How To Make A Resume For A Job Application

How To Create A Resume For A Job Application

Objective Of Writing A Resume

1. State the purpose of the resume
2. Describe the design, length, and format of typical and alternative resumes
3. Distinguish between chronological and a functional resume format
4. Describe the six basic categories of information on a resume
5. Review four sample resume
6. Write a quality draft of your resume for critique by others

Purpose Of A Resume

A resume documents one’s qualifications for a position. It is a marketing tool and should be unique in both content and format to highlight facts about an individual as they relate to a job or position. A resume is a summary of a person’s personal, educational, and work experiential qualifications. Candidates applying for work, graduate schools, or scholarships/fellowships can use resumes. This article will focus on the resume primarily for a job search situation.

Style Of A Resume

Design

Resumes have various formats. There is no definite design but there are standard elements used in a resume. Present your resume positively and note that your resume does not substitute an interview. A resume is a summary therefore avoid using incomplete sentences to describe your job duties and accomplishments. The tone and content of your resume depends on information regarding your career field and prospective employer.

Format

Use a format that will attract attention and create interest. Choose appropriate categories for your information and order them from most to least relevant to your objective. Use capital letters, underlining, bold face, indentations, and white space to emphasize important information. Be careful not to overload your resume with these. Once you have selected a format, be consistent within the categories. The resume should be easy to follow and pleasing to the eye. Two situations that may require your resume in an alternate format include Internet resume posting and resume scanning systems.

Length

How long your resume is depends on the purpose for which you are using it. In the private, non-profit, and government sectors, the traditional resume length is one page. Multi-page resumes may be appropriate when applying to graduate school programs, scholarships, or more academically oriented positions.

Alternative Resume Styles

Resumes For Posting On The Internet

A common job-hunting practice involves posting resumes on the Internet. This may or may not increase your chances of securing an interview. Here are a few recommendations to consider before posting your resume:

• No line of text should be longer than 65 characters, including spaces.
• Pay close attention to your choice of words throughout your resume. Employers searching for online resumes typically use keyword search programs to find resumes of interest. If your resume does not include these words, employers might not find it during the search process. To select keywords, consider specific skills and qualifications necessary for success in the field of interest.
• Keep in mind that the information you place in your resume will be available to anyone who wants to see it, so avoid confidential information, such as your address, and telephone number.

Scannable Resumes

Some employers use scanning technology to handle the large number of resumes they receive. This system scans the resume into computer memory. Employers can then search the resume for skills that match those necessary for a particular job. Consider the following when writing a scannable resume:

• Specify skills you have obtained using verbs.
• Use lots of white space to aid the computer in recognizing the information.
• Avoid using underlining, bold facing, varied fonts, or other fancy formatting options. These can result in misread information.
• Do not fold or staple a scannable resume. If you are concerned about whether a particular employer scans resumes, you may want to call in advance to check.

Categories Of Information

• Identification

Your name, full address, and phone number(s) with the area code should be the first item on your resume. If you are at a temporary address, you can include this in addition to (or in place of) your permanent address. It has become common practice to include your email address, but make sure it is professional in nature and does not contain cutesy words, slang, or profanity. It is also important to choose an email address that you check regularly.

• Professional Objective

State your career objective as concisely as possible. It should be broad enough to cover any suitable employment and to interest a wide array of employers, yet be specific enough to give an element of sound career direction to your resume. If you are planning to seek employment in several different areas where the same objective would not be appropriate, consider writing a resume for each area. Remember to state clearly whether you are looking for an internship, full-, or part-time job.

Reinforce and support every statement concerning your objectives through the other elements of your resume. You can focus on any of the following:

• position title
• career area
• specific population
• skills you wish to use
• Education

The highest level achieved (or the degree you are currently seeking) should come first and continue backward with other schools attended, degrees earned, or training received. It is not necessary to include high school after sophomore year. However, if some items in your high school background show high honors or generally reinforce the career objective, then that data should be included. List the names of schools, dates attended or graduation date, degrees earned, and major/minor subjects.

• Experience

This category typically reflects your contact with specific employers. It is permissible to include full and part-time jobs, internships, volunteer work, summer jobs, special projects, or military experience under this category. If you have several experiences very much related to your objective or target audience, you may wish to list those under "Related Experience” and your other experiences under "Other or Additional Experience.”

• Personal (Optional)

Personal information about age, gender, marital status, and ethnicity is typically not included on a resume.

In fact, many employers become uncomfortable when receiving this information out of fear they may violate federal equal opportunity laws. It is important to note that this information may be necessary when using a resume to apply for a position abroad. Other information, such as hobbies and interests, should only be included if it is relevant to the position to which you are applying.

References

To document your references, list the names, titles, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of three to five people on a separate page. Include your contact information on this page as well in the event that your resume and reference list are separated. Be sure that these individuals can speak about your experience or knowledge of a specific subject matter. Remember to ask their permission before listing them as a reference and make sure to provide your references with a copy of your resume. Provide this list to the employer only when requested. Your Career Portfolio is a good place to store your references.

Do’s And Don’ts

Do’s

• Quantify information and give specific skills gained.
• Be brief, clear, and concise. A resume that is not confusing, easily readable, and well organized is more competitive.
• Be consistent. Experiment with the arrangement of headlines, captions, indentations, blocks of text, and the use of capitalization and underscoring. Then choose a layout that is readable and appealing to the eye and stick with it.
• Be positive. Start statements or phrases with verbs denoting positive actions (see the Positive-Action Word List for ideas). Avoid the use of the personal pronoun "I." Omit negative statements.
• Be honest. Included information should accurately represent you to employers.
• Be careful. Double-check for typos and mistakes in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Use a dictionary. When in doubt, check it out. Errors in detail suggest careless workmanship.
• Be neat. Use lots of white space when creating your resume to avoid the cluttered look. Make sure you get a clear, unmarred copy. Print copies of your resume using a quality laser printer.
• Get your resume critiqued.

Don’ts

• Do not state salary requirements. If asked, research the value of the position and your skills and give a range of mid to high.
• Give reasons for quitting previous jobs.
• Limit geographical considerations unless necessary
• Expound on philosophy or values.
• Offer any negative information.
• Use standard resume templates found in popular computer software or books.