume Key Components ✔ EXPERIENCE continued – May include significant academic assignments and relevant extra-curricular activities – List accomplishments and contributions you have made – Quantify accomplishments, if possible

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Optional Categories ✔ SKILLS – List skills you can perform with little or no direction – Computer - list hardware, software, and operating systems – Laboratory - list techniques, procedures and/or equipment – Language - indicate fluency level, specify if you can read/write/speak the language 26

Optional Categories ✔ SKILLS continued – Research - list research skills with which you are familiar – General skills, including communication (written and verbal), problem-solving, managerial, etc. – Presentations – Others specific to the job – Skills are often underestimated by students!

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Optional Categories ✔ Publications – List articles published and those accepted for publication – Include in Experience section ✔ Qualifications or Skills Statement – If major is not obviously related to job objective, this provides an opportunity to tie everything together 28

Optional Categories ✔ Licenses, Certifications, Credentials,

Training – Related items only (CPR, First Aid, Hazardous Materials Training, Professional Engr., etc.)

✔ Extra-Curricular Activities/Professional

Affiliations – List memberships and offices held

✔ Military Service – Include in experience section

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Optional Categories ✔ Honors/Awards/Hobbies/Interests – Avoid listing those which may be controversial ✔ References – Usually state “References Provided Upon Request” as last line of resume – Provide separate sheet with three - four reference names and contact information – No relatives, friends, other students – Ask permission before listing someone!

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Resume Review Check List ✔ Does your resume look appealing? ✔ Is it clearly labeled, using appropriate

headings? ✔ Does it highlight your skills and abilities? ✔ Have you had it critiqued by others? ✔ Have you triple checked for accuracy? 31

The Cover Letter ✔ Should be customized for each position ✔ Establishes personal contact ✔ Should be addressed to a specific person,

using name, and title – In salutation, never use first name! – Use “Dear Recruiter” if no name is available

✔ Use same paper, font and format as resume ✔ Keep letter to one page in length

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The Cover Letter ✔ Use standard business format ✔ Emphasize how your skills, education,

experience can benefit the employer ✔ Close by indicating your interest in the position and follow-up plans ✔ Don’t forget to sign the letter!

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The Cover Letter ✔ Paragraph one – What position are you applying for and how did you find out about the position? ✔ Paragraph two – Why do you want to work for this particular employer, and why should employer hire you? ✔ Paragraph three – What’s your next step going to be? Indicate how you will follow through or express desire 34 for an interview.