Resume : Tips on How to Get Noticed Zara Zeitountsian Director of Communications Office of Communications, Alumni Relations and Career Development American University of Armenia

WHAT IS A RESUME  The purpose of a resume is to provide a summary of your skills, abilities and accomplishments.  It is a quick advertisement of who you are.  It is a "snapshot" of you with the intent of capturing and emphasizing interests and secure you an interview. IT SHOWS:  That you are employable  How you meet the job and the organization's requirements  That you have the right qualifications and education  That you have the right experience and skills  That you have the right level of professionalism for the job

WHAT IS RESUME NOT  It is not an autobiography  It is not a list of your hobbies and interests  It is no A document that reflects your personality  An exhaustive listing of everything you’ve done  A document that tells the recruiter or hiring manager what you want  A document that will guarantee an interview or job offer  A one-size-fits-all document

HOW TO START  Begin with a list of your greatest accomplishments and personal qualities.  Describe your skills and accomplishments with each employer by using action words.  List only the skills that you would like to use on a new job.  Write a chronological history of your employment, training, volunteer work and extra-curricular activities.  Analyze the requirements of the new job you want to apply for.  Compare the skills required with your background and indicate how you have demonstrated these skills.  HINT: Apply for jobs where you have the closest fit and interest.

TYPES OF RESUMES  Chronological Resume  Functional Resume  Combination Resume  Scannable resume

Chronological Resume  The most effective choice for individuals with a strong or continuous work history and increasing levels of responsibility in the occupational area stated in the resume objective.  Dates should be placed on the resume in reverse chronological order (most recent jobs listed first) to highlight the continuous work history and increasing levels of responsibility.  Job titles may be italicized, capitalized, underlined or printed in bold to emphasize increased responsibility.  The resume should then list those skill qualifications or characteristics offered to an employer.

Functional Resume  Usually chosen by individuals without a strong work history or current work experience.  It emphasizes skill areas and de-emphasizes work history and dates.  The functional resume is for someone who would like to change careers,  Has no career history or desires a job in another field.  It lists areas of expertise, skills and qualifications with the most extensive skills listed near the top of the resume. For example, this could include management, leadership, technical or communication skills which employers desire.

Combination Resume  Combines the strongest elements of the chronological and functional formats to include both job-related qualifications and work experience.  This provides strong support for the stated job objective.  The combination resume may be useful for someone who wants to emphasize work history in addition to specific skill areas.  This is a hybrid resume with the functional format at the top portion of the resume and the chronological format at the bottom.

Scannable resume  Uses key words and phrases to increase the likelihood that the resume will be selected in an electronic search.  It may be useful for someone who is applying for a job with a large company.  Instead of the action verbs used in the traditional resume, you will want specific phrases or words

RESUME CONTENT  Theme  Job Objective  Education  Employment, Work History, Experiences, Work Experiences, Military or Volunteer Positions.  Other Related Work Experience.  Certificates  Skills, Accomplishments or Achievements ( optional )  Awards and Achievements.  Memberships or Professional Organizations.  Hobbies or Interests (optional ).  References.

Theme  Highlight the job history  Highlight education  Highlight research work  Highlight voluntary work  Highlight your skills

Job Objective  Including a "job objective" is optional but highly recommended.  This indicates what your job goal is; be specific. In twelve words or less, clearly state what type of job you want.  Avoid overused phrases, such as "utilizing my skills" or "offering a potential to grow" without being specific about how to accomplish that goal.

Education  Indicate the school or college you have attended, any seminars, workshops, military training or special courses you have taken.  If you have taken college courses, list the college, city, major, most recent degree awarded and when you graduated.  You may also list your grade point average (G.P.A.), if desired but specify on what scale (e.g., 3.5 on a 4.0 scale).  If you are just beginning college, list the high school, as well as any significant college courses you have studied.  If you have been out of high school for a number of years, omit the high school; a significant career history may be more meaningful.  If your career history is more important than the education, list the experience first and place the education later in the resume.

Employment  Begin with your current or most recent job and use reverse chronological order. List the information in this order:  Job title  Name of the employer and dates (if applicable)  City and state of the employer  A summary of your accomplishments and responsibilities  For a military entry, current or most recent rank and job classification

Examples

BASIC RULES  Don’t use same resume to send to multiple employers  The entire resume must be targeted to a specific job objective.  Arrange a resume to highlight your strongest or most extensive skills.  Organize the resume so it is easy to follow. Margin space should be approximately one inch around the edges.  Write short sentences.  Distinguish categories clearly with headings that are bold, underlined or CAPITALIZED.  Use bullets, underlining and capitalizing sparingly to guide the reader to detail within a category.  Place key words or the main point of each statement at the beginning of each line.  Leave a space between lines to enhance readability.  Keep resumes to one page, if possible; however, two pages is acceptable.

Final Touches  Text The most popular typefaces are  Fonts (type size). Two types are generally used, 10-point and 12-point. An exception to this could be a header typed in a large font to highlight your name.  Paper and Envelopes. Resumes, cover letters and thank you letters should be printed on a high quality cotton paper. These choices reflect your style, your attention to detail and thoroughness.  Bring several copies of your resume to the interview  Your name on the file name - “resume/CV_Armen Aleksanyan”  PDF format  No Photo unless required by the employer  Don’t use templates unless required by an employer.  No date of birth and marital status

Cover Letter  It is not about what you want: It is about what you can contribute  What wasn’t included in the resume?  Recap your resume  Show that you captured the essence of the organization  Demonstrate that you understand what the employer needs