What is a resume?

Resumes are what people use to get jobs, right?

Wrong!

 
A resume is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience. Your resume's purpose is to get your foot iin the door. A resume does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from consideration.

To prepare a successful resume, you need to know how to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one page. Unless you have considerable experience, you don't need two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and concisely.

Your resume is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself!

How to Prepare an Effective Resume

1. Resume Essentials
Before you write, take time to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities as well as your work experience and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

2. The Content of Your Resume
Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web site address

All your contact information should go at the top of your resume.

Avoid nicknames.

Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend's address, or the address you plan to use after graduation.

Use a permanent telephone number and include the area code. If you have an answering machine, record a neutral greeting.

Add your e-mail address. Many employers will find it useful. (Note: Choose an e-mail address that sounds professional.)

Include your web site address only if the web page reflects your professional ambitions.

Objective or Summary

An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.

Be specific about the job you want. For example: To obtain an entry-level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills.

Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek.

Education

New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first. Alumni can list it after the work experience section.

Your most recent educational information is listed first. Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.), major, institution attended, minor/concentration. Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0. Mention academic honors.

Work Experience

Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills.
Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order—that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include:

Title of position,
Name of organization
Location of work (town, state)
Dates of employment
Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and
achievements.
Other information

A staff member at your career services office can advise you on other information to add to your resume. You may want to add:

Key or special skills or competencies,
Leadership experience in volunteer organizations,
Participation in sports.
References

Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer.

Do not include your reference information on your resume. You may note at the bottom of your resume: "References furnished on request."

3. Resume Checkup
You've written your resume. It's time to have it reviewed and critiqued by a career counselor. You can also take the following steps to ensure quality:

Content:

Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees your resume.
Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a grammar review.
Ask another friend to proofread. The more people who see your resume, the more likely that misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).

Design:

These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer's data base.

Use white or off-white paper.
Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch paper.
Print on one side of the paper.
Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
Use nondecorative typefaces.
Choose one typeface and stick to it.
Avoid italics, script, and underlined words.
Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
Do not fold or staple your resume.
If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope.

Action Words
Use action words to describe your experience and accomplishments. Here are some actions words to use:

achieved
acquired
adapted
addressed
administered
analyzed
anticipated
assembled
assisted
audited
budgeted
calculated
centralized
changed
collaborated
composed
condensed
conducted
constructed
contracted
converted
coordinated
created
cultivated
demonstrated
designed
developed
devised
discovered
doubled
drafted
edited
eliminated
enforced
established
evaluated
expanded
explained
forecasted
formed
founded
generated
guided
hired
implemented
improved
informed
insured
interpreted
interviewed
launched
maintained
managed
marketed
minimized
motivated
negotiated
obtained
operated
organized
originated
oversaw
performed
planned
prevented
produced
programmed
promoted
provided
publicized
published
recruited
reorganized
reported
researched
resolved
reviewed
selected
separated
set up
simplified
solved
surveyed
staffed
supervise
taught
tested
trained
used

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Resume writing tips:

Keep it concise

Resumes should be one page, if possible, and two if absolutely necessary to describe relevant work experience.

Make your words count.

Your use of language is extremely important; you need to sell yourself to a committee quickly and efficiently.

Avoid large paragraphs (over six or seven lines).

Use action verbs such as "developed," "managed," and "designed" to emphasize your accomplishments.

Don't use declarative sentences like "I developed the..." or "I assisted in..."; leave out the "I."

Avoid passive constructions, such as "was responsible for managing." It's not only more efficient to say "Managed," it's stronger and more active.

Make the most of your experience

The admissions committee is looking for future business managers and leaders. They need to know what you have accomplished to have an idea of what you can add to the program.

Don't be vague. Describe things that can be measured objectively. Telling someone that you "improved warehouse efficiency" doesn't say much. Telling them that you "cut requisition costs by 20%, saving the company $3800 for the fiscal year" does. Employers will feel more comfortable hiring you if they can verify your accomplishments.

Be honest. There is a difference between making the most of your experience and exaggerating or falsifying it.

Don't neglect appearance

Your resume is the first impression you'll make on the committee, and a successful resume depends on more than what you say; how you say it counts as well.

Check your resume for proper grammar and correct spelling - evidence of good communication skills and attention to detail. Nothing can ruin your chances of getting an admission more than submitting a resume filled with (easily preventable) mistakes.

Make your resume easy on the eyes. Use normal margins (1" on the top and bottom, 1.25" on the sides) and don't cram your text onto the page. Allow for some breathing room between the different sections. Avoid unusual or exotic font styles; use simple fonts with a professional look.

Eliminate superfluous details

Unnecessary details can take up a lot of valuable space on your resume.

Don't mention personal characteristics such as age, height, and marital status on your resume. This information is either irrelevant or is taken care of in other parts of the application. List your hobbies and interests and extracurricular activities if these are not covered elsewhere.

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