Advanced Technical Writing

Lecture 7Resume

What is Resume A resume is a brief summary of your

abilities, education, experience, and skills.

Its main task is to convince prospective employers to contact you.

A resume has one purpose: to get you a job interview.

Characteristics of Resume

Resumes must do their work quickly.. your resume must quickly convey that

you are capable and competent enough to be worth interviewing.

The more thoroughly you prepare your resume now, the more likely someone is to read it later.

Steps to write the Resume Gather and check all necessary information Match your experience and skills with an

employer's needs Highlight details that demonstrate your

capabilities Organize the resume effectively Consider word choice carefully Ask other people to comment on your resume Make the final product presentable Evaluate your resume

Gather and Check All Necessary Information

Write down headings such as

OBJECTIVE, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, HONORS,SKILLS,ACTIVITIES,REFERNCE

Objective

To obtain a ______ position in the area of ______ (write this infinitive phrase to target the audience of this resume)

 This infinitive phrase is often reworked by the author to target different audiences

and purposes.

EDUCATION usually means post-secondary, college and

university. If you are just starting college, you can

include high school as well. List degrees and month/year obtained or

expected; names and locations of schools; major and minor, if any; grade point average.

A brief summary of important courses you've taken might also be helpful.

EXPERIENCE Includes full-time paid jobs, academic research

projects, internships or co-op positions, part-time jobs, or volunteer work.

List the month/years you worked, position, name and location of employer or place, and responsibilities you had. As you describe your experiences, ask yourself questions like these: – Have I invented, discovered, coordinated, organized, or

directed anything professionally for my community? – Do I meet deadlines consistently? – Am I a good communicator? – Do I enjoy teamwork?

HONORS

List any academic awards (scholarships, fellowships, honors list), professional awards or recognition, or community awards (i.e. for athletic

skills).

SKILLS

List computer languages and software, research, laboratory, teaching or tutoring, communication, leadership, or athletic, among others.

ACTIVITIES

List academic, professional, or community organizations in which you hold office or are currently a member;

List professional and community activities, including volunteer work.

Listing hobbies is optional.

Match Your Skills and Experience with an Employer's Needs

POSITION: What kind of position do you want for this job-search? Make notes. Now match your wishes up with positions that are actually available (postings, ads, personal contacts, or your own research).

EMPLOYER: For a certain position, what aspects of your education, experience, or skills will be most attractive to that employer? List SPECIFIC coursework, areas of specialty, specific skills, or knowledge that you think would interest the employer.

Name

Street Address City, State, Zip Code

Phone Number FAX (if applicable)

Email Address http://web.address/ (if applicable)

Objective To obtain a ______ position in the area of ______ (write this infinitive phrase to target the audience of this

resume) Education Name of Degree on Which You Are Working, Expected Month/Year University Overall GPA: X.XX/4.00 Targeted GPA (if beneficial): X.XX/4.00 Name of Next Most Recent Degree, Month Year (if applicable) University or College Overall GPA: X.XX/4.00 Targeted GPA (if beneficial): X.XX/4.00 Relevant Courses Most Relevant Course Fourth Most Relevant Course Second Most Relevant Course Fifth Most Relevant Course Third Most Relevant Course Sixth Most Relevant Course Experience Most Recent Position, Company, Location (Month/Year–Month/Year) Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate) Next Most Recent Position, Company, Location (Month/Year–Month/Year) Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate) Third Most Recent Position, Company, Location (Month/Year–Month/Year) Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate) Honors/Awards Most Impressive Honor or Award Second Most Impressive Honor or Award Third Most Impressive Honor or Award Fourth Most Impressive Honor or Award Activities Most Impressive Activity Second Most Impressive Activity Third Most Impressive Activity Fourth Most Impressive Activity Outside Interests One outside interest, a second outside interest, perhaps a third outside interest

Organize the Resume Effectively

PERSONAL INFORMATION: Top center of first page. Name (no title); addresses; phone numbers; e-mail and/or fax addresses (optional); citizenship if applicable.

Example AHMED ALI

273 East Sixth Street

Gaza, Gaza Strip 47401

(970) 286-4557

Ahali@hotmail.com

EDUCATION

Often comes first in student resumes, especially if it is a strong asset.

ExampleIslamic University Of Gaza (Gaza Strip)

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Expected June 2008)

Major: Electrical Engineering Minor: Computer Science

EXPERIENCE

Here, you can use one of two formats: Functional or Chronological

Functional

To emphasize skills and talents, cluster your experience under headings that highlight these skills: for ex.: leadership, research, computers, etc. This format can be helpful if you have little relevant job experience

Continue Experience

Chronological:

To emphasize work experience, list jobs beginning with the most recent. Some hints: Write all job descriptions in parallel phrases, using

ACTION verbs List the most important responsibilities or

successes first Emphasize collaborative or group-related tasks

Example of Experience

Gaza Electric Company (Gaza, Gaza Strip)

Research Assistant intern, Summer and fall 2007 Assistant manager of corporate planning and developed computer model for long-range planning

Ali Corporation (Gaza, Gaza Strip)Technician May,2006 to May, 2007Use variety of test equipment to troubleshoot, repair and test precision electro-mechanical and electronic instruments in a team environment.

AWARDS/HONORS

Use reverse chronological order; include titles, places, dates.

ExampleDean’s List- IUG,3.88 grade point average of possible 4.

Senior Honor Society- IUG, 2006

ASAI Scholarship 2005-2007, Islamic University of Gaza.

SKILLS & ACTIVITIESGenerally, list hobbies, travel, or languages only if they relate to your job interests. In some cases, you may wish to emphasize your willingness to travel or relocate

ExampleComputer: Verilog HDL & Matlab in unix environment,

Assembly,Pspice, Fortran,C++, will be learning Java

Proven record of outstanding performance and dependability with increasing responsibility, both in teams and in stand alone projects.

Willing to relocate, love all kind of sport, speak & write French well

Member Of IEEE.

REFERENCES

You need not put these on your resume. Write a separate list of references, with complete name, title, company name, address, and telephone numbers for each individual.

Example

Available upon request

CREATING YOUR DRAFT

Look at other resumes written for positions within your field.

TYPE each entry in a format close to the one you want to use for your resume.

LENGTH: for many resumes, two pages is the maximum length

Consider Word Choice Carefully

In a resume, you need to sound positive and confident: neither too aggressive, nor overly modest.

For a list of typical verbs used in resumes see page 602 in your text.

Examples:accomplish; achieve; analyze; adapt; balance; collaborate; coordinate; communicate; compile …

Ask Other People to Comment on Your Resume

It STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you have an advisor, potential employer, or someone in your field critique your resume.

Make the Final Product Presentable

Use a computer and high-quality (preferably laser) printer

Evaluate Your Resume

Hold your resume at arm's length and see how it looks. Is the page too busy with different type styles, sizes, lines, or boxes?

Is the information spaced well, not crowded on the page?

Is there too much "white space"? Is important information quick and easy to

find?

CONTENT Check Name and address All entries highlight a capability or accomplishment Descriptions use active verbs, and verb tense is

consistent; current job is in present tense; past jobs are in past tense

Repetition of words or phrases is kept to a minimum Capitalization, punctuation, and date formats are

consistent There are NO spelling errors

ORGANIZATION

Your best assets, whether education, experience, or skills, are listed first

The page can be easily reviewed: categories are clear, text is indented

The dates of employment are easy to find and consistently formatted

Your name is printed at the top of each page

FORMAT/DESIGN No more than two typestyles appear;

typestyles are conservative Bolding, italics, and capitalization are used

minimally and consistently Margins and line spacing keep the page from

looking too crowded Printing is on one side of the sheet only The right side of the page is in "ragged"

format, not right-justified. Right justification creates awkward white spaces

AHMED ALI273 East Sixth Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47401(913) 321-4557

Ahali@hotmail.comEmployment ObjectivesAn engineering position with potential for increasing responsibilities in which to apply my education and technical experience .EducationIslamic University Of Gaza (Gaza Strip)Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Expected June 2006)Major: Electrical Engineering Minor: Computer ScienceEMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCEGaza Electric Company (Gaza, Gaza Strip)Research Assistant intern, Summer 2004 Assistant manager of corporate planning and developed computer model for long-

range planningAli Corporation (Gaza, Gaza Strip)Technician 2003 to 2004Use variety of test equipment to troubleshoot, repair and test precision electro-mechanical and electronic instruments in a team environment.AWARDS & HONORSDean’s List: 3.88 grade point average of possible 4.Senior Honor Society, 2004ASAI Scholarship 2003-2004, Islamic University of GazaSPECIAL SKILLS & ACTIVITIESComputer: Verilog HDL & Matlab in UNIX environment, Assembly, spice, FORTRAN, C++, will be learning JavaProven record of outstanding performance and dependability with increasing responsibility, both in teams and in stand alone projects.Willing to relocate, love all kind of sport, speak & write French wellMember of IEEE.REFERENCESAvailable upon request

Now you're done!Now you're done! You can find Resume You can find Resume

examples in your text in examples in your text in pages 598-601pages 598-601