1. Writing Effective Resumes
By Employee Consultants Unlimited
Hello. We would like to welcome everyone here today. We are members of Employee Consultants Unlimited and today we are going to show you techniques for writing effective resumes.

2. Class Objectives What is a resume Why write a resume Types of resumes
Parts of resume
How to write resume
Develop personal resume
Other resume resources
Here is what we will cover in today’s session, listed under class objectives: First, what exactly is a resume? Why should we write a resume? You will learn the two basic types of resumes and which will best suits your needs. We will look at the different parts of a resume. We will explain how to write a resume? We will create and develop a personal resume for every individual here today. And finally, we will look at some other resources we can use to create a resume.

3. What Is a Resume Summary of academic and work history
Overview of qualifications
Selling tool
Screening device
What is a resume? A resume is a documented summary of your academic and work history. Resumes act as an overview of your qualifications to obtain a job. A resume is a “selling tool,” to sell yourself and your skills to a potential employer. You should think of a resume as a “screening device”, so employers can decide if they should interview you for a job. Resumes should display your strengths but should include only the important or relevant information about you. A resume is a showcase of your personal and job skills but it should include only relevant or important information about yourself.

4. Why Write a Resume Get an interview Persuade potential employers
Show ability to communicate
Advertise skills
Why should we write a resume? Or why is having a resume important? Most importantly, a resume should put a person in the position to get a job interview. Hopefully, the job interview will lead to a job.
An effective resume can persuade employers that you are the right person for the job. It should show the employer that you can make an immediate and valuable contribution to the company.
Resumes can demonstrate you have the ability to communicate in a written form. This is a valuable quality that employers seek.
A well-written resume can show an employer that you have the necessary skills to “do the job”. Resumes should serve as an advertisement of your skills.

5. Functional Resume Style
Emphasizes skills over history
Highlights experience for your field
Stresses important skills
Are first-time workers
Have gaps in work history
Have held many jobs
There are two primary ways to arrange your resume: the functional style and the chronological style. The functional resume style emphasizes your work skills instead of your work history. It highlights experience for the field you are currently seeking work in. Instead of listing work experience chronologically, a functional resume stresses your most important job skills.
A functional resume is more suited for someone entering the job market for the first time, or someone who has gaps or lapses in their work history. Individuals who have worked in many jobs over their lives will find this type of resume beneficial.

6. Chronological Resume Style
Lists education before experience
Uses chronological order
Shows progression toward degree
Accommodates limited work experience
The chronological resume style is the more traditional way to arrange your resume. You list education before work experience for this type of resume and items are listed in chronological order with your most recent experiences listed first. A chronological resume shows a natural progression to attaining your degree instead of displaying gaps in your work experience. Education is emphasized more than experience in this type of resume, and it is better suited for anyone with a limited range of work experience. It’s still important to list relevant job skills for the position you are seeking.

7. Parts of a Resume Resume headings
Contact information
Career objective
Experience or history
Education
Personal information
References
Most resumes are broken down into different elements with headings such as contact information, career objective, experience or employment history, personal information, education, awards, and references. Next, you will see what type of information is included in each of these headings.

8. Contact Information
Top of page
Center aligned
Visually appealing
Looks professional
The first part or heading of a resume is the contact information. The contact information is located at the top of the page and should stand out to an employer. Make sure to align the contact information in the center of the resume. We want it to appeal visually to an employer but should look professional in its appearance.

9. Contact Information Details
Name
Address
Telephone number
address
What details should we include in our contact information. Your name is the first item listed. Your name should stand out but not look to eccentric. Do not include any nicknames, which can look unprofessional to an employer.
The address is the located underneath your name. If you have two addresses, list both of them.
The telephone number should appear on the next line. This includes all phone numbers where you can be reached during daytime and evening hours.
Finally, list your address. You should make it as easy as possible for an employer to contact you.

10. Career Objective Include mission statement Be clear and concise
State desired job
Explain your skills
The next part of a resume is the career objective. The career objective is listed beneath the contact information. The objective is your mission statement. It identifies to the employer what position you are seeking.
The objective should be brief and concise, but it should outline exactly what you, as a prospective employee, intend to accomplish by writing a resume. The objective states what position you are specifically seeking, not the fields you have majored in.
Applicants should explain what type of skills they possess that will benefit an employer. Job interviewers look for strong career interests and goals from prospective employees.

11. Job Experience Paid and unpaid jobs Organization name Name of position
Dates of employment
City and state
The next part of a resume is the job experience or job history. Experience can be a vital element for an employer when deciding who to hire for a job. You can list jobs that were unpaid positions along with paid positions. If the current position you seek calls for job skills you possessed while working on an unpaid or volunteer job, you should definitely list that position.
When listing your job experience include the name of the organization you worked for, the name of the position you held, the dates of employment, and the city and state of the company.

12. Job Experience Continued
Include previous jobs
Demonstrate responsibility
Show how skills fit needs of the position
List jobs chronologically
Here are some more details about job experience. Job experience shows employers what jobs you held in the past, but it also demonstrates to an employer that you are a responsible individual.
Employers want to see strong characteristics in an applicant like leadership. Employers like to see how well-rounded a prospective employee can be to go along with technical aspects that person might display. Make sure the listed skills fit the needs of the position for which you apply .
The experience or employment history should be more than just a list of previous jobs the applicant once held. The listed experience items should display to the employer how skills that were used on previous job could be beneficial to a current position an applicant now seeks. You need to list your job experience in chronological order, with your most recent job listed first. Dedicate the most space on your resume to the most prominent position you held. Employers should pay the most attention to this position.

13. Education Name of schools Graduation dates Certifications and licenses
Seminars and short courses
GPA 3.0 or higher
Rewards and scholarships
The next heading is education. List the name of the schools you attended in chronological order, with your most recent degree or diploma. List the name of the school after the diploma or degree.
List the date of graduation along with any additional certifications or professional licenses acquired. In today's workforce, certifications are a key element for employers looking to fill a position.
List any coursework that is relevant to the position you are applying for on the resume. Include any non-degree training, such as seminars, workshops, and short courses that pertain to the position you apply for. This also includes any internships.
List your grade point averages if it is 3.0 or higher. List any honor societies, grants, rewards, scholarships, and clubs you participated in while in school.
If you are a recent college graduate or working toward a college degree, any high school information can be omitted from the resume. Let me remind you, if you are using a chronological style resume, put the education heading before the experience heading.

14. Personal Information Extracurricular activities
Professional and community groups
Foreign languages
Unique qualities
The next part of a resume is your personal information. Extracurricular activities in the community are displayed under this heading. Include any information that you consider important or that may help you land a job.
List all awards or honors you’ve received. These types of achievements can be personal or professional and shows an employer that you are a well-rounded individual who exhibits leadership qualities. Display any memberships in professional organizations or community groups.
List any travel experience or additional foreign languages. The ability to speak another language can be a plus in finding a job.
Do not list your hobbies, but list any unique qualities that can help you land the job. Employers can not discriminate against employees, but be careful when listing your personal information. Do not list items that may damage your chances to get a job.

15. References Note they are not necessary on resume
List as “available upon request”
If used, include
Name
Phone number
Organization name and title
Don’t list without permission
The final element of a resume is the reference section. References are not a necessary component when creating a resume; however, an effective resume should let the employer know that references are available if needed. Some employers may never contact a reference, but they should have the option if they need it. List references as “available upon request” on the bottom of the resume or on a separate page.
If you decide to list references, make sure you supply contact information so the reference is easy to contact. List the person’s name, phone number, address, job title, and organizational name. References should include members of the community who are well-known or in a high job position. Never list someone as a reference without their permission.

16. Resume Writing Tips Use quality paper Print in black Proofread resume
Here are some more writing tips. Print your resume on quality paper, preferably 8 ½ X 11 white or off-white paper. Don’t use paper that is too thin. Print in black ink. Resumes printed in another color may appear tacky to an employer.
Next, proofread your resume and use the spellchecker to find errors or words misspelled. A word misspelled will not look good to a prospective employer and may cost you a job. Proofread as many times as it takes to find all of your mistakes while checking for accuracy and consistency. All the information on your resume should be truthful. Look at the resume after it is printed to make sure it looks professional and free smudges or other defects, these copies are what others will see. This step is crucial!

17. Additional Resume Resources
There are additional resources to help you write an effective resume. The World Wide Web has many websites that can be useful in your pursuit to create and develop a resume. The first website, Jobstar Central, provides links to other websites that specialize in resume development.
The Career Resource Center of manpower.com displays the parts of a resume and breaks down each section contained in a resume with a detailed summary of those sections.
The last website listed is the University of Florida’s webpage. It also breaks down each section of a resume but goes into more detail for each heading. An added bonus to checking out this site is the links that have been provided to their sample resumes.
Be sure to look at the handouts we gave to each of you, they have even more websites to help you out. Each of these websites should make writing your resume a lot easier.

18. Thank You
We would like to wish everyone good luck and express our thanks for attending today's workshop on effective resume writing strategies.