OLMIS

Published Dec-15-2009

Develop a Resume Tips for an Effective and Attractive Resume Functional or Skills Resume Chronological Resume Recent Graduate's Resume Professional Resume Electronic Resume Youth Resume Unattractive Resumes Write a Cover Letter for Your Resume

Résumés are used to obtain an interview. They are not meant to serve the same purpose as a job application. Résumés should be designed to sell you, your skills, and your knowledge to an employer. Companies typically receive hundreds of résumés. They might only give each résumé a 10- or 15-second glance. To ensure your résumé gets a longer look, show how your skills meet the employer's needs or can solve their problems.

Remember, there is not one right way to develop a résumé. The style and information will vary depending on you and your particular situation. When you apply for different jobs, design a résumé targeted to each position and employer.

Name, address, and telephone number

Place at the top of the page. Avoid abbreviations and nicknames. Use the same name you used on your employment application.

Employment objective

This is a brief statement about the position for which you hope to interview. This statement should include only one objective or goal. State your objective clearly.

Choosing a résumé format

Choosing a format for your résumé is deciding the best way to highlight your skills and experiences. You can choose one format or combine two or more formats, such as chronological, creative, accomplishment, or recent graduate.

Identify skills to highlight

When developing your résumé, write down the skills listed on the job description. Which of your experiences has the most skills that match the employer's priorities? List those experiences toward the top of your résumé.

Writing skill statements

When writing the skill statements, describe your experiences. Ask yourself who, what, where, and how questions. If your experience was as a receptionist and you want to show your communication skills, ask yourself: Who did I communicate with? What was I communicating about? Where did this communication happen? How many people did I communicate with?

Qualifications and accomplishments

List your qualifications and accomplishments, such as sales records, patents, contracts, works published, money saved for companies, or improvements made.

Work experience

Include the names and locations of employers, beginning with your present or most recent work.

Volunteer work

If you have done volunteer work that shows you have skills or abilities related to the job you are seeking, it is generally helpful to include it. Use the same format as for your work experience.

Educational background

List the schools you have attended and diplomas you have earned at each school. If you did not graduate, state how many years you attended. Do not include dates. If you are a recent graduate, briefly describe activities, accomplishments, awards, honors, and athletics.

Military service

Include this section if you have had recent and extensive military service experience.

Additional information

Include facts relevant to your employment objective.

References

You may leave this section off your résumé. However, if space permits, you may insert a statement such as "References provided on request" at the bottom of your résumé.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2009, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

Chronological Résumé

A chronological résumé highlights your work experience. It starts with the most recent position, then describes the next job, and so on, until all the important jobs are listed. This style is the most used of all résumés. This style is useful for people with work experience who have been laid off or for those who are changing jobs. Do not use it if you have major gaps in employment or have had many job changes.

Tips

• Include skill statements that demonstrate the skills required by the occupation.
  
• Highlight accomplishments in the experience section. Don't just describe duties.
  
• Show the reader that your contribution to the company or business is important.
  
• Measure or quantify results when possible.
  
• For earlier jobs, use short phrases that include action verbs either in the past tense, such as "achieved," "directed," or "sold." Describe your current job with present tense verbs, such as "analyze," "solve," or "explain"
  
• Place education information at either the bottom or top of a chronological résumé. Usually, if it is within the past five years, it should be at the top.
  
• You may want to underline or bold relevant information, such as job titles or major.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2009, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

Youth Résumé

Résumés for youth can highlight education and interests. They can emphasize summer, volunteer, and part-time jobs. Relating your experiences and interests to the type of work you want is an effective way to describe your qualifications.

Tips

• Present your information in a way that best shows your skills for the job objective.
  
• For the section on Formal or Informal Evaluations, you can use report cards, teacher conference reports, part-time jobs, and other evaluations.
  
• List grades when your average is 3.26 or better. Your ability and drive may impress employers.
  
• Activities outside class and school are important when they relate to the job objective, show a well-rounded personality, or show positive social abilities.
  
• Mention awards or honors you have received.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2009, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

What employers look for.

Employers answer differently when asked what they think is a good résumé. Most employers, however, agree the résumé should:

• Give a single goal or objective. Be aimed at one job or employer.
  
• List your education, work history, and skills, using the order that best fits your goals and the job in question.
  
• Be skills specific. Don't list vague qualities such as "good work ethic," but describe actual achievements.
  
• Have white space showing.

Most employers agree the résumé should NOT:

• Have the word "résumé" at the top of the page.
  
• Be more than one or two pages in length.
  
• Contain the word "I". For example, instead of writing, "I processed books and billing monthly," simply write, "Processed books and billing monthly."
  
• Use statements like, "duties include" or "responsible for." Identify what you did using action verbs whenever possible.
  
• Include personal information such as age, height, pictures, etc.
  
• Mention volunteer work for special interest or political groups, unless you are applying for a job with an organization that fully supports the work of those groups.

Dates.

Employers check the dates on your résumé looking for gaps in employment. Employers also routinely verify stated dates of employment with your former employers.

Make it attractive.

Give your résumé eye-appeal. Use adequate margins, double-space after each section, be sure the type is clean and dark, and strive for an uncluttered appearance. Use bolding, underlining, capital letters, boxes, bullets, and spacing to emphasize areas. Use an attractive font that is easy to read and is no smaller than 10-point type.

Consistency is key.

Do you always use one space after each header? Are you using periods after your skill statements? You don't need to write complete sentences. However, you do want to use consistent structure throughout your résumé.Check the tense you use in your action verbs. Are they all in the present or all in the past tense? A common technique is to use present with your current job. For all previous positions use past tense.

Proofread.

Correct spelling and grammar are VERY important. Have the résumé checked by more than one person before you send it out.

Quality paper and printing.

Choose a high quality, 8 1/2 x 11-inch white or ivory paper. Use between 20- and 24-pound 100 percent cotton fiber paper and a good duplicating process.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2009, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

A functional or skills resume highlights skills and potential, rather than work experience and education. It is very helpful when you are changing careers, you have good skills but past job titles are not related to your job goals, or there are gaps in your work experience.

Tips for This Resume

Choose two or three skill categories as section headers based on important skills in the occupation. These skill categories should be ones that you want to promote about yourself. Use two to four skill statements under each section header. Use short phrases, not complete sentences. Relate the skill statements directly to the employment objective. This requires some research or study about the occupation. Even if your experience does not seem relevant, it demonstrates skills to an employer. You could use the experience section to list both paid and unpaid experiences.

Place the section that is most related to the employment objective at the top of the list. Highlight your skills and potential by using action or skill words, such as "managed," "sold," "coordinated," "improved," or "planned." Provide measurable or quantifiable results when possible.

Place your education right after the employment objective if it was within the past five years and is related to your employment objective. If your education is not related to your employment objective, place it toward the end of your resume.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2007, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

A chronological resume highlights your work experience. It starts with your most recent position, then describes the next job until all the important jobs are listed. This style is the most common of all resumes. It is useful for people with work experience who have been laid off, or for those who are changing jobs. It is not recommended if you have major gaps in employment or have had many job changes.

Tips for this Resume

Include the most details about your most recent employment. Highlight demonstrated skills and accomplishments in the experience section, not just duties. Showing the reader your contribution to the organization is important.

Use concrete examples such as numbers, percentages, amounts, and descriptive statements. Use short phrases that include action verbs.

Place education information at the bottom or top of a chronological resume. When education is within the past five years, it usually should be at the top. In this sample resume, the work record is most like the employment objective, so it is before education.

You may want to underline or highlight your former employers and schools.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2006, University of Oregon, All rights reserved.

People who have just graduated may not have a lot of work experience in their chosen field. Resumes for recent high school, General Education Development (GED), or college graduates can stress the skills gained from education, summer and part-time jobs, and interests. Relate your education, work experience, and interests to the type of work you desire. This can be a good way to present your qualifications.

Tips for This Resume

Both high school and college graduates can use this resume.

Place a summary of your skill set right after your employment objective. Next, list your education and related courses section. Use a format that shows how your skills and schooling fit your stated employment objective. Highlight both paid and unpaid relevant experiences.

List semester hours and grades when they are a 3.26 (out of 4.00) GPA or better. Employers may be impressed by your ability and drive. Describe outside activities if they relate to your employment objective, show a well-rounded personality, or demonstrate positive social abilities such as leadership or teamwork.

Mention scholarships, awards, or honors you received if they add or are relevant to your employment goals. If you are attending college, people realize that you have completed high school. Only include high school if it adds something new and relates to your goals.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2007, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

Resumes for professionals state education and experience supported by qualifications.There are no wrong resumes for the professional. Any style or combination of styles can beused for this resume.

Tips for Using a Professional Resume

• You would use this resume if you have completed your college degree in a professional field.

• Use the following tips to enhance your resume:

• Include details that make you stand out from others.

• Use action verbs such as planning, developing, or organizing, when describing your capabilities and accomplishments.

• Include any licenses or certificates that are required for the occupation.

• Mention any professional associations where you are a current or active member.

Professional Vita

Some positions require a vita. Much of what is said about resume development andwriting applies to a vita. A vita is longer than a resume. It includes detailed accountsof work experience, research, publications, and contributions.

A vita includes all of your professional activities, with detailed emphasis onactivities and accomplishments required for the job for which you are applying.

When planning a vita, organize your information into clusters of related topics. Theseclusters can include your objective, professional expertise, education, professionalexperience, community service, publications and presentations, and honors and awards.

(Courtesy Oregon Career Information System, 2002.)

A growing number of companies rely on electronic resumes. Before you apply to a company, ask the company if they use electronic databases or scanning techniques for selecting applicants. If they do, use electronic resume formatting. This special format ensures that your resume scans well. Once your resume is scanned, employers transfer the words into a searchable database. Employers might start by searching the database for names, addresses, phone numbers, education, job titles, and employers. Then they search for specialized data such as computer languages, countries, foreign languages, colleges, and employment dates.

Tips for This Resume

When formatting this type of resume it is critical to use nouns, such as software names or position titles, rather than verbs. Technical or industry jargon is good to use in this type of resume. Avoid using uncommon abbreviations. An example is shown above.

Place your name on one line and your address on a separate line. This allows the scanner to retrieve your name cleanly. It is important not to center your contact information, because centering does not transfer well over e-mail.

Use basic fonts such as Courier, Helvetica, or Arial. Use 10- to 14-point font size. Smaller type can confuse a scanner. Do not use boldface, shading, italics, underlining, or graphics. Columns and tabs do not work well in electronic resumes. Avoid parentheses, brackets, or bullets.

Use standard 8 1/2 x 11-inch light-colored paper. Clear copies scan best. Send only originals, not copies or faxes. Print on one side of the paper. Limit page length to 1-2 pages. Do not fold or staple. Words that fall into a crease cannot be easily scanned.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2007, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.</p>

Resumes for youth can highlight education and interests. They can emphasize summer, volunteer, and part-time jobs. Relating your experiences and interests to the type of work you want is an effective way to describe your qualifications. This resume is useful for people with little or no work experience.

Tips for This Resume

Middle and high school students can successfully use this resume.

Present your information in a way that best shows your skills for the job objective. For the section on formal or informal evaluations, you can use report cards, teacher conference reports, part-time jobs, and other evaluations.

List grades when your average is 3.26 or better. Your ability and drive may impress employers. Activities outside class and school are important when they relate to the job objective, show a well-rounded personality, or show positive social abilities. Mention awards or honors you have received.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2007, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.

Y ritn ur resume lk a txt aint hot

Why writing your resume like a text message is NOT HOT

You probably understood that title without any help, but I actually had to use a text translator to even write it. I know that means I'm Old School, but when you get a job, your boss may be Old School too. So take 60 seconds to check out these five tips about avoiding text message lingo in your resume and job applications:

(1) Don't drop the vowel

You know those five little letters (a, e, i, o, u) that you love to cut when texting? Be sure to include them in words on your resume. Otherwise, employers will think that you can't spell.

(2) S and Z are not the same thing

It's important to talk about all of your great skills on your resume, but not if you write "i hv gr8 skillz". Get what I'm sayin'?

(3) Abbreviations make the boss go "Huh?"

Although there are lots of abbreviations common in text lingo (b/c, CM, ttfn, etc.), not everyone understands them. Including a line on your resume like "Please LMK about the job" assumes that the employer knows what LMK stands for... but what if he or she doesn't?

(4) Punctuate

Periods, commas, and apostrophes take up valuable space in a text, I know! But you've got space on your resume, so stick them back in your writing - in the proper places.

(5) Read it again

Finish a text and hit send? That's normal. With a job application or resume, however, take some time after you've finished and read it over, or have someone else take a look. Chances are it still needs a comma, vowel, or other correction somewhere.

Always write a cover letter when sending your resume to a prospective employer. While resumes summarize your qualifications, cover letters should sell you to employers. You want the letter to convince the employer to take action on your resume and invite you for an interview. Be specific about your qualifications, and list a few results that occurred because of your skills.

The cover letter should be brief and to the point. Don't use jargon or be too technical. Tell the employer why you are interested in the job, what qualifies you for the job, and request an interview.

How to Address the Letter

Address your letter to a specific person by name. If you do not know the name of the hiring official reviewing your resume, call the employer to
find out. Explain that you would
like to send a letter to the person in charge of reviewing applications.

Content and Format

The introduction (first paragraph) is your reason for writing. The middle (second paragraph) covers your main qualifications and accomplishments, and the reasons you are interested in the job. The ending (last paragraph) is a request for an interview. Try to move away from focusing on yourself and move toward focusing on the company that you are applying to.

Give your letter a businesslike appearance. Print or type it on the same high-quality bond paper as your resume. Make sure that your envelope is typed, not handwritten, matching the professional look of your resume.

Pay close attention to grammar and spelling. Spell checks don't always know how you want to spell a word. Have a friend or two proof each cover letter.

How to Use the Cover Letter

Many job seekers mail their resumes to prospective employers, even when no openings have been announced. Your letter should emphasize your skills, why you want to work for the organization, and how you will contribute to the organization. Make sure that you enclose all the materials, such as your resume and writing samples, to which you refer in your letter.

The most important point to remember about your cover letter is that you should write an original one for each position for which you apply. Do not try to write a form letter that could be used for many different employers.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2007, University of Oregon, all rights reserved.