1. Resume Writing

2. What is a resume? Summary of your skills, education and experiences
Highlights your accomplishments to show a potential employer that you are a qualified candidate

3. What is the purpose of a resume?
HINT: It is not to get you a job!
Its purpose is to get you an interview
The interview provides you the opportunity to provide the necessary detail and elaboration to get the job

4. How long do employers typically look at a resume?
Less than 30 seconds
3 minutes
1 minute
CORRECT ANSWER:
Less than 30 seconds!

5. What does this mean for you?
PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD!!!
Employers often receive hundreds of resumes for a single job
They are looking for reasons to eliminate applicants…don’t let that be you!

6. How long should a resume be?
Limit your resume to one page
One inch margins
10-12 point font

7. Should I use complete sentences?No
Utilize bulleted lists
Use action words when describing previous job duties
Remember…the key is to highlight important information!

8. How do I set up my resume?
Your resume should be divided into distinct sections
Utilize bold or italics to make important details stand out
Key to formatting is CONSISTENCY!
A clean and concise resume shows off your organizational abilities

9. Let’s look at an example…
Sample resume handout

10. What sections should be included on a resume?
Heading
Name
Address
Phone number
address

11. What sections should be included on a resume?
Objective
One sentence explanation of the type of job you are seeking
Specific to each job and/or employer
Ex: To obtain a position as a Patient Care Technician at Sparrow Hospital
For a generic resume, list type of job or job field you are interested in pursuing
Ex: To obtain an entry level position in the health care field

12. What sections should be included on a resume?
Education
High School
Eaton RESA Career Preparation Center at Lansing Community College
Specify dates of attendance and/or anticipated graduation
Include GPA (typically if it is a 3.0 or higher)

13. What sections should be included on a resume?
Work Experience
List employment from current/most recent to least
Include the following for each employer:
Business name
Location (city and state only)
Your job title
Dates of employment (month and year(s) only)
Your job duties (listed as action statements)
Action words handout

14. What sections should be included on a resume?
Skills
Refer to the checklist that you highlighted at the start of class

15. What sections should be included on a resume?
Activities/Awards/Certifications
“Catch all” category
List from current/most recent to least
Include the following:
Name of activity/award/certification
Year(s) of participation/earned accomplishment

16. What are references? Group Activity 1. What are references?
2. Why do we need them? For what purpose(s)?
3. Who makes a good reference?
4. Who would NOT make a good reference?
5. How long should you know a reference?

17. Let’s look at an example…
Sample reference list handout

18. Let’s look at an example…

19. To sum it all up…
Just like Nike spends countless hours (and millions of dollars!) on their latest advertising campaign  you must spend time creating, editing and perfecting your resume
Don’t cheat yourself…work hard on it!