UNEARTH

RESUME WRITING SKILLS

UNEARTH

So…how do I start?

UNEARTH

Session Objective Understand importance of

Resume

DOs and DONTs

Resume writing

UNEARTH

Difference between Resume – CV - Biodata

Primary difference between the three is in …

The Length The Content The Utility

UNEARTH

Resume RESUME in French means

"summary" and thereby signifies a summary of one's employment, education, and other skills

Two pages at the most

It normally follows reverse chronological order

UNEARTH

CV

A Latin word – Curriculum Vitae Means "course of life“ Is more detailed than a resume and

longer Usually 2 to 3 pages, but can run

even longer C.V. generally lists out every skills,

jobs, degrees, and professional affiliations the applicant has acquired, usually in chronological order. UNEARTH

Bio-Data

Short form - Biographical Data

The emphasis in a bio data is on personalparticulars like date of birth, religion, sex, race, nationality, residence and martial status.

UNEARTH

Good Resumes Market you to a targeted reader.

Skills You Are Developing

Show Current Skills

Matches Required Job Skills

Matches Job You Want

UNEARTH

• Relevant, Clear and Concise.

• No typing errors. • No misspellings. • No Abbreviations.• Do not tell a lie or mistruth.

• Do not include any negative information.

• Relevant, Clear and Concise.

• No typing errors. • No misspellings. • No Abbreviations.• Do not tell a lie or mistruth.

• Do not include any negative information.

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Packaging

Positioning

Personality

Punch or Power

Professionalism

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Packaging

• It’s in the details!PaperFontLayout

• “Stand out” by making a great first impression!

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Positioning of information

• Organize content to make key information available.

• Make it easy for the reader to grasp the most significant information about you.

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Personality

• Your resume is an extension of your personality.

• Choose words that express the best you!

• Accentuate your accomplishments.

• Capture their attention & impress them with your skills!

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Punch or Power information

• PUNCH is what your prospective employer will want to know about.

• POWER INFORMATION matches your skills, abilities and qualifications to the prospective employer’s needs.

• Demonstrate that you meet the hiring criteria.

UNEARTH

The 5 P’s of Resume Writing

Professionalism

• Will you represent the hiring company in a professional manner?

• Make your resume & cover letter positive and professional.

• Leave a positive and lasting impression!

UNEARTH

What’s in a résumé?

UNEARTH

Components of a Resume

Introduction

• Name, Address, telephone no. email ID• Objective /summary (optional)

Employment• Name of organization

• City, State

• Dates of employment

• Titles/positions held

UNEARTH

Components of a Resume

Education – College Names

• Type Degree's

• Internships / Research Projects

• Relevant Coursework

• Career-related Jobs / Activities

UNEARTH

Components of a Resume

Miscellaneous

• Accomplishments

• NCC / NSS

• Community Service, Special Project, Volunteer Work

• Professional Affiliations

• Awards, Honors

• Licenses, Accreditations, Certifications

• Languages

UNEARTH

4 important aspects in your Resume

UNEARTH

Provide a WOW Factor

1UNEARTH

You Need To Provide Enough Detail, But. . .

UNEARTH

This is the way to present far too much and to over load the recruiter with more than needed in the resume. Long paragraphs and lengthy information discussions will over whelm the reader’s ability to absorb all that the writer wants to convey. As the reader attempts to understand everything that is written, discouragement sets in and the reader tires and quits reading. The details tend to become a negative and the reader, in trying to interpret the underlying message, assumes that there is a certain irresponsibility in that the writer is unable to write concise and brief descriptions of performed activities. The more likely direct answer or quick provision of information is diluted by the failure to be precise and exacting in the presentation. Further the reader is confused by the pontification involved and might assume that the writer is less talented and more prone to puffery than to directing with simple and easy to understand language. The ultimate result is that the candidate is not looked at with more than a quickly assumed and potentially incorrect assumption of incompetence. This is of course not the impression that any good writer wishes to convey. Eventually there will be considerable frustration and the result will be that neither the writer or reader will achieve what they are seeking, primarily that another interview takes place or ultimately that there will be a job offer extended. We hope that the lesson learned here is that too much writing and too many details will interrupt the legitimate job seeker and may reflect poorly on the other graduates of the Marriott School. We want to avoid this potential disaster by having you all write more easily and precisely to the point without overly exhausting the recruiter or the HR staff with the enormous detail that you would like them to know. Save it for the twenty interviews you will get from a well written resume and for the technical assessment that may come. It is then that you will have to produce the details that you feel are so important to write about, but that are just exercises in jargon and excess verbiage. If you do not follow this wise advice you may never get a chance to tell all of these things becauseppointed turndown and rejection. Write well.

Avoid Data

Dump!!UNEARTH

2Remember the

Reader

UNEARTH

You Must Get Attention In 15 - 30 Seconds

UNEARTH

What Makes The Reader Want To See More?

UNEARTH

A Focus On the Reader’s Needs!

Key Words

Key Knowledge

Key Skills

UNEARTH

Objectives are Objectionable

Without Meaning3UNEARTH

4Education is What You are Selling

UNEARTH

5One Page Is GOOD!

UNEARTH

Do’s of Resume Writing

1 to 2 page. Write in telegraphic style - without verbs,

articles or connectives. 10-12 font size. Times New Roman, Arial, Bookman,

Trebuchet, Lucida Sans, Garamond, Verdana etc.

Be consistent with fonts/size/bold/italics etc. Spread out information. Indented or bulleted statements. Bolding, different size fonts. Your name should be largest font on page. Write in third person.

UNEARTH

Areas to Avoid

• No Photocopy • Personal Information• Misleading Information• Height, weight, place of birth, marital status,

race, caste, religion and health.• Fancy Fonts, Clip art or non-traditional

paper.• Don’t go for self designed bordered paper.

• Don’t fold resume, don’t stuff into envelope,

don’t crumple.UNEARTH

The word "Resume" at the top! 

Picture of yourself.

Salary Information.

References.

Religious / political affiliations.

UNEARTH

Cover Letter

Any time you send your resume to an employer it should be accompanied by a cover letter.

A cover letter acts as an introduction for your resume.

A cover letter also stands as a sample of your writing skills, so be sure to make it the best possible sample you can.

If you are sending your resume via email - the cover letter is the email message itself. Then attach

the resume following the employer's instructions.UNEARTH

Ima Good Student800 North University Avenue #22220

Provo, Utah 84601801 555-5555

July 15, 2009

Jane Q. Recruiter, Employment ManagerASuper Employer123 Broad StreetNew York City, NY 10000-0001

Dear Jane (Ms. Recruiter):

After meeting you at our recent campus Career Fair I have taken the opportunity to learn much more about ASuper Employer. I would like to accept your offer to consider me as a candidate for your internship program and have enclosed my resume for your review.

I believe I bring skills and experience that will benefit the company and add to its already successful record. Some of my specific abilities related to your job opening follow:

Valuing teamwork synergy and leadership through employment and class team projects.

Solving complex and complicated problems using applied analysis techniques and research.

Thinking critically to determine needs in ambiguous settings and thoroughly developing efficient recommendations and solutions.

Please review my resume for a more detailed synopsis of my experience and qualifications. For the past year I have worked at ALess Super Employer and appreciate the high regard given to your organization by its major competition. I look forward to discussing my background with your recruiting team when you come to interview this month. It is easiest to contact me via email or at the number listed above. I am in class Monday through Friday from 10 am until 2 pm each day. If I am unable to answer please feel free to leave a message and I will return your call as quickly as possible.

Thank you for considering me for an internship at A Super Employer. I will contact you early next week to determine how we should proceed.

Sincerely,

Ima Good Student

Introduction

Date

Contact Info

Greeting

What you offer them

What happens now/next

Close

Cover Letter Sample

Your Contact Info

UNEARTH

Should I Have More Than One Version of My Resume?

YES! Create a targeted resume each time you apply for

an opportunity. Develop a 'generic' resume to use in online

databases.

UNEARTH

THINGS TO CONSIDER… The employer’s expectations…

What information does the employer expect to get? How do they expect the information to be presented?

The employer’s characteristics… Who, specifically, is reading your résumé? What are his or her particular needs? What are the

standards of the industry to which you are applying?

The employer’s goals… What is the employer planning to accomplish? Why

is this position being offered?

UNEARTH

UNEARTH

QUESTIONS