• The Resume

    A resume is a brief description of your previous education, work experience, and relevant information.

    The purpose of a resume is:

    • To introduce you to an employer
    • To serve as an example of how you think and express yourself
    • To catalog skills, experience, training and achievements

     

    Remember your main objective is to include:

    • Name, address, city, state, zip, phone number with area code, e-mail address, fax number
    • Honors, awards, fellowships and scholarships
    • Licenses and certificates
    • Memberships and activities, including leadership positions
    • Special skills, such as computer knowledge and foreign languages
    • Job history listed with most recent job first
    • Previous job experience includes: title of position, name and address of employer, beginning and ending dates, job description and responsibilities
    • Education with most recent or current school first, including degree, name of high school or college, address, major and graduation date

     

    Presenting the information

    • Create a scannable resume using white paper, standard fonts, and dark type
    • Put the most important information at the top of the page
    • Be creative and professional
    • Use active verbs like initiated, designed, supervised and developed
    • Use past tense to describe former jobs and present tense to describe current jobs
    • Spell everything out. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms.
    • Present candidates' credentials in a positive manner
    • Tailor the resume to the kind of job you are looking for
    • Have someone proofread your resume

     

    Qualities of a good resume

    • Easy to read, concise
    • Professional. Use a typewriter or computer to print your resume, making sure copies are neat and clean. Mail your resume in good condition, preferably in a large envelope.
    • Emphasize key points or expressions by using bold type or underline

     

    Mistakes to avoid

    • Too short, too long (preferred length is one page)
    • Misspellings, typographical errors, poor grammar
    • Irrelevant information-height, weight, gender, marital status
    • Disorganization, too wordy and vague; important qualifications should stand out
    • Italics, underline, shadow or reverse type, vertical and horizontal lines, graphics or boxes