Career Services | Résumé Writing

Your résumé is a marketing tool that outlines your skills and experience so that an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer’s workplace.

Organizing a winning résumé is something of an art form. Give yourself time to develop a résumé. Writing your résumé is the most valuable way to begin your job search. The following tips will help you prepare an effective résumé:

Résumé Writing Tips

(1)   Steps to creating an effective résumé

  • Chose a target job (actual job title)
  • Find out what skills, knowledge and experience are needed to do that target job.
  • Make a list of your two, three or four strongest skills, abilities or knowledge that make you a good candidate for the target job.         
  • For each key skill, think of several accomplishments from your past work                      history that illustrate that skill.
  • Describe each accomplishment in a simple, powerful, action statement                       that emphasizes the results that benefited the employer.
  • Make a list of the primary jobs you have held, in chronological order.
  • Include any unpaid work that fills a gap or that shows you have the                         skills for the job.
  • Make a list of your training and education that is related to the job.
  • Arrange your action statements according to the format you choose.
  • Summarize your key points at the top of your résumé.

(2)   Sections of the résumé

Name, Address, Phone and Email

  • Select an attractive format for your name, address, phone number and email. Bold and capitalize your name, using a slightly larger font size than the address.

Objective (optional)

  • An objective statement tells the reader what job you seek. It provides the focus for the information that follows. Do not expect employers to figure out what position you may want; they do not have the time.  

                        Examples of formats:

                        Objective:         Sales Manager

                        Objective:         Position utilizing Office Management, Access Database,
                                                and Customer Service Skills.

(3)  Qualifications or Highlights

List your skills and personal attributes (i.e. organized, accurate). Use a box format or bullets to draw attention to this section.

            Example:

            Qualifications

  • MS Office 2000 (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook)
  • Internet research
  • Ten key by touch
  • Well-organized and good at follow-through
  • Extensive experience in customer service
  • Skilled in conflict resolution

Note:   If you are in CIS or CEN, use this section to list all your technical skills (Hardware, Software, Networking, Programming)

(4) Education

Show certificates and degrees you have received. Include the graduation date. When your graduation date is in the future, list the degree and college, followed by parenthesis showing the date graduation is expected (i.e. expected June 2006). If you have no related job experience, list class projects as a way to show your skills and knowledge

            Example:

            M.A. in Psychology – Mental Health Counseling
            Antioch University Seattle, Seattle, WA

  • Trained in clinical practice and theory through classroom learning and                        internship
  • Classes included:  Family of Origin Systems, Group Counseling, Communication and Counseling Skills, Psychopathology, Ethics and Professional Issues, Multicultural Perspectives and Human Development in Context: Gender and Development
  • Knowledge of research methods, tests and measures

           
(5) Work Experience (including internships)

List your job history, including internships. Include the position title, name of organization and dates of employment. As a general guideline, provide a maximum of 10 years of experience unless earlier work is highly relevant to your current search. Your work history can be arranged in chronological order or by skills and functions.

(6) Awards, Licenses, Associations, Community Involvement (optional)

These are optional sections. Awards can be included in the accomplishments section, but if you have an extensive list, a separate section will draw more attention to them. Show your community service if it demonstrates skills related to the job you want.

(7) Format

There are two common formats for a résumé. Choose the one that presents your background to the best advantage.

            Functional Format:

  • Job duties and accomplishments arranged by skill categories
  • Work history, including dates of employment, appears as a last item
  • When you are changing career direction and have little related work experience.

            Chronological Format:

  • Shows job history in reverse chronological order with the most recent job first
  • Gives duties and accomplishments under each position
  • Use this format when continuing the same field.

           
(8) Accomplishment Statements

Employers hire you because of the contributions you can make and problems you can solve. The most effective method for demonstrating your talents and capabilities is showing concrete examples of what you have already achieved. An “accomplishment” is something you did in your professional or personal life that you feel you did well. Statements demonstrating your accomplishments form the core of an effective résumé and make it stand out.

            Example:

       Examples of Class Projects:        

  • Working in teams, planned and executed several database systems and hardware requirements from the beginning to the SDLC to the final stages
  • Team leader on the basic design of LAN – designed LAN for two campus buildings

      Examples of job-related accomplishments

  • Streamlined administrative procedures, increasing efficiency of claims handling and required staffing level
  • Selected by management as Quality Leader of the Month based on perfect attendance and punctuality, positive attitude and quality of work.

           
     Step-by-step process to develop accomplishment statements for your résumé:

            Step 1:  Begin by making a lengthy list of things that you have done that you are
                         proud of. Think about class projects, job and volunteer experience.

            When have you:

  • Made a positive difference?
  • Re-organized something to make it work better?
  • Identified a problem and solved it?
  • Planned or implemented an event?
  • Come up with a new idea that improved things?
  • Developed or implemented new procedures or systems?
  • Written procedures?
  • Designed new forms or report formats?
  • Worked on special projects?
  • Contributed to team accomplishments?
  • Received awards?
  • Been complimented by your supervisor or co-workers?
  • Increased profit or saved money for the organization?
  • Contributed to good customer service?

              Step 2:   Use the STAR process to write down the information for each              
              accomplishment

              ST          Situation              What was the situation or problem?
              A            Action                  What did you do to solve the problem or make
                                                       the situation better?
              R            Result                  What was the outcome?

              Including a result for your action is critical. The reader has no way of
              knowing you did a good job unless you provide the information. Use
              numbers to quantify the results. If that is not possible, describe the   
              things that were better after your actions.

              Step 3:  Write a first draft of your accomplishment statements. Begin each
              phrase with an action verb in the past tense (present tense for a current
              job), followed by a brief description of what you did and the result.

              Step 4:  Put your draft away until the next day. Review your list of
              accomplishments and make any improvements that occur to you.

              Step 5:  Incorporate accomplishments into your résumé.

Additional Tips for Your Résumé

  • Bold your name and make it slightly larger than your address.
  • Draw attention to your accomplishments by using a bullet format.
  • Use the same letterhead layout (name, address, phone number, e-mail) for your résumé, list of references, cover and thank-you letters.
  • Use high quality paper in gray, white or cream. Send the letter and résumé in a large manila envelope (this keeps it flat) or a number ten-size envelope of the same paper stock.
  • Use at least 12-point type. Leave plenty of white space on the page.
  • Print résumé and letter on a laser printer.
  • When abbreviating names of states, use the two-letter abbreviation in capital letters. Example: WA
  • Avoid using personal pronouns, e.g. I, me, my.
  • Do not put the phrase “References available upon request” on the résumé. This is assumed. Prepare a separate list of references and take it with you on the interviews.
  • The best résumés are concise, tightly written documents without extra words. They have “punch” and energy. Imagine yourself as an editor and read through your résumé looking for unnecessary words to eliminate. Ask your friends and instructors to do the same.
  • Avoid over-used language, i.e. good communication skills. Instead, use specific examples such as background in negotiation or highly skilled at public speaking.

Remember: Whenever you fax, email or send a résumé through regular mail, always prepare a cover letter that introduces your résumé and describes how your background and experience match the employer’s specific needs. Your role is to show the match. The reader does not have the time or interest to figure out how you can help them; that’s your job. Write a customized letter for each position.

It is also important to tailor your résumé to each job. To be most effective you need to write a new résumé for each job you apply for. This is the age of computers and this suggestion is not as difficult and time-consuming as it may seem. It will make your job search much more effective and therefore worth the extra work.