1. Resumes 101

2. What is a resume? A summary of all of your life experiences on paper.

3. Why a resume? To present aspects of your life that are relevant to an employer. To get an interview for a job. It is a marketing tool—what is being marketed is YOU!

4. 4 Résumés at a glance … A résumé has one specific function: to get an interview! Employers need a quick way to reduce the number of résumés they need to read How? A 5-second glance can give an employer reasons NOT to keep it.

5. 5 Will your résumé make the short list … Handwritten? Corners curled, paper wrinkled? Smudges, coffee stains, etc.? Design difficult to read? Oops, there’s a spelling error? No postal codes, no telephone numbers? Grammatical error? Definitely a NO! Into the basket! Not a chance! Haven’t the time! Pitch this one! It’s a loser. Not wanted here.

6. 6 Types of résumés … There are three main ways to organize the information on your résumé: –Chronological –Functional –Skills / Combination Each type serves a purpose How do you know which one is best?

7. Chronological Resume Best used when you can show steady progress in your education and employment Format: Major emphasis on “Education” and “Work Experience” “Interests” closer to the end Most recent experiences first (e.g. 1995, 1994, 1991) From Misener and Butler’s “Expanding Your Horizons”, pg 135.

8. 8 Chronological Résumé Advantage You can demonstrate, at a glance, a summary of your education and experience. Disadvantage You don’t have a place to indicate your skills and qualifications up front.

9. 9 Chronological Résumé Don’t use this format if: –You want to emphasize skills you haven’t used in other jobs –You’re looking for a job you’ve never done before –You’ve changed jobs a lot

10. Skills / Functional Resume From Misener and Butler’s “Expanding Your Horizons”, pg 136. Best used when you have little/no work experience. Format: Major section for “Skills” “Work Experiences” later on Less emphasis on dates

11. Functional Résumé Advantage You can highlight your special skills and any awards and achievements that come from work, volunteer or school experiences. Disadvantage You have to back up your list of skills and qualifications with education, work or volunteer experiences. You can’t just list skills you believe you have without demonstrating how you got them.

12. Functional Résumé Don’t use this format when: –You have a steady pattern of jobs and education –Your past employers are important in relation to your job objective

13. Skills / Functional Resume From How To Prepare Resumes (Opportunity Place, March 2003). Best used when you have little/no work experience. Format: Major section for “Skills” “Work Experiences” later on Less emphasis on dates

14. Skills Résumé It is best to use this format when: –Your education is an important part of your skills and your practical skills are limited –Your background shows a wide range of unrelated skills –Your work history isn’t reflective of you as a stable worker—you’ve held a lot of different jobs –Your work history shows more time in other work areas

15. Parts Personal Info Objectives Skills and Abilities Education Awards and Honours Work Experience Interests and Hobbies References

16. “Personal Info” Part Full name (no nicknames) Address (no abbreviations) Telephone (with 902) E-mail (make sure it’s professional) Don’t include: –Race/Gender –Height/Weight/Age –Social Insurance Number –Religious/Political views

17. “Objective” Part 1. Job Search Objective  What kind of job do you want? (e.g. Warehouse work, light labour work, customer service, child care, pet care…) 2. Career Objective  Where do you want to take your life? Where do you want to take your life? Where do you want to take your life? Your objective sets up the rest of your resume Be specific.

18. “Objective” Part Consider this example: Seeking a challenging position with a future oriented company offering opportunities for growth and advancement. How about: Responsible and friendly with knowledge in customer service, seeking to improve these strengths as a food service attendant in an entry-level position.

19. “Objective” Part Consider another example: To attain exceptional grades in school and to apply this education to a highly successful career. How about: To successfully complete course work for carpentry in preparation for a career in homebuilding.

20. “Skills and Abilities” Part Personal skills Employability skills Language skills Language skills Computer skills Computer skills When applying for a job, make sure you list only skills that are related to the job

21. “Skills and Abilities” Part Personal skills Organizational, Time Management, Problem Solving, Communication, Stress Management, Teamwork Employability skills Dependability, Integrity/Honesty, Concern for Quality, Independence and Initiative, Commitment to an Employer/Work, Risk-Taking, Courtesy, Adaptability Language skills Beginner, intermediate or native fluency Spoken, written, read Computer skills Word Processing, Web Navigation and Searching, Web Design or Programming, Presentation Making, Video or Photo Editing

22. “Education” Part close to the top Keep it close to the top School Years attended Averages (if it says something positive about you or is relevant) Academic achievements (e.g. Honours, French Immersion…) (Plus) Any other training (e.g. Babysitting, First Aid, Life Guarding…)

23. “Awards and Honours” Part From school, jobs, sports teams, clubs volunteer groups, competitions, camps… Include: When did you received it? From who? What for?

24. “Work Experience” Part Think about: Paid work Unpaid work (at home, for a neighbour, for school, for clubs) Volunteering Big school projects Think way back. Write down everything you can think of.

25. “Interests and Hobbies” Part What do you do in your spare time?  Hobbies, extra-curricular activities It should say something meaningful about who you are

26. “References” Part On a separate page with your personal info at the top 2 or 3 people who can talk positively about your work habits and personality:  E.g. Coaches, teachers, employers, volunteer co- workers, community leaders, church ministers…  Relatives don’t count

27. Résumé Dos and Don’ts DO Use only one font size (12 pt) and one font style (Times New Roman, Arial) Be consistent when using bold, italics, underlining Leave 2-3 blank lines between sections Use a good-quality paper Use white, off-white, ivory or cream-coloured paper DO Use power words (action verbs) Use a header including your name and page number on the second page Staple the pages with one staple in the top left corner PROOFREAD!!!

28. Employer’s Pet Peeves About Résumés More than two pages long Coloured paper Spelling errors Handwritten corrections Old jobs that are not relevant Repetition Attempts to inflate responsibilities Fancy graphics Poor quality paper A photocopy of a photocopy

29. Employers Speak Out on Résumés “Any résumé that looks like it’s part of a mass mailing goes into the garbage. And if there’s one spelling mistake or bad punctuation, out it goes.” Mark Bowles, Komex International Ltd. “I want brief, to-the-point résumés that highlight work experience and education. Tailor your résumé to show me why you should work for my company.” Joanne Tully, Holiday Inn “When I see neatness in a résumé, I get the feeling that the job candidate will keep his or her work area and tools clean. That’s important in by business.” Clark Johnston, Clark’s Quality Woodwork