Resume Writing and YouBakersfield College Writing Center

Laraine Rosema, MA

Job Listing

• Who?• What?• When?• Where?• Why?• How?

• Identify the source of the posting/who the posting was made by and the contact information.

• Make sure you understand the qualifications of the position

• Identify and consider the job type. • Identify if there is an expiration date on

the posting. • Location, location, location!• Identify the application process.

Cover Letter

• Tell them why, specifically, you’re interested in the company

• Outline what you can walk through the doors and deliver

• Tell a story, one that’s not on your resume

• Address the letter to an actual person within the company

• Consistency! Don’t forget the headings.

Letter of Interest

• Think about skills you possess that you will be able to use at this new job.

• Explain your purpose immediately upon beginning your letter

• Go into your qualifications.

• End your letter with a thank you and a sincere valediction.

Types of Resumes

• General• Has the entire work and education history.

• This type of resume may be longer than one page, but is not the resume that is sent to prospective employers.

• The general resume is meant to be trimmed and tailored to individual job postings.

• Position or Field Specific• Have information that pertains only to specific job

types or postings. The purpose of the specific resume is to help narrow the possibilities of obtaining a job interview.

• Often times, especially in large corporations, all applications and resumes for job postings run through computer programs that search the documents for specific words and the number of times those words appear.

• The human resources personnel or hiring manager will use this program to sift through hundreds of applications so that they only have to really look at a small handful (10 – 20 resumes).

Development

• Objective

• Skills

• Languages

• Education

• Extracurriculars

• Work Experience

• Internship/Externship

• Volunteering

• Community Service

Types of Experience

• Work Experience: Paid

• Internship: Can be paid or non-paid. Internships are typically done outside of school and are not used as part of a class credit (typically).

• Externship: A required component of a course or program. Externships are most often seen with nursing, medical assistants, dental assistants, etc.

• Volunteering: Unpaid time donated to a program or institution. This can include time donated for various on-campus clubs.

• Community Service: Can be synonymous with volunteering, but is more commonly associated as required time that must be completed for a program.

Education & Extracurricular

• Chronologically backwards, with current studies first. The information that should be provided is the name of the institution, degree path, major, estimated graduation date or graduation date, and location of the institution.

• Extracurricular activities are those that you do in addition to your regular school work.

• i.e. Clubs and school organizations.

Special Sections

• Special sections include certifications, licenses, academic accolades, associations, and so on. (While the CV has the flexibility to include all of these things in detail, the one-page resume includes only information that pertains to the current job application.)

• Both certifications and licenses should include issue dates and expiration dates where applicable.

References

• Previously, references were listed directly on the resume. However, because of the lack of privacy sending resumes through email and fax, many people do not feel comfortable having their reference information provided.

• Thus, in order to avoid any possible ramifications of accidentally listing private information for public knowledge, the separate reference page is now a necessity.

• Just the same as the other letters you turn in to a prospective employer, the reference page must also have the same heading.

Requesting a Reference Letter

Dos• Provide your name, class you

attended, year of attendance, brief description of one or two of your assignments, information on why you need the reference letter.

• Request the letter at least six weeks before you NEED it.

Don’ts • Expect your instructor to

remember you based solely on your name.

• Be rude or pushy – you are asking for a favor

• Wait until an employer asks for one