Objective: How to write an effective resume & get the career you want! Resume Workshop Objective: How to write an effective resume & get the career you want!

Can your resume pass the 10 second test? 10 seconds is all the time an employer is going to give your resume when deciding to keep it, or recycle it!

A Resume Is the 1st meeting between you and the employer Tells a great deal about you Gets you the interview Is your ‘calling card,’ so remember that “First impressions are lasting ones.”

Resume Principles Convince employer that you are worth an interview Keep it as brief as possible without sacrificing essential qualifications

Be sure to include some “attitude” in your resume- Team player Involved with… Contributed to… Served on… Volunteered to…

Resume Do’s Target your qualifications for a specific job Keep it to two pages or less Label your second page E-mail—keep it professional No errors Pleasing layout List relevant work history…no more than 15 years back Update lingo

Use Power Words Before Resume: After Resume: Maintained records for accounts receivable and payable After Resume: Managed over 1,000 accounts receivable and payable accounts working directly with the Chief Financial Officer I gave work assignments to staff of entry level accounting clerks Directed workflow, supervised and trained accounting staff performing posting to general ledger, accounts receivable and payable accounts

Resume Vocabulary Accomplished Achieved Adapted Addressed Budgeted Built Calculated Chaired Collected Communicated Controlled Coordinated Decided Defined Delivered Energized Evaluated Expanded Filed Formulated Gathered Guided Handled Identified Illustrated Implemented Increased Influenced Initiated Instructed Invented Judged Lead Mediated Mentored Motivated Observed Obtained Operated Oversaw Piloted Planned Problem-solved Presented Programmed Projected Purchased Questioned Raised Received Recommend Recruited Reduced Retrieved Scheduled Served Shaped Sold Solved Spear-headed Summarized Talked Team-built Trained Transcribed Volunteered

Resume Don’ts Avoid abbreviations and acronyms Never use pronouns such as: “I,” “me,” “my,” “our” Never handwrite! Always type & print on a good quality printer No fancy fonts, binders, folders or layouts Avoid lists of boring sentences Photographs Personal, family or health information Folded resumes

Types of Resumes Chronological Most common type of resume Listing of your jobs and experience with most recent mentioned first Good for job seekers who have practical work experience with long periods of employment Resume type most preferred by employers

Types of Resumes Functional Focuses on your skills and accomplishments Highlights what they are, not when you developed them Good format for job seekers with lots of job experience and many jobs

Organization Your name and contact information should be bold, front and center! The information should be arranged so that the reader sees the most important information first Ex. If your work experience would be of greater interest to the employer than your education—then put it FIRST!

Organization pt.1 First Name Last Name 1. Personal Information Address Telephone number Email address (only if you regularly check this & is professional) Ex: First Name Last Name Full Address City, Province Phone number name@hotmail.com 2. Job Objective or Career Goal This is a brief personal summary about who you are. Written in paragraph form Include what you would bring to the job Include what you would like to learn from the job

Organization pt. 2 3. Education Ex: List your education starting with the most recent year. List the year(s) you attended in bold; then the name of the school; finally the grade or completion of special programs Ex: 2005-2009 Walnut Grove Secondary: completed Grade 11 Oct. 2008 Walnut Grove Secondary: “A” honor roll June 2007 Langley Senior Secondary: completed summer session for pipefitting 4. Work/Career Experience Organize jobs in reverse chronological order Date (month, year); when you begin; date your job ended Job title: create an accurate one if you didn’t have one Name of the company or organization & its location In point form, detail what your responsibilities were for the job listed June-July 2006 Cashier; Save-on-Foods, Langley Packed, bagged, straightened shelves, worked a cash register, customer service representative

Organization pt. 3 5. Skills Your skills should set you apart from fellow job seekers Include 3-6 points outlining your most relevant strengths for the type of work you are looking for Note if you are proficient in other languages This will give the employer an idea of what you want to do & how you can benefit his/her company

Organization pt. 4 6. Activities & Interests (that apply to the job) When listing activities, state your role (ex: member, president), the name of the organization, and the dates when you were involved. Organize this information is reverse chronological order If you wish to highlight your volunteer activities, create a SEPERATE heading! (ex: volunteer activities, volunteer experience, and community service) At the bottom of the section include interests such as physical fitness, hobbies, sports and/or leisure activities

Organization pt. 5 7. References You must include at least TWO responsible adults as references for the employer to call to verify the information given in your resume List the person (first & last name) Their job title Their phone number DO NOT USE Available on Request! Ex: First Name Last Name Job Title Phone Number

In Summary Be sure your resume represents you in the best light possible Use the correct resume form (functional or chronological) to highlight your skills, abilities, and work history Don’t make careless mistakes Remember: your resume is your FIRST interview!