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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

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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!

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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

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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 way (e.g.,

religious affiliations, age, etc.)

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

– Specific “CV” workshops are offered through the Internship & Career Center

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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

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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 shadingshading, 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 tweetybird@wherever.com!) Be specific in subject header Follow employer directions carefully! Avoid use of characters and symbols Use left-justified format

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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 for an interview.

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Follow Up

Resume, Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letter examples can be found online at:– http://ucdavis.placementmanual.com/resume/

index.html

Visit the ICC to have your resume and cover letter critiqued by trained staff