A GUIDE TO RESUME WRITING Science, Technology, & Society CLASS MR. CANOVA PERIOD 11 (References used: www.jobweb.com)

HOW TO PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE RESUME Your Guide to Resume Writing Resumes are what people use to get jobs, right? Wrong! A resume is a one- or two-page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience. Your resume's purpose is to get your foot in the door. A resume does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from consideration. To prepare a successful resume, you need to know how to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one page. Unless you have considerable experience, you don't need two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and concisely. Your resume is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself!

1. Resume Essentials Before you write, take time to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities as well as your work experience and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

2. THE CONTENT OF YOUR RESUME Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web site address Objective or Summary Education Work Experience Other Information References

2a. Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web site address All your contact information should go at the top of your resume. Avoid nicknames. Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend's address, or the address you plan to use after graduation. Use a permanent telephone number and include the area code. If you have an answering machine, record a neutral greeting. Add your e-mail address. Many employers will find it useful. (Note: Choose an e-mail address that sounds professional.) Include your web site address only if the web page reflects your professional ambitions.

2b. Objective or Summary An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do. Be specific about the job you want. For example: To obtain an entry-level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills. Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek.

2c. Education New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first. Alumni can list it after the work experience section. Your most recent educational information is listed first. Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.), major, institution attended, minor/concentration. Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0. Mention academic honors.

2d. Work Experience Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order—that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. Include: Title of position, Name of organization Location of work (town, state) Dates of employment Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.

2e. Other information Your career services office can advise you on other information to add to your resume. You may want to add: Key or special skills or competencies, Leadership experience in volunteer organizations, and Participation in sports.

2f. References Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer. Do not include your reference information on your resume. You may note at the bottom of your resume: "References furnished on request."

3. Resume Checkup You've written your resume. It's time to have it reviewed and critiqued by a career counselor. You can also take the following steps to ensure quality:

3a. Content Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees your resume. Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a grammar review. Ask another friend to proofread. The more people who see your resume, the more likely that misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).

3b. Design These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer's data base. Use white or off-white paper. Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch paper. Print on one side of the paper. Use a font size of 10 to 14 points. Use nondecorative typefaces. Choose one typeface and stick to it. Avoid italics, script, and underlined words. Do not use 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.

Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing Pay attention to detail. Don't cut corners by, for instance, not proofreading the cover letter, failing to include information the hiring manager asked for, or beginning the cover letter "Dear Sir or Madam" when the hiring manager's name is on the company web site. Take the time to make sure the correspondence and information sent is correct and error-free. Do the basics. Proofread for spelling, grammar, and tone, and make sure you have followed the instructions of the employer. Firing off an e-mail is a convenient method of communication. However, don't let the sloppy nature and informality of e-mail correspondence seep into your communications—whether it's e-mailed or written—with potential employers. Construct an effective resume. Organize your information in a logical fashion and keep descriptions clear and to the point. Include as much work experience as possible, even if it obviously doesn't relate to the job you are seeking. Also, use a simple, easy-to-read font. Customize their response. Address the hiring manager directly, and include the name of the company and the position for which it is hiring in your cover letter/e-mail response. Make it easy for the hiring manager. Use your name and the word "resume" in your e-mail header so it's easy to identify. If the employer asks for information—such as references or writing samples—provide it. Focus on what you bring to the employer, not what you want from the job. This is an opportunity for you to market yourself and stand out from the other candidates. What can you do to make the hiring manager's life easier? What can you do to help the company? Be professional. You won't be taken seriously if you don't have e-mail or voice mail/answering machine. If you don't have e-mail, set up a free account through Yahoo! and Hotmail. Provide the recruiter with a cell phone number if your voice mail/answering machine doesn't pick up when you are online. Also, it's a good idea to ditch the cute e-mail address or voice mail/answering machine messages in favor of something that sounds professional.

RESUME MISTAKES: Skills: Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory." But how's your math aptitude? "Experience: Professionally watered 22,500 office plants." And never lost count. Impressive. "Other activities: Along with the project engineer, I worried a lot." Glad you weren't alone. "Reason for leaving: Want to be facing Times Square so I can read the news." It's important to keep current.

COVER LETTER MISTAKES: "Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!" Hey, let's not get personal. "I'll need $30K to start, full medical, three weeks of vacation, stock options and ideally a European sedan." No corporate jet? "I need just enough money to have pizza every night." But those toppings can get pretty expensive. "I have never had a single blemish held against me and my IQ is off the charts." And have never been accused of excessive modesty? "I'm submitting my resume to spite my lack of C++ and HTML experience." Don't be so hard on yourself. "I am quick at typing, about 25 words per minute, 35 with caffeinated coffee." How 'bout with espresso? "I have unsuccessfully raised a dog." His bite is worse than his bark? "Being in trouble with the law, I moved quite frequently." We appreciate your candor. "At the age of 12, I began hustling newspapers like many other great Americans had done. The only difference was that they became great." Thanks for letting us know. "I prefer informality like wearing sports shirts and sandals for footwear in the summer. I prefer setting my own pace. When things get slack I like the right to walk out and get a haircut during working hours." A pioneer of the business casual movement. "In my last position, I got nowhere as part of a 60-person herd. Consequently, I did not give the company my full effort and received no chance of advancement in return." Funny how that works. "Please don't regard my 14 positions as job-hopping. I never once quit a job." Uh-oh. "Worked long shifts to make myself, and my company, a lot of cheese." Sounds like you're ready for the "rat race."

A SAMPLE RESUME:

STUDENT INTERESTED IN AN ENTRY-LEVEL BIOCHEMICAL POSITION: Biochemistry

Typos, Grammatical Errors, Most Common Resume Mistakes Like lifeguards protecting their organization's waters, recruiters look for reasons to blow the whistle and tell job seekers to get out of the candidate pool. According to the results of a survey by Accountemps, careless students often oblige. In fact, slightly more than one-third of executives surveyed recently cited typos or grammatical errors as the most common mistakes on resumes. The national poll includes responses from 150 senior executives—including those from human resources, finance, and marketing departments—with the nation's 1,000 largest companies. Executives were asked, "In your opinion, which of the following is the single most common mistake job seekers make on their resumes?" Their responses: Typos or grammatical errors—34 percent Including too much information—22 percent Not listing achievements in former roles—17 percent Poor layout and/or design—17 percent Including too little information—7 percent Other/don't know—3 percent

COVER LETTER RUBRIC by Amy Raphael GOOD JOB! AVERAGE WORK NEEDS IMPROVEMENT Business format and overall quality of writing ability This letter uses correct business format with date and addresses at the top, and a signature at the bottom. This letter is clear and concise, and grammatically correct. There are no spelling errors. This letter uses correct business format with date and addresses at the top, and a signature at the bottom. There are minimal grammar and spelling errors. This letter is decent in content but does not convince an employer to call. Business formatting is not used in this letter. There is no address or date at the top. This letter is not signed. There are multiple grammar and spelling errors. The content of this letter does not make sense to the reader. Section 1: Introduction This section identifies the position you are applying for. You have described how you heard about the opening. This section identifies why you are interested in this job. Wording is creative and catches an employer’s attention quickly. This section identifies the position you are seeking. This letter does not describe how you heard about the opening. You vaguely describe why you are interested in this job. This section is bland and might not catch someone’s attention fast enough. This section does not clearly identify what position you are seeking. There is no description of how you heard about the position or why you are interested. This letter definitely will not grab an employer’s attention and keep them reading. Section 2: Identification of skills and experiences related to position This letter identifies one or two of your strongest qualifications and clearly relates how these skills apply to the job at hand. This letter explains specifically why you are interested in this position and this type of job, company, and/or location. This letter identifies one of your qualifications but it is not related to the position at hand. This letter restates what is on your resume with minimal additional information. You explain why you are interested in this position but you are still too vague. This letter does not discuss any relevant qualifications. You have not related your skills to the job you are applying for. This letter does not state why you are interested in this position, company, and/or location. Section 3: Closing This letter refers the reader to your resume or any other enclosed documents. This letter thanks the reader for taking time to read this letter. You are assertive as you describe how you will follow up with the employer in a stated time period. You thank the reader for taking time to read this letter. You do not refer the reader to your resume or application materials. This letter assumes that the employer will contact you to follow up. This letter does not thank the reader for taking time to review this letter. There is no reference to a resume or other materials. This letter does not mention any plan for follow up.

YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: BEGIN TO PUT TOGETHER A COPY OF WHAT YOU THINK YOUR RESUME SHOULD LOOK LIKE. TURN IN A HARDCOPY OF THE RESUME TO ME. E-MAIL A COPY OF THE RESUME TO ME. MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS ON OUR CLASS HOMEPAGE: (WWW.JPSAOS.COM/CANOVA) BOTH WILL COUNT AS HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS (Due Monday, October 4)

OUR NEXT CLASS: WE’LL TEST YOUR ABILITY TO FIND ERRORS IN BOTH COVER LETTERS AND RESUMES.