Résumés 101 Senior Seminar

What is a résumé?  It is a one-two page document that includes important information about your qualifications for a job, program or college.  It includes general contact information (name, phone number, etc.) and also information regarding your education, work/volunteer experience, extracurricular involvement, skills and awards.  You tailor your résumé each time based on the job, program or college you are applying to as these share their ideal candidates on their descriptions.

Why is a résumé important?  It allows potential employers/colleges/programs get a quick glance at your experience and qualifications.  It helps potential employers/colleges/programs understand if you have the qualifications needed to join them.  You are essentially “selling” or marketing yourself as a valuable addition to the team/program.

Formatting a Résumé?  It is a one-two page document (one-sided), however everyone’s résumé looks different.  It should look professional including black ink and white/ivory paper.  The College Center has formats you may use, as do Microsoft Word and different websites.  You want your résumé to be easy to read and follow, have just enough detail and look presentable.  Individuals typically spend only a few seconds reviewing your résumé so you want to use key terms, fonts and format that will appeal to the eye fairly quick.

Building my Résumé  You want to start with your basic information as included below:  Full Name  Phone Number  Address  Address  Education should typically be the next thing you include.  If you are in high school, only include your high school information.  If you are in college, only include your college information.  Work experience is typically next when you are applying to a job. As high school students, you can eliminate this section and focus on your involvement.

Building my Résumé  Your volunteer experience can include service learning trips and can be listed as follows:  Camino Nuevo High School Service Learning  Volunteer in a variety of activities and events including…(list some of the activities/events in which you volunteered with your iConnect)  Your extracurricular activities can include sports.  Skills are important to also include as these can relate to the job/program you are applying to and make you a stronger candidate.  Skills can include languages, computers, software, musical talents, etc.  Languages  As high school students, you always take a foreign language thus include it.

Some “buzz” words to use…  A - Accomplished, achieved, acquired, adapted, addressed, administered, advised, allocated, analyzed, applied, appointed, appraised, approved, arbitrated, assembled, assessed, assigned, assumed, assured, audited, authored, awarded  B - Briefed, broadened, budgeted, built  C - Calculated, chaired, changed, charted, coached, combined, communicated, compiled, completed, composed, computed, conceived, conceptualized, concluded, conducted, consolidated, constructed, consulted, contracted, controlled, converted, convinced, coordinated, corrected, counseled, created, cultivated, cut  D - Debugged, decreased, defined, delegated, delivered, demonstrated, designated, designed, detected, determined, developed, devised, diagnosed, directed, discovered, dispatched, distributed, doubled, drafted  E - Earned, edited, effected, elicited, eliminated, empowered, endorsed, engineered, enhanced, enlarged, enlisted, ensured, entered, established, estimated, evaluated, examined, exceeded, executed, expanded, expedited, explained, explored, expressed, extended  F - Filed, filled, financed, flagged, focused, forecast, formulated, found, founded  G - Gathered, generated, granted, guided

 H - Halved, handled, headed, helped, hired  I - Identified, ignited, implemented, improved, incorporated, increased, indexed, influenced, initiated, innovated, inspected, installed, instituted, instructed, insured, interpreted, interviewed, introduced, invented, inventoried, invested, investigated, issued  J - Joined, justified; K – Kept; L - Launched, learned, leased, lectured, led, licensed, lobbied  M - Maintained, managed, manufactured, matched, measured, mediated, met, modified, monitored, motivated, moved  N - Named, navigated, negotiated  O - Obtained, opened, operated, ordered, organized, overhauled, oversaw  P - Participated, patented, perceived, performed, persuaded, placed, planned, posted, prepared, presented, presided, processed, procured, produced, proficient, programmed, prohibited, projected, promoted, proposed, provided, published, purchased, pursued Some “buzz” words to use cont.

 Q - Qualified, quantified, questioned  R - Raised, ranked, rated, received, recognized, recommended, reconciled, recorded, recruited, redesigned, reduced, referred, regulated, rehabilitated, reorganized, repaired, replaced, replied, reported, represented, rescued, researched, resolved, responded, restored, revamped, reviewed, revised  S - Saved, scheduled, screened, selected, served, serviced, shaped, shared, showed, simplified, sold, solved, sorted, sought, sparked, spoke, staffed, started, steered, streamlined, strengthened, stressed, stretched, structured, studied, submitted, substituted,succeeded, suggested, summarized, superseded, supervised, supplied, surveyed, systematized  T - Tackled, targeted, taught, terminated, tested, toured, traced, tracked, traded, trained, transcribed, transferred, transformed, translated, transported, traveled, treated, trimmed, tripled, turned, tutored  U - Uncovered, understood, understudied, unified, unraveled, updated, upgraded, utilized  V - Vended, verbalized, verified, visited; W - Waged, weighed, widened, won, worked, wrote Some “buzz” words to use cont.

Sample Résumés

NOW  You will review your own résumé and add the required parts.  You will submit a printed copy by the end of the period to your Senior Seminar teacher.

Sections to Include on your Résumé  Mandatory:  Education  Volunteer Experience (this includes Service Learning)  Extracurricular Activities  Skills  Languages  Optional  Awards  Work Experience  References

Questions