RÉSUMÉS 15

RÉSUMÉS

T

he résumé is a personal marketing tool that outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how

you can contribute to their organization. The most eective résumés are clearly focused on a specic job title and address

the employer’s stated requirements for the position. While you may have all the requirements for the position, your résumé

may be overlooked if it does not clearly identify these requirements. The more you know about the duties and skills required for the job,

and organize your résumé around these requirements, the more eective the résumé.

RÉSUMÉ HEADINGS

Select headings to be used on your résumé that best highlight

• Be sure to list your full name (no nickname) including

your middle initial.

• At a minimum, you should provide the basics including

your current mailing address, city, state, zip code,

telephone number, and email address. (When uploading

your résumé to a large job board, like Monster.com, it's

okay to list your telephone number and email address

only.)

• Web addresses can act as an additional plug for your

qualications, used ONLY if they are professional and

should not be on your website.

NOTE:

Objective Section

The objective section of a résumé is

often used in place of an accompanying

cover letter, when an employer asks for a

résumé only.

this section. Summary of Qualications examples include:

• Fluent in English and Spanish

• 10+ years in nancial management and forecasting, team

management, and mentoring

• A professional educator with seven years of experience in

the eld working with students and teachers

• Improved standardized test scores in reading and writing

on average by 4% over three years

• 5+ years of familiarity with PCR DNA PCR HPLC and

sterilization techniques

relationships with clients and sta

• 3+ years experience with Adobe Creative Suite: Acrobat

Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop;

Microsoft Oce Suite; Windows and Macintosh OS

environments

Examples

• Summary of Qualications

• Prole

• Qualications Summary

• Career Summary

RÉSUMÉS 17

Section

For most job seekers, this is the most dicult section of a

résumé to develop. It requires you to take a look at your current

and previous experiences in full-time, part-time, paid, unpaid,

Choose action verbs to start each statement describing your work

• Relevant Skills and Experience

• Employment History

• Skills and Experience

• Employment Experience

• Volunteer Experience

• Volunteer Skills and Experience

• Career Prole

• Particular Area (i.e., Accounting, Counseling, ...)

Experience

5. Individualized Section

your résumé.

Examples

• Computer Skills

• Honors

• Technical Skills

• University/Community Involvement

• Laboratory Skills

• Professional Aliations

• Awards and Recognitions

Education, Training, and

Certication

Employment History

Honors

Key Qualications

Professional Aliations

Prole

Qualications Summary

Relevant Experience

Relevant Skills and Experience

Volunteer Experience

Work Experience

RÉSUMÉS 19

It Is Okay To Fib On Your Résumé

If you think “blowing smoke on your résumé—inating

grades, inventing degrees, concocting job titles—is risk free

because nobody checks, you’re wrong,” says Joyce Lain Kennedy.

career counselor at UC Berkeley. “You just need to make a good

reason references are absolutely needed in the eld. Academic

positions, for example, typically ask for several reference names

and/or letters.”

Myth #6:

If Your Résumé Is Good Enough, It Will

Produce a Job Oer

Your résumé is only one part of the process. The résumé’s

job is to land you an interview. “Once you get the interview,” says

Joyce Lain Kennedy, “you are what gets you a job—your skills, your

Kennedy, career columnist and author of Résumés for Dummies.

If your experience and background justify two or more pages, so

be it. Recent grads should not go beyond one page, but senior

executives with decades of experience will probably need at least

Myth #2:

Employers Do Not Read Cover Letters

“Remember that anything you send is part of an image you’re

projecting,” says Dominguez Chan. “If [nothing else,] your cover

letter shows your writing skills…and if all the candidates [for the

time to consider what skills the position requires. It is likely that a

part-time job you took for a few months is not going to be relevant

or impressive. Unless you need to cover a signicant time gap, it

is wise to include only those jobs that will showcase your ability to

excel in the position for which you are applying.

Volunteer and other unpaid positions can be just as valuable

as paid ones—especially if you are a recent grad or are re-entering

the workforce after an absence. Use your résumé format to

The ultimate test of your résumé will be adapting it to t

multiple positions. This is why it is crucial to review each job that

you apply for and spend quality time on developing a résumé

that will target each job. This will show the employers that you

have taken the time to think about their needs and how your

experiences and skills relate to their qualications by highlighting

the key qualications in the job description. By doing so, you can

clearly communicate in the employer’s language that you have

RÉSUMÉS 21

ASSOCIATIONS

Member Accoun ng Associa on Aug 2015-Present

Treasurer Nap Club Aug 2014-Present

ACHIEVEMENTS

Who’s Who Among Students in American Universi es & Colleges April 2016

RÉSUMÉS 23

Get in the habit of naming your résumés in this manner:

rstname.lastname.jobtitle. This will ensure the recruiter can

• Put your name as the rst readable item on the page

(one page preferred to two), then list your contact

information including your email address

• Substitute a Keyword Summary for your Summary of

Qualications

• Use nouns as your keywords

• As always, do not include personal information,

particularly information that could expose you to identity

theft; such as birth date, social security number

• Use a non-serif font (e.g., Helvetica or Arial) and 10-14

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR

REFERENCES

After hours and hours of searching for positions, focusing

your résumé, and scoring an interview, you are still not done.

Potential employers often want an outside opinion on your

work habits, skills, and qualications. In your last stretch of the

application process, be sure your references do not shut the door

on your chances for employment.

list for each job, similar to how you tailor your résumé for each

know this before the employer contacts them. If necessary, remind

your references to focus on: how they know you, the time frame of

your relationship, and positive qualities they remember about you.

Sending a copy of your résumé may also be helpful. Ask how

they prefer to be contacted, and include all contact information

they are willing to provide. For example, provide the person’s

name, title, organization, and two ways to contact them (phone

number and email address being the most popular.) Be sure they

will be available during the hiring process.

3. Provide a Reference List When Asked

4. Keep References Up-to-Date on Your Job

Search

As appropriate; keep your references up-to-date on your

job search. They are often excited to hear of your successes, and

it is polite to let them know when and from whom they may be

contacted.

5. Properly Thank References

Thank your references at the end of your job search. Although

a handwritten note is usually best, a personalized email is also an

acceptable way to say thank you.

NOTE:

Reference List

Tailor your reference list for each job.

Remember to ask permission before

including someone as a reference.