Page 1 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building Your Resume from the Ground Up David McMahon ’69 Assistant Director Experiential Education

Page 2 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up The First Question “Why Should I walk away from my Customer to Interview You?”

Page 3 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Purpose of a Resume A Marketing Tool: To convince an employer To call you For an interview You’ve got 30 seconds!!!

Page 4 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Resume Myths “I don’t need one until I’m ready to look for a job.” “I can use one standard resume for the rest of my life.” “I’m too young, there’s nothing to put on a resume.” “My resume will get the job for me.”

Page 5 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Steps to Building a Resume Laying the foundation. Building the resume. Finishing the resume.

Page 6 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Laying the Foundation Assess Yourself on Paper What are your Objectives? Kind of job you are looking for and when you are available What have you accomplished? Skills, Abilities, Work Experience, and Extracurricular Activities/Leadership

Page 7 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up What Makes a Good Employee?? 1. Integrity - Ability to work with people - Responsibility - Judgment - Motivation to succeed - Work ethic - Intelligence - Creativity/enthusiasm - Communications skills 10. Technical competence Laying the Foundation

Page 8 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Laying the Foundation What Resume Format is most appropriate? Chronological Organized by date in reverse date order Most commonly used type and more acceptable by employers Functional Grouped by status areas Useful for employment gaps Less acceptable by employers Combination Chronological/functional types combined

Page 9 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building the Resume Personal Data Section Objective (Optional) Education Section Work Experience Activities and Honors Do Not List References

Page 10 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Personal Data Section Examples Example #1 Ima T. Aggie 1234 High St West Way College Station, TX Houston, TX Home: (979) xxx-xxxx (281) xxx-xxxx Cell : (979) xxx-xxxx Example #2 Ima T. Aggie 1234 High St. College Station, TX Home: (979) xxx-xxxx Cell : (979) xxx-xxxx Building the Resume

Page 11 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building the Resume Objective (Optional) COOP, Intern, Full-time? Operations, Business, Sales, Design, R&D, Consulting? COOPs and Interns – start date Education Major, GPR, Graduation Date Work Experience Job Title, Company Name, Location, Dates of employment Job Description – Statements (not sentences) Using action words and showing results Be Positive, Be Concise, Be Persuasive

Page 12 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building the Resume Activities and Honors Student/Professional organizations Leadership positions Scholarships,Dean’s List, etc. Foreign languages, international experiences References Do not list on resume Bring separate page when you are interviewed

Page 13 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Building the Resume Present most marketable information first Use brief, descriptive phrases No personal pronouns Use action verbs to describe experiences and accomplishments Be Positive Be Truthful You Have the Right to Remain Silent

Page 14 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Be Concise Avoid Personal Pronouns Use action words Show results Top Heavy Reader Friendly

Page 15 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Avoiding common mistakes Spelling and grammatical errors. Formatting, fonts, length, paper quality. Translate “Aggie speak” to business English LIES Too long Don’t include references.

Page 16 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Use white or off-white paper (checkout resume paper at area copy centers, i.e. Kinkos, Copy Corner, or Graphics Center on campus) Use 8 ½ x11-inch paper Use a font size of 10 to 14 points Black ink only Use non-decorative typefaces Choose one typeface and stick to it Avoid italics, script, and underlined words No horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading Do not fold or staple your resume If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope

Page 17 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up Finishing the Resume Resume Critique and Advice Career Advisor Academic Advisor Mentor Roommate Employer

Page 18 Building Your Resume from the Ground Up In Conclusion…. Laying the foundation… Building the resume… Finishing your resume… Congratulations! You Did It!