What is a resume? A resume is a professional introduction of you! The term resume is French and means “summary”. It is a brief document highlighting your experience, qualifications and designed to give the potential employer a positive first impression of you. It’s your opportunity to entice a potential employer with your abilities so you will be invited to interview. A resume is not an autobiography, but a summary of your qualifications. Since your resume is the employer’s chance to learn about you, it should represent your best thought and effort. Potential employers will get a representation of you not only from the content of your resume, but also from its organizational style and appearance. A well-constructed resume indicates an organized mind. Therefore, it is important to spend the necessary time, energy and thought it takes to produce your best resume.
When do I need a resume? Most commonly, you will need a resume when applying for a part-time job, internship or full-time job. You may also need a resume when applying for graduate school. Many scholarship requirements also request that a resume accompany the application. Most students begin constructing your resume their first year in college, and as semesters go by they add new highlights to their document.
What is the Purpose of a resume?
The goal of your resume is not to get the job, but to get the interview!
Having a visually striking and well thought-out resume is key to scoring the interview. Employers spend approximately 15-20 seconds skimming a resume; therefore your document must be a clear, concise and summarize your qualifications. Set a good first impression! Keep your resume focused, use the right language for your industry and effectively communicate how your skills and strengths prepare you for the job in which you are applying.
When am I ready to write my resume? 1. 2. 3.
When you know what the purpose of your resume will be! Ex. internship, a job, entrance to graduate school, a scholarship. When you have researched the requirements for your resume! Ex. Job description, graduate admission requirements, scholarship requirements. When you know why you are qualified AND you can identify when and where you have developed and demonstrated the relevant skills, knowledge and experience required.
CONTENT: WHAT’S APPROPRIATE? Information to include
Contact information Objective Summary of qualifications Education Related/relevant coursework Honors/awards Experience (work, internship) Skills (ex. computer, technical, foreign language) Involvement/extracurricular activities Volunteer work Certifications/professional Associations
Information to leave off
Gender Race Marital status (Mrs., Mr., Miss) Religion Sexual orientation Political affiliation Personal descriptions (ex. height, hair)/Pictures References – they belong on their own page! High school information Health condition Age
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