Commitment to Career Development

Building a Resume

A resume is a written document that is used to market your background to potential employers. The purpose of a resume is to obtain an interview with a prospective employer. Therefore, it is important that you have a resume that is organized, well written, and highlights your education, experience, skills, and accomplishments. Before writing your resume, it is helpful to write down your activities and accomplishments with regard to your education, employment, activities, special projects, etc. Then ask yourself what you actually did in each of those activities. Your answers to what you actually did are the sets of skills that you have to offer to an employer.

After identifying your accomplishments and the accompanying skills, you will need to write down some ideas about what you want to do with those skills and accomplishments. This will become your objective on your resume. Now you are ready to begin building your resume.

For assistance with your resume you can contact:

Center for Career Opportunities at (765) 494-3981

• Outline for a Resume
• Resume Formats
• Resume Do's and Don'ts
• The Top 10 Pitfalls in Resume Writing
• The Three R's of Resume Writing

Outline for a Resume

Heading/Contact Information
Your name is your heading. It should be bold and in larger print than the rest of the resume. Contact information includes your permanent and campus address, your permanent and campus telephone numbers with area codes (remember to use a professional message on your voice mail), your e-mail address, and your Web address, if you have one. Remember to check your e-mail often.

Objective
Your objective should focus on your desired job title. Concentrate on what you can bring to an employer, not on what you hope to get out of the position. Use phrases such as “To obtain an internship in accounting or finance” or “Seeking full-time position in engineering design, research, or development.”

Education
Include colleges/universities where you have obtained, or are working on getting, a degree. List the official name of your degree and/or certification that you have obtained, or will obtain, the month and year of your graduation, and your major and minor(s). You may also list your overall or major GPA in this section. A brief description of your coursework, independent studies or research should be included in this section, along with computer, language, and other skills developed through your education. Omit high school information unless you are a freshman or sophomore in college, or unless you had a significant accomplishment related to your field.

Experience
This section could be labeled a number of things — Experience, Work Experience, Related Professional Experience, etc. List your job title/position, the name of the organization for whom you worked, the dates of employment, the job title, and an active, descriptive summary of job duties. Be sure to include important keywords, or hot topics, that are relevant to your field in your job descriptions. Also be certain to mention skills used and developed. If you have had unpaid experiences which relate to your desired objective, be sure to include them in this section as well.

Additional Sections
According to your background, there may be other sections, which you will want to add to your resume. These sections could include:

Activities
Honors
Interests
Hobbies
Community Service
Computer/Foreign Language Skills
Professional Memberships
Volunteer Experiences

Creating Your Resume
Once your rough draft has been written, you are ready to create your resume. Start with a blank word document on the computer rather than using a resume template. Resume templates often do not use formats that are conducive to loading into electronic databases or for e-mailing. To learn how to create a Web resume through the Center for Career Opportunities for campus interviewing, check the appropriate section on our homepage.

Scannable Resumes
Many organizations are using scanners to manage the resumes that they receive. When resumes are scanned into databases they are often scanned for multiple positions by using keywords, skill sets, and any other number of criteria they may be wanting in an applicant. For a scannable resume, it is important to use nouns to concretely describe your knowledge and experiences. Use industry jargon, key words, phrases, technical terminology and any other items important to your field. Keep your resume free of bullets, italics, underlining, or graphics. These features make resumes unscannable, therefore leaving your resume out of the database.

Resume Formats

There are many kinds of formats that can be used in writing a resume. Three formats will be presented here. They are:

• The Chronological Resume
• The Functional Resume
• The Combination Resume

Developing a Winning Resume

Chronological Resume: The chronological resume is the most commonly used format. A chronological resume is written in reverse chronological order — with your most recent education and experiences listed first. This is the easiest format to write. Chronological resumes are good to use when your most recent experience or education is advantageous to the kind of position you are seeking, you have had job growth within the same company, or you are staying in the same field as your prior experience. Sections on this type of resume would include Objective, Education, Work Experience, and Activities.

Functional Resume: In a functional resume your skills and abilities are highlighted rather than where and when your education and experience took place. This is a good format to use if you have developed a set of skills over a wide variety of experiences, or if you have developed skills over a wide variety of experiences within the same organization or activity. This is a good resume if you are entering the job market after a long absence or if you are entering the job market for the first time with little related experience but a lot of skills. Section headings in this kind of resume would include Management, Leadership, Training Skills, Computer Skills, Technical Experience, Research, Sales, etc.

Combination Resume: A combination resume contains the best of the chronological and functional formats. This format is usually used by applicants who have a strong background related to their objective. Sections on this resume would include Education and Experience as well as skills that you want to emphasize.

Conclusion
There are many different ways to make a resume. What is important is that your resume should make a good impression and it should tell a potential employer what you have to offer. Remember — your resume will not get you a job, but it will hopefully get you an interview!
For assistance with your resume you can contact the Center for Career Opportunities at (765) 494-3981.

Resume Do's and Don'ts

DO

• Be concise.
  Your resume should be an outline of your career and qualifications. It is a place for bulleted points — items easily read with a quick scan. You can expound upon things in your cover letter and go into detail in interviews.
• Show results.
  Quantify your on-the-job accomplishments. Show the reader how you cut costs, increased revenue, developed products/procedures, etc. For example, “Designed the audio module for the company’s state of-the-art virtual reality simulator” sounds more impressive than “Assisted in the production of…” Also, where you can use figures, do so. Cut costs…by how much? Increased revenue…how much? Managed department…of how many?
• Create a resume that fits the job you’re after.
  Especially important for career changers, you should highlight your skills that are pertinent for the job you want. For instance, a librarian with strong computer programming skills who set up a research database might want to explore work in information systems. On his resume, his computer expertise would get lost using a chronological format. Instead, a functional resume emphasizing his information systems skills would better present this information. Remember, there is nothing unusual about having two or three resumes on hand targeted for different types of jobs.
• Carefully proofread and edit your resume.
  Take the time to read your resume at least twice and read it aloud to help catch awkward phrasing. A tip: After you’ve read your resume, get away from it for a while before reading it again. Reading it over and over makes you more prone to skim over sections and overlook mistakes.
• Make the effort and investment to produce a quality finished product.
  If you do not have access to a personal computer, don’t rely on your typewriter; make a trip to a copy center. Most chains offer computer and printer rentals for minimal cost. With a draft of your resume prepared before you go in, you should be able to create your resume and get multiple copies on high-quality paper (ask at the counter for paper) for less than $15. It’s a small investment when you consider the long-term return.
• Keep your resume up to date.
  You might be comfortable and happy in your current situation, but you never know…
  • You never know when you might learn of a more ideal job;
  • You never know when your department might be reduced or restructured;
  • You never know when your personal situation might dictate the search for a new job (i.e., your spouse gets an attractive offer in another city).

It’s rare that anyone has lifetime contentment and security in a job. Always be prepared. Especially as you get promotions and new responsibilities, you should note these in your resume, purging outdated material. Also, if you develop outside interests that might make you more marketable (new computer skills, published articles, learning a foreign language), be sure to add these.

DON’T

• Don’t be cute or fancy when it comes to layout and presentation.
  Desktop publishing programs can be dangerous things. Even the most basic word processing programs on the market today offer users great flexibility to create. A variety of fonts, point sizes, and special characters are at your fingertips as is the ability to bold, italicize, and underline words. When it comes to your resume, however, use restraint. Save the flashy stuff for your party invitations and holiday newsletters. Your resume is one of the first impressions you give an employer. You want to show that you are a viable candidate for the job. Your ability to use multiple fonts and graphics is irrelevant. For a clean, professional looking resume, it’s best to err on the conservative side (a good font: Times New Roman).
• Don’t use passive phrases.
  Outlining your work history by stating “Duties included…” or “Was responsible for…” takes away from what you actually accomplished. Show action in your statements with words such as developed, designed, generated, sold, and wrote. See the list of power verbs.
• Don’t exaggerate.
  Padding your resume is not acceptable. You should be able to tell from a job description whether or not you are qualified. And even if you’re not a perfect fit, it’s likely that few others are, either. Don’t try to make up qualifications for a specific job. Employers’ want ads are often wish lists, and they don’t necessarily expect every applicant to have all the desired qualifications.
• Don’t overlook non-work experiences.
  Your time organizing a charity fund-raiser, presiding over a cultural organization, or even participating in groups such as Toastmasters not only looks good on resumes, but also gives you legitimate professional experience.
• Don’t include frivolous information.
  Photographs, marital status, high school information, salary requirements, and even references should not be included.
• Don’t label the document “Resume”.
  It is readily apparent what you are presenting. Some make the mistake of using “Resume” at the top near his/her name. It is not needed.

The Top 10 Pitfalls in Resume Writing

1. Too long. Most new graduates should restrict their resumes to one page. If you have trouble condensing, get help from a technical or business writer or a career center professional.
2. Typographical, grammatical or spelling errors. These errors suggest carelessness, poor education and/or lack of intelligence. Have at least two people proofread your resume. Don’t rely on your computer’s spell-checkers or grammar-checkers.
3. Hard to read. A poorly typed or copied resume looks unprofessional. Use a plain typeface, no smaller than a 12-point font. Asterisks, bullets, underlining, boldface type, and italics should be used only to make the document easier to read, not fancier. Again, ask a professional’s opinion.
4. Too verbose. Do not use complete sentences or paragraphs. Say as much as possible with as few words as possible. A, an, and the can almost always be left out. Be careful in your use of jargon and avoid slang.
5. Too sparse. Give more than the bare essentials, especially when describing related work experience, skills, accomplishments, activities, interests and club memberships that will give employers important information. Including membership in the Society of Women Engineers, for example, would be helpful to employers who wish to hire more women, yet cannot ask for that information.
6. Irrelevant information. Customize each resume to each position you seek (when possible). Of course, include all education and work experience, but emphasize only relevant experience, skills, accomplishments, activities and hobbies. Do not include marital status, age, sex, children, height, weight, health, church membership, etc.
7. Obviously generic. Too many resumes scream, “I need a job—any job!” The employer needs to feel that you are interested in that particular position with his or her particular company.
8. Too snazzy. Of course, use good quality bond paper, but avoid exotic types, colored paper, photographs, binders and graphics. Electronic resumes should include appropriate industry keywords and use a font size between 10 and 14 points. Avoid underlining, italics or graphics.
9. Boring. Make your resume as dynamic as possible. Begin every statement with an action verb. Use active verbs to describe what you have accomplished in past jobs. Take advantage of your rich vocabulary and avoid repeating words, especially the first word in a section.
10. Too modest. The resume showcases your qualifications in competition with the other applicants. Put your best foot forward without misrepresentation, falsification, or arrogance.

The Three R’s of Resume Writing

The three R’s of resume writing are Research, Research, Research. You must know what the prospective company does, what the position involves and whether you will be a fit, before submitting your resume. And that means doing research — about the company, about the position and about the type of employee the company typically hires.

Research the company. Read whatever literature the company has placed in the career library. For additional information, call the company. Ask for any literature it may have, find out how the company is structured and ask what qualities the company generally looks for in its employees. Ask if there are openings in your area, and find out the name of the department head and give him or her a call. Explain that you are considering applying to their company, and ask for their recommendation for next steps. Thank that person for the information, and ask to whom your resume should be directed. The Internet is another key tool to utilize in your research. Most companies have Web sites that include information regarding company background, community involvement, special events, executive bios or even past annual reports. Be sure to take advantage of the World Wide Web during your job search.

Research the position. The more you know about the position, the better able you will be to sell yourself and to target your resume to that position. If possible, interview someone who does that same job. In addition to finding out the duties, ask if there is on-the-job training, whether they value education over experience (or vice versa) and what kind of turnover the department experiences. Ask what they like about the position and the company; more important, ask what they don’t like about it.

Finally, research yourself. Your goal is not just to get a job. Your goal is to get a job that you will enjoy. After you find out all you can about the company and the position, ask yourself honestly whether this is what you really want to do and where you really want to be. The odds are overwhelming that you will not hold this position for more than two or three years, so it’s not a lifetime commitment; however, this first job will be the base of your lifetime career. You must start successfully so that future recommendations will always be positive. Furthermore, three years is a long time to spend doing something you don’t like, working in a position that isn’t challenging, or living somewhere you don’t want to live.

One last word of advice: Before you go to the interview, review the version of your resume that you submitted to this employer. The resume can only get you the interview; the interview gets you the job.

Source: Purdue University, Center for Career Opportunities
https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Student/OnlineManual/ResumesCorrespond.pdf