A resume may be the one item that gets you an offer for a job interview. It is the first impression the employer will have of you. Your qualifications, your experiences, and the way you organize and present yourself on paper will be determining factors when choosing you over all the other applicants for consideration. And, you may not have a second chance; consequently, the resume has to be your «ticket» in the door.
A resume is a summary of your qualifications and experience and will be used as a sales device to honestly sell your skills more effectively than other applicants sell theirs.
There are two kinds of resumes: chronological and skills. A chronological resume summarizes what you did in a time line (starting with the most recent events and going backwards in reverse chronology). It emphasizes degrees, job titles, and dates. Use a chronological resume when a) your education and experience are a logical preparation for the position for which you’re applying; b) you have impressive job titles, offices, or honors.
A skills resume emphasizes the skills you’re used, rather than the job in which or the date when you used them. Use a skills resume when a) your education and experience are not the usual route to the position for which you’re applying; b) you want to combine experience from paid jobs, activities or volunteer work, and courses to show the extent of your experience in administration, finance, speaking, and so on; c) you lack impressive job titles, offices, or honors; d) your recent work history may create the wrong impression.
Although the resume is a factual document its purpose is to persuade. In a job application form or an application for graduate or professional school, you answer every question even if the answer is not to your credit. In a resume, you cannot lie, but you can omit anything which does not work in your favor.
Resumes commonly contain the following in formation. The categories marked with an asterisk are essential.
* Name, Address, and Phone Number
Career Objective
* Education
* Experience
Honors
Activities
References
However, you have many options. You may choose other titles for these categories and add categories that are relevant for you qualification: Computer skills, Foreign Languages.
If you have more than seven items under a heading, consider using subheadings. For example, a student who had a great many activities might divide them into Student Government, Other Campus Activities, and Community Service.
Resumes differ from letters of application in the following ways:
- A resume is adapted to a position. The letter is adapted to the needs of a particular organization.
- The resume summarizes all your qualifications. The letter shows now your qualifications can help the organization meet its needs, how you differ from other applicants, and that you have some Knowledge of the organizations.
- The resume uses short, parallel phrases and sentence fragments. The letter uses complete sentences in well-written paragraphs.
RESUME ACTIVE VOCABULARY USEFUL EXPRESSIONS COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What purpose does a resume serve?
2. Why does the list jobs held in reverse chronological order in a resume?
3. Should major headings be presented in alphabetic order? Why?
4. What headings do typically appear on a chronological resume?
5. If you had little or no experience, which resume would probably be better: a) chronological or b) skills?
6. Five years after graduation, which would probably appear first on a resume: a) “Education” or b) “Experience”?
EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS
Ex. 1
List 10 accomplishments that give you the most personal satisfaction. These could be things that other people wouldn’t notice. They can be things that you have done recently or things you did years ago.
Answer the following questions for each accomplishment.
1. What skills or knowledge did you use?
2. What personal traits did you exhibit?
3. What about this accomplishment makes it personally satisfying to you?
Ex. 2
In each of the following situations, will a chronological or a skills resume make the applicant look stronger? How detailed should the applicant be? Briefly defend your choice.
1. Gene Di Salvo wants to leave his job as an auditor and find a position in personnel.
2. Ron Oliver has been steadily employed for the last six years, but most of the jobs have been low-level ones.
3. Andrea Barcus was an assistant department manager at a clothing boutique. As assistant manager, she was authorized to approve checks in the absence of the manager. Her other duties were ringing up sales, cleaning the area, and helping mark items for sales.
Ex.3
As Your Instructor directs, write a resume based either upon what you have already done or including things you hope to do before you get your degree.
White a chronological resume.
Write a skills resume.
Ex.4
Prepare a resume for a job you would like to have.