resume writing for student leaders · 2020-01-01 · resume. •find ways for your personality and...

Resume Writing for

Pre-Professional Students

Presented by:

Brittany M. Wampler

Coordinator, Pre-Professional Health Programs

b.m.garner71@csuohio.edu

218 Main Classroom Building

www.csuohio.edu/sciences/preprof

What are we going to do?

• Provide general information about resumes

• Information on how to best articulate your own experiences

• Resources both online and at CSU

First, what do professional

schools want?

• Skills

• Communication

• Empathy

• Integrity

• Reliability

• Teamwork

• Social Skills

• Service-oriented

• Cultural

Competence

• Ethical decision

making

• Positivity

…Everything!

Why is Resume Writing so

difficult?

Common Resume

Concerns• I don’t have to write one often, so I

don’t know where to begin.

• I know there are particular ways to do it, but no one ever taught me.

• I don’t know how to make my resume stand out.

• I don’t know how to describe what I’ve done.

There’s no right way to do

it, but there are a lot of

wrong ways to write a

resume!

Resume Basics

• Every resume will look different

• One/Two page limit for your first

resume

• High school experiences: yes or no?

• Professional Document is a

representation of you as a professional

• No room for spelling and grammar

errors

Headings

• Headings should catch someone’s attention

• Your name should be centered in a larger font size.

• Other important information: Complete address

(everything spelled out), e-mail, phone number.

• If you have two addresses (permanent & school)

you can include both so you can be contacted

over breaks. If you have only one, center it under

your name.

ASHLEY SNYDERCAMPUS ADDRESS PERMANENT ADDRESS

134 South Hall 3550 West Market Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44115 Akron, Ohio 44300

(330) 672-3234 (330) 898-2547

(Until May 20, 2015) asnyder@yahoo.com

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

JAMIE PEER4335 Summit Street · Lakewood, Ohio 44107

(330) 678-4629 · j.m.peer@vikes.csuohio.edu

Different font for

name and

information!

Different use of font and

spacing! Notice, no mention of

“email” or “phone.”

Education

• Remember, only put your college education!

• GPA on resume?

• Putting your education on your resume is very specific! Follow the rules!

Education

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science, May 2016

Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio

Majors: Biology and Chemistry

Minor: Psychology

Cumulative GPA: 3.68

Additional Coursework in Biology:

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Immunology, Human Gross Anatomy,

Histology

Optional to add

coursework.

What comes next?• You can choose to order your resume

as you like. You want to have the most

relevant experiences at the top.

• Examples of other topics to include:Pre-Professional Experience

Leadership Experience

Shadowing Experience

Volunteer Activities

Research Experience

Skill Areas

Headings

Pre-Professional Experience

Pre-Professional Experience

PRE-PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Pre-Professional Experience

All of these state the

same information, but

consider using the

ones that draw your

attention!

Organizing within Headings

Making the eye move– Utilizing bold, italics, smaller fonts, etc.

• How do I organize:– Job/Leadership Position

– Company/Organization

– Dates worked/involved

– Location

Experience Headings

University Hospitals of Cleveland, Twinsburg,

Ohio July 2013-Present

Emergency Department Paramedic

– Worked directly with physicians, physician

assistants, and nurses

– Implemented patient care in a team environment

– Assessed nature and extent of illness/injury and

patient's history

Bullets

• Use detail and talk about numbers… How

frequently? How many? How often?

• No Abbreviations/Acronyms

• Do not repeat experiences/bullets

• Use action words!!!!!

• Never exaggerate or be untrue about

your abilities and experiences

Action Verbs

• Why are action verbs so important?

• Adding variety is the spice of life!– Do not use an action verb more than

once in your resume.

– Utilize action verbs that highlight a variety of skill sets

• http://www.tbrnet.com/resumes/actionverbs.php3?w

YOUR TURN! Turn these

statements around and

make them shine…• Volunteered at Cleveland Clinic,

Lakewood Hospital

• Tutored kids in Principles of Biology I

and II

• Shadowed three doctors

• Served as a research assistant in a

Chemistry faculty lab

• Managed caseload of 600+ students varying in pre-medical, dental, pharmacy, and veterinary programs by tracking appointments, notes, and serving as the sole support service for the path to professional programs

• Oversaw management of the Individualized Pre-Professional Post Baccalaureate Program of 70-80 students

• Created 10+ workshops on various topics to aid pre-professional students on their path as well as created a campus advertising campaign and evaluation structure

• Partnered with Honors and Scholars, Athletics, and the College of Sciences and Health Professions to ensure that students were receiving accurate information for their advisors

Shadowing Information

• Include Hospital Name and

Information

• Location

• Physician/Dentist/Pharmacist You

shadowed

• Specialty

• Dates/Total Hours

Shadowing

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Main

Campus, Cleveland, Ohio

Dr. Amy Rak, Internal Medicine

June-August 2014 (48 hours total)

Research Information

• Include PI, Faculty Information

• Overview of purpose, key findings,

techniques learned

• Your role and contributions

Research Experience

Research Assistant, Cleveland State University

Department of Chemistry, Cleveland, Ohio

May- December 2014

• Served as a research assistant analyzing the

molecular process of cell death and proliferation

control during the genotoxic stress response

• Measured cell responses during chemotherapy

treatments

Publications/Presentations

• Use correct citation for the field

• List in reverse chronological order

(most recent first)

• Include relevant publications,

conference presentations, poster

presentations, and items accepted

for publication

Leadership Experience

• Include role in organization and

responsibilities unique to your role

• Include skills obtained, projects led

• Accomplishments while in the

position

Cover Letters

Cover Letter Headings

• Headings should catch someone’s attention

• The heading of a cover letter is the beginning of a professional letter.

• Other important information: Complete address, e-mail, phone number.

Cover Letter Headings

Option I:

Your full address (no name)

Date

Company Address (with the

persons name that you are

sending the letter)

Dear Mr./Mrs./Dr. person,

Option II:

Resume Heading

Date

Company Address (with the

persons name that you are

sending the letter)

Dear Mr./Mrs./Dr. person,

March 29, 2015

Dr. Meredith Bond

Dean, College of Science & Health

Professions

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio 44115

Dear Dr. Bond,

BRITTANY M. WAMPLER45 Main Street • Cleveland, Ohio 44115

b.m.garner71@csuohio.edu • 216-687-9321

Introduction Paragraph

• The introduction should be about you and a pitch to your experience and education.

• You should include:– How you found out about the

position– What you like about the company– Why YOU are a good fit for the job

• What you know about the company and how that aligns with your goals (philosophy, values, goals)

My name is Brittany Wampler and I

am a first year student at Cleveland

State University majoring in Biology

with a minor in Chemistry. I hope to

one day go to medical school and

have started gaining experience in a

variety of areas to build my resume. I

am writing today to share my resume

with you in the hopes that I may

connect with you to shadow your

practice.

Paragraphs Two and

Three• Describe your experiences in more

detail.– What do you have to offer the

employer?– What concrete examples and you

provide relating your past experiences to the job?

• Provide numbers where possible.• Tell a story.

• One paragraph about you and your experiences, the next about the job and how your experiences match what they are looking for in the position.

I am very interested in your work as a pediatrician and would love to talk with you further about your educational background and experience at Ohio State University College of Medicine. I’ve been looking into a variety of primary care areas and pediatrics has always been an interest of mine. The opportunity to observe your work would be a great addition to my experience. In terms of availability, I have a flexible schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In addition, there are several breaks in our academic schedule that would permit me to observe for an extended period of time.

Throughout my first year of college, I have gained experience through volunteering with Colleges Against Cancer and joining the American Medical Student Association. I’ve completed some observation hours in the past through a high school shadowing experience as well. I am also in my first semester of General Chemistry and Biology, which are certainly providing me with a variety of challenges for the semester!

Conclusion Paragraph

• Highlight personality traits or skills that you feel are important to mention.

• Write about the next steps (“I will follow up within…” or “I look forward to hearing from your about the next steps in the process…”)

• Thank the employer for consideration.

• Reiterate contact information.

Thank you in advance for your reply. I hope that through this email you have been able to grasp my passion for medicine as well as pediatrics. You can feel free to email or call me at your convenience and I hope that we will be able to connect in the future. I have also included a copy of my resume for you. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Brittany Wampler

Overall Tips and Tricks• Use concise language that is simple to

understand and comprehend.

• Use the same font and font size as your resume.

• Find ways for your personality and professionalism to show through the letter.

• Make sure that you mention special qualifications that you possess that will make you an excellent candidate.

• This is not a reiteration of what can be found in your resume. You must go beyond the resume.

Overall Tips and Tricks

continued• Use professional language.

• Check and re-check for spelling,

grammar, and sentence structure.

• Illustrate with examples.

• Use action-oriented verbs and language.

• If you know someone at the company,

this is a good opportunity to mention it.

Power Phrases

• Use of phrases that advertise your abilities or your confidence are key.

– I am confident that I can make a contribution….because….

– I look forward to talking with you and will call your office…

– With my educational background, skills…I feel confident about my abilities to…

– I would like the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications for this position.

Resources

• Action Verbs by Skill Set: http://www.quintcareers.com/action_skills.html

• Cover Letter Help: http://career.asc.ohio-state.edu/cs_workshops.htm

• JHU Resume Presentation:

http://web.jhu.edu/prepro/Forms/Resumes_premed.pdf

• Career Center: http://csuw3.csuohio.edu/offices/career/

Pre-Professional Health

Programs Services

• Resume Editing

• Cover Letter Editing

• Personal Statement Editing

• Secondary Application Editing

• 48 BUSINESS Hours in Advance Rule

THANK YOU!

Brittany M. WamplerCoordinator, Pre-Professional Health

Programs

b.m.garner71@csuohio.edu

218 Main Classroom Building

www.csuohio.edu/sciences/preprof