Resume Writing TrainingMarch 3, 2010

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Program Objectives

RESUME WRITING

Gain a thorough understanding of what recruiters look for in a resume

Understand the basic sections of a resume and how they should

represent you

Learn how to create a well-written resume that showcases your

strengths, skills and experience

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Why Fret Over Your Resume?

Some Helpful Statistics

80% of candidates are screened out at the resume review stage

Recruiters spend less than 20 seconds reviewing a resume

85% of professionals who review resumes glance at the current job title first

Recruiters use your resume for two reasons:

SCREEN OUT candidates

Identify the BEST MATCHED candidates

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Resume’s Ultimate Objective

To win the interview!

By …

Presenting a powerful overview of your experience

“Selling” your qualifications

Demonstrating your writing abilities and professional depth

Showing that you take action to stay current within your profession and industry

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Resume “Building Blocks”

Heading

Objective Statement or Professional Summary

Employment History

Education

Professional Development and Training

Other Sections may include: Skills, Professional Affiliations, Publications/Presentations, Relevant Activities and Interests

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The Heading

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Heading

Name Mailing Address

If you have a temporary living situation, you may want to consider including both your temporary and your permanent address

Telephone Number(s) Make sure those are numbers you check regularly and that the

message you record for your voicemail is professional E-mail Address

Again, make sure that the e-mail address you provide is professional and one that you check regularly

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Heading Format Examples

Your Name Street AddressCity, State, ZipPhone

Number(s)E-mail

Your NameStreet AddressCity, State, Zip

Phone Number(s)E-mail

Your NameE-mail

Phone Number(s)

Address till <applicable date>: Permanent Address:

Street Address Street AddressCity, State, Zip City, State, Zip

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The Objective Statement

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Objective Statement

Your current employment goal – focusing on the short term

Sharpens the focus for the reader and sets the tone

Convincing, direct statement of how you can benefit your future employer

Defines: specific position/industry you are seeking, specific skills/qualifications you posses that are relevant to the position

Recommended in the cases of: career change, specific requirements or limitations or less than three years of professional experience

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Objective Statement Examples

Career change

Accomplished manufacturing supervisor seeking to leverage background in people management, customer orientation, productivity and quality management in an entry-level customer service position.

Career advancementIT Professional with eight years of project coordination, programming and lead rollout execution seeking management opportunity and team-building potential within a corporation or small business requiring in-house technical facilitation.

Company change

Highly experienced sales professional with comprehensive strategic planning and execution skills, and $8 million in new client revenue added in 2 years, seeking a field sales position in the OTC industry to add similar or greater value.

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The Professional Summary

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Professional Summary

States the specific position desired and why you are qualified for that position

Highlights specific expertise and how they can benefit the future employer

3 or 4 sentences that reflect: a clear summary of your skills, experience and accomplishments, description of qualifications using industry specific keywords, proof of your ability to deliver what the future employer needs

Recommended in the cases of: seasoned professionals (5+ years of experience) and candidates with noteworthy accomplishments

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Professional Summary Examples

Bilingual Operations Manager with 15 years experience, an MBA and expertise in warehousing, purchasing, facilities planning, staff management and cost control. Proven ability to provide the highest level of corporate services while consistently reducing expenditures by establishing competitive bidding processes leading to overhead costs reductions of 25% to 40%.

Results-oriented software developer and consulting project manager with six years experience at Big 4 firm. Experienced OO developer with particular expertise in Java and Extreme Programming (XP). Innovative problem solver, able to see the business and technical sides of a problem. Proven leadership, negotiation and problem resolution skills. Published author and frequent conference speaker at industry conferences.

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Objective Statement Professional Summary

Use one but not both

Which one you use greatly depends on:

Where you are at in your career progression (e.g., entry-level or experienced)

What are the objectives you want to accomplish in your next move (e.g., advance in your current field, make a career change)

Whichever you do not use, you can incorporate that information on your cover letter; e.g.,

If you do not include a professional summary on your resume, you can discuss your accomplishments and personal characteristics that uniquely qualify you for the position you are applying for on your cover letter

Should I use one, both or none?

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Employment History

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Employment HistoryWhat it is A list of:

positions you have held and/or currently hold the companies within which you held those positions and the location your tenure in each of those positions your roles, responsibilities and accomplishments while in each of those

positions

What it does Outlines what positions you held, what skills you used and gained in those

positions and your achievements in each of those positions Provides evidence that you actually did what you said you did in your

professional summary

Format The format of how you present your work history can vary so try different styles

to see which works best for clarity and ease of presentation

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Companies You Worked For For smaller or less well-known companies or to provide some context to

your experience, you may wish to include an “employer summary statement” (i.e., a short sentence about the employing company)

If you left a company because they went out of business or your department was downsized, etc. reflect this on your resume

Positions Held Start with your most recent position and work your way back in

chronological order Include functional, common job titles – your position needs to be

understood by the outside world

Dates of Employment When recording dates, employers prefer to see month and year

Tips …to keep in mind while listing companies, positions & dates

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Do not write them to read like job descriptions Keep it simple but remember that you are not there to answer any

questions Use paragraph form and provide a high-level overview of responsibilities

held while in the role Write in past tense for previous positions and in present tense for current

position

Tips …to keep in mind while writing your position descriptions

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This is the place to brag! Consider the smartest way to show how well you did something and what you contributed to the company

Use the SAR (Situation – Action – Result) approach in describing accomplishments

Start with an action word and end with a result Use quantifiable data when possible - #s and %s will help you draw well-

deserved attention to your accomplishments Highlight any technologies that you have used and the scope of your

experience with them If you were in charge of a special project, describe the project and what the

outcome of the project was When you list your accomplishments, answer the question: So What?

Tips …to keep in mind while writing your accomplishments

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Employment History Example

Executive Assistant Apr. 2004 – Oct. 2008

Managed all administrative tasks, including scheduling meetings, conference calls and arranging travel for the VP of Sales and 30+ field sales representatives. Assisted in the development of sales reports and presentations. Handled incoming communications and responded to requests for information with discretion.

AccomplishmentsDeveloped an innovative records management system to process travel-related

accounting documentation which resulted in expediting reimbursements by 5 business days

Managed and maintained files and filing system; designed and reorganized filing system allowing sales reps to locate files without assistance and significantly reduced number of lost and misplaced files

Answered more than 200 telephone calls per day for eight sales reps using the Acme 5000 Deluxe Telephone System

Typed 90 wpm without errors; helped others complete typing assignments, and substituted for office staff on vacation or maternity leave

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Education

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EducationWhat it is A list of educational credentials

What it includes Institutions attended and locations Degrees and dates awarded Major and concentration Any awards or scholastic achievements/honors

Format Listed in reverse chronological order Listed as one of the last sections of your resume

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Additional Sections

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Additional SectionsProfessional Development & Training A list of any programs/training you have completed (other than formal education) Includes course/training title, who conducted it and course content and date(s)

Skills A list of:

Computer languages and software applications/programs Languages (other than English) and level of fluency Laboratory and research skills, analytical skills and/or management skills not

mentioned elsewhere

Professional Affiliations List of professional associations, committees and community involvement,

especially if relevant to the target position and key work issues Highlight any leadership roles or positions held

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Additional Sections (cont.)Publications/Presentations Highlights your published work and/or major presentations (if you have a

lot of credits, summarize your work) Include stellar critiques or comments, if applicable

Activities and Interests Only include this section if your activities/interests are directly relevant to

your career interests and the target position

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Formatting

Font Don’t use …

a font smaller than 10 pts – it is hard to read large fonts – they waste space fancy fonts – they may be distracting and hard to read flowery or fancy bullets

Do use … a font of 14 or 16 pts for section headings and your name the same font throughout your resume standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial or similar

How your resume looks is as important as what it contains!

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Formatting (cont.)

Margins and Spacing Leave white space – crowded text is difficult to read Aim for 1-inch side margins and slightly smaller top and bottom margins Left justify the entire document Use a uniform style, keeping the sections lined up and consistent Use tabs, not spaces, to move across the page

Pages Keep it within 2 pages If 2nd page is too short (less than 1/3 of a page), condense it to 1 page Include your name and page number on the 2nd page

How your resume looks is as important as what it contains!

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Guiding Thoughts

Resume wording precedes resume formatting

Clear, clean and crisp wording and format

Spell check AND proofread

“Reality” check

Keywords are key

Customization of information

Less is more

Don’t forget the file name!

Q & A