Resume Writing & Interviewing

Resume Writing

Some Basics -Its Your Resume! -You can do basically anything that you think is appropriate for the company and the position youre applying for -Have Several Resume Formats -Makes things easier when youre applying for a wide- spectrum of jobs -Research The Company -Know the company and tailor your resume accordingly

Resume Design -Why is the design so important? -Employers typically take, at most, a second glance at the one-page representation of yourself before deciding to keep it or discard it -Thus you need to design your resume so you make it past this initial screening

Section Information 1.Name, Address, and Phone Number And Examples Always listed first Gives employers information to contact you All resumes should include this information, UNLESS POSTING ON THE WEB Current address should also be used Matthew Larson 604 South Street West Lafayette, IN (765) Kimberly Hurst 1234 W. 75 th Street Chicago, IL

Section Information 2. Objective Statement / summary of qualifications Usually labeled Professional Objective, Employment Objective, Career Goals, etc. This section gives the employer a brief glimpse of how your qualifications will benefit the company Not me-me but show them what you can do for them Example of me-me : A position where I can gain experience in designing fashion and marketing the product Revision : A position which allows me to use my background in fashion design to create effective marketing campaigns

Section Information 3. Education And Examples Very important, especially for recent graduates because it highlights relevant schooling and academic training Includes: schools attended, locations, dates, degrees, and GPA Provides evidence of your qualifications Purdue University West Lafayette, IN Bachelor of Art: Psychology Graduation: May 2006 GPA: 3.2 Simple and Brief Illinois Institute of Art - Chicago Chicago, IL Bachelor of Arts: May 2006 Major: Advertising Minor: Fashion Design GPA: Major 3.8(4.0) Overall 3.5 (4.0) More Detailed

Section Information 4. Experience And Examples Only list positions you have held which are in some way related to the position you are seeking Break job descriptions into short lists of action phrases that itemizes the significance of your position Head Chefs Assistant The Signature Room, N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL (312) Responsible for evening prep work Participated in the weekly audit of supplies and subsequent placement of orders Served as lead chef during rush periods or times of head chef absense

Section Information 5. Skills And Examples This section describes the skills that you have mastered that would be useful for the position you are seeking These skills do not have to necessarily be the result of a previous employment Coordinating planned and organized several campaigns for new exhibits supervised events and managed unexpected issues Fluent in Spanish and French Proficient in Microsoft Office and Photoshop

Section Information 6. Activities and Honors And Examples This section gives you the chance to note special activities you participated in or special accomplishments that you would like your interviewer to know about Deans List Annual Portfolio Showcase Winner2003 Fashion Club President2004

Section Information 7. Reference List And Examples A reference sheet is a list of professional acquaintances who are willing to talk with prospective employers about you and your demonstrated abilities Can include them as a separate sheet along with your resume (not necessary though because most companies include a required field for references on their official application) Can also include statements such as References: available upon request

Section Information 8. Portfolio And Examples This is a selection of professional quality work that you can give your prospective employer as tangible examples of your abilities Treat this similar to including a reference list (i.e. can include it or mention that it is available upon request)

More Information The Quadrant Test Readers typically read left to right and top to bottom when information is balanced Being able to anticipate the readers response to a resume in this way will allow you to manipulate information Each one of the quadrants should have an equal amount of text and white space When the page is balanced, readers will read the first quadrant first – so quadrant 1 is where you should put your most important information

Section Information Serif and Sans-Serif Fonts Serifs : these are the short stems on the ends of the strokes of a letter. EXAMPLES: Times New Roman, Palatino, and Courier Sans-Serif: these are fonts without stems (sans=without) EXAMPLES: Arial, Geneva, and Helvetica American audiences are used to reading serif fonts because they tend to keep the eye moving across the page Sans-serifs on the other hand tend to make the eye stop KEY POINT: Serifs for descriptions and Sans-Serifs for headings

Section Information The 20-Second Test Want to know if your resume is a success? Give your resume to a friend and time them for 20 seconds If after 20 seconds they noticed what you want employers to learn about you, then more than likely you have created a successful resume

Examples More of a standard, business-oriented format

Examples More creative Personalized towards the prospective employer (i.e. gears taken from website) For a position where design and format are taken into account – thus they are manipulated in the resume