What is a Curriculum Vitae ? A Curriculum Vitae or a CV is the written record of one’s education and experience. It is the traditional way of presenting personal data.

What is a Resume? A marketing tool Your first tool for building a career The first impression a prospective employer has of you A selling tool that allows you to highlight to an employer how you can contribute to the company Request for an interview Purpose of the resume is to get you an interview

Must capture the reader’s interest and attention Must convince the employer that you have the ability to fill their position Your “big picture” A snapshot of what you believe are your most important experiences and qualifications

Differences between a Resume and a Curriculum Vite Length A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. A CV can be more than two pages, 2. Content A curriculum vitae is a longer (at least two page) and more detailed synopsis.

A curriculum vitae includes a summary of your 1 A curriculum vitae includes a summary of your 1.educational and academic backgrounds 2. teaching and research experience, 3. publications, 4. presentations, 5. awards, 6. honors, 7. affiliations and other details. 3. Usage 1. A resume is generally used when applying for a new job. 2. A curriculum vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions.

Types of Resumes A Paper/PDF Resume A printed resume for use at job fairs, conferences, … Should be clean, concise, professional, and pleasing to the eye Use bullets, bolding, and indentation Take this resume with you on job interviews, career breakfasts, …

An Electronic Resume A plain text resume for on-line submission Typically must conform to employer specifications Use left-justified and space indented formatting If desired, use “+”, “*”, and “0” to represent bullets

Resume Formats - Chronological Highlight your work experience in reverse chronological order Be sure to not leave gaps The most widely used format for working professional

Resume Formats - Functional Highlight specific skills for which the market has high demand Seldom used by new graduates Frequently used to change jobs or careers

Resume Formats - Combinational Highlight specific work experience Highlight marketable skills Use reverse chronological order The best resume style for most college students

What Is Your “Story”? What stand can you take on your resume? Do you want to emphasize internship experience? Do you want to emphasize work experience? Do you want to emphasize course work? Do you want to emphasize project experience? Do you want to emphasize research experience? Do you want to emphasize personal traits?

What is unique or interesting about your college experience? Recommendation If you have an interesting internship – emphasize it – if not get one! Demonstrate leadership, communication, cultural awareness

Standard Resume Sections Header Objective Education Honors/Activities Work Experience Relevant Courses Skills Projects

The Header The first line should be your name Larger than the largest font used in body Avoid using decorative fonts Don’t use black or gray shaded backgrounds Exclude titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., … Include contact address Permanent address Current address Include your email address Don’t use “BIGBOY@HOT_MAIL.COM” Include your phone number Change the message machine to be appropriate

The Objective Make statement clear, concise, and to the point Bad: “I want to get a job” Weak: “To attain an internship in the computer industry.” Good: “To attain an internship in the computer industry working with database or network security.” Avoid being overly specific to single company “To attain a position at 3M Pharmaceuticals working on …” Prefer objectives from the company’s perspective “To attain a web application programming position where knowledge of Java and the Struts framework will add value the overall development process.”

Honors/Activities Should only contain honors and awards earned during your time in college You can include academic or extracurricular items (only academic or service-related items) Include a brief description if not self-evident from title “Awarded top performer award”

Don’t include hobbies or activities not related to the job or your story Don’t include volunteer work unless there is a direct and positive link with the job or your story Good to include leadership positions in organizations related to your field. Good to list membership in related to your field.

Work Experience Dedicated to most recent and relevant employment Format Employer and location on the first line Don’t need name of supervisor, complete address, or contact information Position and time-span on the second line Use only year, not month and year (avoids time gaps)

Each position should have at least two bullets Explain role and contributions Don’t emphasize duties but rather emphasize outcomes “Increased efficiency of … by 20%” “Improved user navigation experience on …” Descriptions should be consistent in wording Watch the tense Current job uses present tense Former jobs use past tense

Guidelines for Resume Writing Relevant Courses Projects Use action words in your descriptions Act like a professional Avoid cutesy or inappropriate graphics, images, formats, … One page only You are a fresh graduate, don’t assume that the one-page rule doesn’t apply to you!

Stick to the truth Don’t sprinkle buzzwords in that you really don’t understand It speaks volumes about your character when you can’t explain your own resume Focus on achievements and results Laundry lists of duties are not impressive

Supporting Documentation – Cover Letter Why do I need to write a cover letter? Use the cover letter to focus attention on elements of your background that are particularly relevant to the company Letter acts as your verbal introduction to the employer Send it to a person, not a place Avoid “To Whom It May Concern,” Worst case “Dear Recruiter:”

First sentence should tell why you are writing “I am writing in regard to your posting listed on …” “Dr. Bhatia at LLC suggested that I …” “As you may recall, I spoke with you briefly at …” If unsolicited, indicate why you are interested in the company

Highlight your skills Use two to three paragraphs to given in-depth description of your selling points Each paragraph should be stand alone (could be moved to different location in text) Close with a promise of action If possible, indicating that you will be contacting them in the near future to set up a mutually acceptable meeting time or to further discuss your qualifications Nice if you can say “during my Winter Break, between December 28 and January 12, I will be in your city. I will contact your office when I arrive to arrange a possible meeting time”