CREATING A RÉSUMÉ OF “HIRE” QUALITY!

What IS a resume? A selling tool for presenting yourself to a potential employer An instrument used to get a company interested in meeting you

Why is the format & presentation of your resume important? Employers generally do not “read” resumes – at least at first glance Instead, they quickly scan over it and then determine if it is really worth going back to pay more attention to the details Your resume will be on their desk along with 40-hundreds-thousands of others, so presentation is important!

Layout the resume so that with one simple glance, the person eyeing your resume catches: 1) What you have accomplished 2) What it is you do 3) Present your skills in a way that capture the attention of the reader.

Sections of a Resume: OBJECTIVE: –A resume starts with an individual’s career objective. This tells employers your career goals, and helps them to understand the intended specific direction in your next career move.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Do I need an objective? Yes, Keep it specific to your requested job. Objective: To obtain a Summer Retail Trainee position with Walgreens

EDUCATION: –List your present or most recent education first –If GPA is less than 3.0, do not list it –Class rank, if known

WORK EXPERIENCE –List your place of employment AND length/dates of employment (start with your most recent employer and work back to the first employer) - - then: –Job title, followed by –Duties / Responsibilities (jobs performed) –Beginning/ending Salary information is not needed on your resume

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE / COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT –Community Service Activities –Volunteer service –Food drives –Fundraising

ACTIVITIES & HONORS –Sports –Organizations / Clubs –Leadership roles within these organizations –Scholarship awards –Honor Roll, Academic All-State –National Honor Society **** Be sure to include dates ****

Include activities that show a sincere interest in learning, helping others or developing a skill such as: Vice President of Future Business Leaders of America Volunteer at The Ambassador Nursing Home Active member of LNE Math Club Monthly volunteer at City Mission serving meals Promoter of LNE’s “Make A Wish” campaign

STRENGTHS / SKILLS Key skills, such as leadership, technical skills, communication and/or interpersonal relationship skills. Anything that is tangible, credible, and can be validated through a background check should be included. Using ACTION WORDS to maximize the impact This section should be concise, contain action words, and should sell your most marketable experiences and abilities.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What should I focus on? What will make me stand out? Focus on: TEAMWORK, PROBLEM SOLVING, COMMUNICATION & LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Action Words/Phrases Regardless of the type of resume you choose to write, keep it simple, using short, phrased bullet points and action words to start each bullet point. Action words or phrases include: -Responsible for… -Wrote… -Led… -Managed… -Sold… -Developed…

Wal-Mart—Used problem-solving skills to assist customers with returns and exchanges or comments regarding the store.

Babysitter—Interacted and supervised three small children during summer break. Gained experience taking initiative and making decisions when situations would arise and prompt action was required. Always use “action- oriented” verbs!

Remember... You only have 30 seconds to get the reader’s attention. Make them “oooh” and “ahhh” over you by presenting yourself in the MOST POSITIVE LIGHT!

Technical things to take note of! 1.Omit GPA if not 3.0 or better 2.Keep it to 1 or 2 pages & never use a partial page 3.Use figures to quantify and verify facts 4.Do not use “I”, “me” or “my” - It’s already all about YOU! Always list most recent education first!

More technicals... 5.Always use “References available upon request” and have reference page with you 6.Have letters of recommendation in portfolio 7.Do not use clip art or watermarks 8.Have same letterhead and stationery for both résumé, references and cover letter

Still more Use specific times when you demonstrated “transferable skills” 12.Format data in two columns if needed 13.Use bullets, borders to increase the appeal / appearance 14.Begin work experience descriptions with “action verbs” 15.Use appropriate address 16.Absolutely no errors!

Example of Proper Reference Format Mr. David Mercer, Business Teacher Lincoln Northeast High School 2635 N. 63 rd Street Lincoln, NE (402) Always identify your reference’s relationship to you