Creating a Resume

What is a Resume? A resume is your key to a job. It’s a document that describes your skills and experience... But it’s more than just a paper. It’s the first thing an employer will see about you. That means your resume has to hold an employer’s interest and present you as just the right person for the job. So how do you do that with just a sheet of paper? So how do you do that with just a sheet of paper?

How long do employers typically look at a resume? Typically, employers will look at a prospective employee’s resume for less than thirty seconds!

Creating A Resume A good resume has these main components: 1. Heading – Contact Info 2. Objective 3. Education 4. Experience 5. Activities 6. Summary of Skills 7. References

Heading Your heading should include the essential personal information. Formal Name (not nickname) Formal Name (not nickname) Address Address Phone Number Phone Number Address Address

Personal Information  Full Name: Brittney M. Rodriguez Brittney M. Rodriguez  Address: 123 Candy Apple Drive La Quinta, CA  Telephone #: (123)  Social Security #:  Date of Birth:  Emergency Contact: Kirsten Rodriguez – Sister

Objective Employers often say this is the most important part of a resume. It is generally a one sentence explanation of the type of job you are seeking. Your objective should be fairly specific. If you are applying for different types of jobs, change your objective to match each type of job. If you are uncertain about the specific positions available, note your areas of interest.

SAMPLE OBJECTIVE- Cashier Seeking a position with K- Mart where proficiency in customer service and cash register operation will be utilized to manage the store’s operations effectively.

Your Turn! Create a Sample Objective – Nanny Position (Action word) a (type of) position with a private family. Bringing a(n) (adjective) attitude, discretion, and a(n) (adjective) nature to provide children with (noun) and (noun).

Education As students, this should be your next section of information. You all are in high school. Therefore, you should not include info from middle school. Some people include education-related honors in this section. If you education is particularly relevant to a job, you may want to include a section titled “Relevant Courses.”

Now make your own for these positions  Dog Walker  Construction Worker  Secretary  Tattoo Artist  Journalist  Fashion Designer

Experience In this section, you should include previous employers, their locations, your dates of employment, and your job title. You may have to create a job title if you did not have one. You should include at least two one- line descriptions of what your job duties and responsibilities were. You can not assume that the job title explains what you did. Use action verbs to start each of these descriptions. Do not use “I” in descriptions.

Describing Work Experience – EX: Teacher -Developed and taught activity based, cooperative learning units. -Participated in team teaching lessons with other faculty. -Evaluated school progress toward meeting the Learning Results. *You all have developed many skills from coursework, extracurricular activities, and your total life experiences that can be applicable when completing a resume.

Activities Employers like to see people who have been involved in school or community activities. In this section, list special activities. In this section, list special activities you participated in organizations you joined. Include the years in which you participated.

Skills Some people use this section to include special skills or talents that are not included elsewhere on the resume, but would be relevant to the employer. Some possibilities are: Type 60 words per minute Type 60 words per minute Fluent in French Fluent in French

References Although it is common practice to put “References Available Upon Request” at the bottom of a resume, most career advisors say it is unnecessary. You should have 2 -3 people who have observed your work habits (employers, teachers, coaches, etc.) and 2 – 3 people who can speak about your character. ***Make sure you have asked their permission to include them as references. Only ask people who will speak well of you!***

Your turn again! On your Resume Worksheet, fill out all of your personal information along with your educational background.