Creating Your Portfolio/Resume

Creating Your Portfolio School and Community Activities are important aspects of your education You should participate in at least one activity throughout high school – colleges are very interested in the outside activities of prospective students. Colleges prefer to see two or three activities in which students have been involved with for long periods of time and possibly developed leadership roles over being involved in 15 activities where you’re simply a member Remember, community service is an excellent activity which benefits others

What is a Resume? A summary of your background and qualifications to accomplish a job or task It usually includes information about your education, objectives, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, awards or honors, and any other special skills you might have Essentially, it is your passport to your future!

Resume Essentials Try limiting resume to one page. This is crucial for students with limited “life experience” Use no less than 10 for letter size Use a readable and clear font. Avoid flashy fonts (just because your computer has 967 doesn’t mean you should use them all) Print resume on a laser jet printer Use Spell Check and triple check for typos or you might end up saying: “Received a plague for student of the year form shcool”

Top 10 Resume Pet Peeves 1. Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar 2. Too Duty-Oriented 3. Inaccurate Dates or None at all 4. Inaccurate or Missing Contact Information 5. Formatting 6. Functional Resumes 7. Long Resumes 8. Long Paragraphs 9. Resume Builders 10. Personal and Unrelated Information

Pre-Resume To Do’s Research important information Desired qualifications, experience, skills If the school or scholarship you’re interested in has a website be sure to check it out for their philosophy, values and any other pertinent information

Time to Begin Writing Your Resume Your “Contact Information” Put your name, address, email address, and phone number(s) at the very top of your resume. Make sure to bold your name. Example: Natalie Upton 4700 Jaguar Drive Hoover, AL 35242 nupton@hoover.k12.al.us Home: 205-439-1484 Cell: 205-123-4567  

Objective Statements (if applicable) Avoid Being Too General: A position utilizing all of my skills, experience and knowledge Avoid Being Ridiculous: My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I possess no training in meteorology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage Be clear and concise: A position as a copy editor for the Sacramento Bee allowing me to develop my journalism skills To utilize my restaurant service training as a general manager of Red Lobster

Education List any AP/Honors Courses that uniquely qualify you Include elective courses that enhance your abilities Until your work experience is more impressive than your education, this category should be the first section in your resume  

Education GPA - Not necessary but can be helpful - Only use if equal to or higher than 3.0 - You can highlight your Core GPA Include any academic honors Recent graduates or students still in school should include extracurricular activities, projects, or academic achievements

Relevant Courses This should follow your educational information List the courses you have taken that relate to the school/scholarship you are applying for Since class names differ from school to school, refer to the course by specific name and/or description Example: Relevant Courses: Jazz Ensemble, Ceramics and Sculpting, Underwater Basket Weaving

Honors and Awards You will want to list any clubs or teams you’ve been involved with You may want to include more specific skills - Awards - Testimonials/Endorsements - Nominations

Work Experience and Qualifications This section should either follow Education or come before, depending on which section features your strengths more prominently The goal for this area is to stand out among the other applicants and to persuade the reviewer that you are the ideal candidate

Work Experience Include the positions you have held that are related to the job you are seeking These positions may include paid positions, as well as internships, volunteer jobs, or appointments Be creative with this part of the resume by describing and emphasizing your experiences in the most logical way possible

Phone: Email Address: Date of Birth: Your Name Address City, State, Zip Phone: Email Address: Date of Birth: EDUCATION: Spain Park High School – graduating in May 2013 with an Advanced Academic Diploma GPA: RANK: ACT: SAT: Advanced Courses Taken: (OR Senior Schedule)   HONORS AND National Honor Society AWARDS Mu Alpha Theta (math honor society) Birmingham News All-State Academic Team Lettered in swimming, band, dance, community service Set two team records on community swim team Birmingham News Scholar-Athlete of the Week EXTRACURRICULAR Swimming: South High School and USS, 9-12 ACTIVITIES - Varsity Letter 9-12 - Lead off swimmer for relay - State meet finalist Dance Team: 9 – 11 - JV captain – 10 - South High Varsity Jaguar - All-Star team award Diamond Girl: (Baseball) 11 – 12 Concert Band: 9 – 12 - 1st chair flute in concert band, 10 – 12 - Member of symphonic band Student Government Association: 10 – 12 - Class representative - Chairman, Student Recognition Fellowship of Christian Athletes: 9 – 11 Peer Tutoring: Math and Science – 12 COMMUNITY Leo Club: Community Service Club, 9 – 11 INVOLVEMENT - Committee Chairman for Relay for Life Juniorette: Community Service, 11 I have visited nursing homes, begun a project to support Ronald McDonald House, taught swimming lessons, helped with the LifeSouth bone marrow drive, and various other activities. WORK Lifeguard: 2005 EXPERIENCE Pool Monitor: 2005-2007 Tutor: 2007-2008 School Year