ge117 resume workshop
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KEYS TO A WINNING RESUME!
ITT Technical Institute
What is a Resume?
The Resume is: A tool to market yourself so that you can get the interview! An expression of you (showcases your skills/qualifications &
accomplishments) The first thing a recruiter or hiring manager looks at in the hiring
process ( usually for maximum of 30-60 seconds) What will truly make a difference in the type of job you will get
YOUR TICKET TO AN INTERVIEW!
RESUME FORMATSPHRG p.95
CHRONOLOGICAL - ( preferred format to use)
SKILLS – ( May be used by some people if appropriate)
You should have digital and hard copy formats.
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
Organized by your employment history in reverse chronological order, with job titles/names of employers/locations of employers/dates of employment/ accomplishments, working backwards 10-15 years.
A standard chronological resume may be your best choice if most/all of your experience has been in one field, you have no large employment gaps, and you plan to stay in that same field. (It may be wise to slightly tweak your resume when applying to various fields)
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
The chronological resume is preferred by the widest variety of employers, as well as by recruiters and many of the Internet job boards.
It is “Reader Friendly” Clearly demonstrates your job history and
career advancement/growth.
FUNCTIONAL RESUME (Skills) For job seekers with limited work experience, a checkered job
history, or a job history in a different career field Organized by skills and functions clusters
communication skills leadership skills technical skills customer service skills
Company names, employment dates, and position titles are intentionally omitted
Works best for homemakers returning to the workforce, new graduates without any prior work experience, or individuals with wide employment gaps
The least common and least preferred by employers -- and most Internet job boards do not accept this resume format.
SCANNABLE RESUME(Disclaimer: this is kinda old
info) You should use a machine scannable resume only if the employer requests one
Also known as a text or scannable resume Highlights keywords – words relevant to a specific job or field.
May include specific skills, software, hardware, industry specific tolls, certifications, etc.
Useful because many employers now use applicant tracking systems to store candidate information and resumes. Search later for open positions. Database scans key words.
FORMATTING KEEP IT SIMPLE! No italics, no underlining, no shading, or other unusual
enhancements. No bold or ALL CAPS. It's unnecessary; the scanner does not differentiate between this and other font styles.
RESUME SECTIONS
Heading Objective/Profile Education Skills/Qualifications Work Experience Others (i.e. professional
associations, training, certifications, volunteer experience, military experience)
Leave references off (should be in a separate document)
HEADING
Name Address
Phone Number(s) E-mail Address (should be
professional)
NEVER include personal information such as photos, height, weight, gender, marital status, nationality, or religion (illegal for employers to use this information in hiring decision). Plus, it might make people uncomfortable. Kinda like talking politics with your girlfriend/boyfriend’s grandpa.
BE CREATIVE. This is an advertisement for you. You want your resume to stand out from the rest.
OBJECTIVE The objective tells the employer what
you want to do and what you have to offer.
The objective should be general yet geared towards the job you are seeking.
Should not be self-centered – employers want to know what you can do for them!
EDUCATION
Begin with your current or most recent educational experience.
Your anticipated graduation date Include grade point average (3.0 or higher),
academic honors, and any other awards. Also include relevant courses/projects ( ex.
Capstone) Include any certificates completed or
concentrated coursework.
SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIAL PROJECTS
Separate into categories: Computer Skills Technical Skills Leadership Skills Customer Service Skills
WORK EXPERIENCE Begin with your most recent employer Entries should include:
Company Name, City, State Dates of Employment ( Month and Year) Position Title ( Bullet and Italicize) Description of job duties (3-4)
• Use bullet form• Use ACTION/POWER words (i.e. developed, trained,
converted, reduced, increased, assisted, provided, coordinated, implemented, achieved) This is very important.
• If you’re no longer employed at a certain organization make sure that the position description is in the past tense
LET’S PRACTICE—write a summary, using power words, of your current/last position’s responsibitlities
Internship Experience
Internship Experience will be under Work Experience Heading Same format as the work experience
• Company Name, City, State• Dates of Employment• Position Title ( Ex. Network Administrator Intern)• Description of job duties
VOLUNTEER WORK/ COMMUNITY SERVICE
Use experiences you may have in the following: Volunteer work for local community center,
clubs, organizations, etc. Good to use if work experience is limited. I like to put this in a separate category…but
that’s just me…
REFERENCES
Do NOT include references on your resume. Use a separate a reference page.
References available upon request on the bottom of your resume
Three types of references: Educational (teachers, coaches, etc.) Professional (previous managers or supervisors from
jobs held) Personal (NO family members – do not list personal
references unless specifically requested to do so.) Doing this makes your resume look shady.
KEYS TO A GOOD RESUME
Short and Concise Visually Appealing Error Free (proof read for grammar,
punctuation and spelling) Duh… Quality paper and printing ( Resume
Paper) But don’t go overboard…don’t spray it with Fantasy
Honesty…again…duh…
Source: Employment Techniques in the 21st Century
EMPLOYERS USE OF RESUMES
Scan quickly to determine whether or not to interview
Look at education, skills, experience Develop interview questions Assess communication skills Transferable skills (i.e. initiative, high energy,
communication and time management skills, leadership ability, ability to multi-task, team player, work under pressure, analytical skills, etc.)
FINAL POINTERS Ensure that your resume is error free – proofread, proofread,
proofread! Be sure to catch all spelling errors, grammatical weaknesses, unusual punctuation, and inconsistent capitalizations, or any inconsistencies for that matter
Make appointment with career services or a professor to review resume/offer suggestions.
Don’t lie! Update resume as you acquire new skills/experience (I update mine
often, even if I’m not looking for work) Save a backup copy of your resume. Use one font type…something nice, with a nice serif. Highlight accomplishments. Don’t use thick card stock paper that you sprayed with Britney
Spear’s Perfume. Use a professional email address. I.e., something besides
Your Resume is a self-promotional document that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting
invited to a job interview.
RESUME EXAMPLES