Resume help.
Posted by teade on Mar 20, 2009 · Member since Apr 2008 · 625 posts
So I'm graduating from college in less than two months. I guess its pretty much a month and two days until I am finished.
I'm trying to write myself up a resume, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips and suggestions to writing them, especially if you are a person who reviews them!!
What kind of order should I go in? Like Education, experience, etc?
I have knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, along with Word... are there any other useful abilities I might be overlooking that are worth mentioning?
thanks for your help.
To what types of jobs are you going to apply? What did you do during college (i.e., do you have enough experience to make it experienced-based)?
To what types of jobs are you going to apply? What did you do during college (i.e., do you have enough experience to make it experienced-based)?
I guess that's what I'm confused about... if I didn't have enough experience, what format do I use? Just a simple chronological one that tell of my past jobs?
My advice is to go to Monster.com and build a resume and cover letter there. They will walk you through it step by step from the "recent grad" standpoint.
I use the Microsoft Word Resume Wizard--I hope that isn't considered cheating. But that makes it incredibly easy, it walks you through the resume step by step, and you can choose between an entry-level resume (which is probably what you'd need) or a professional one. You can pick out what format you want, and they will put all the headings in order for you (though you can change it to your liking very easily). I highly recommend it.
Ideally, you should put your education section first, as it is the most recent. From there, I would then do a "Summary of Qualifications" where you list any skills that you have that the employer has asked for (in a job posting) or skills that you feel would be needed in that particular job. Your resume probably won't be a "one size fits all" - you're probably going to have to tailor it for different job types, even if they are in the same field. From there, I would list work experience (if you have any?), even if it's not relevant. Your resume should be one full page, and formatting is very important. An employer will give your resume about a 20 second scan before deciding whether to look at it again, or throw it in the trash.
Another thing to remember when applying for jobs online is that you need to include keywords in both your resume and cover letter. Some places actually use a filter, and if your files do not contain keywords, they are filtered out. For example, if the job posting said "Applicant needs to have excellent customer service skills", you would need to have the words "excellent customer service skills" in both your resume and cover letter.
MS Word does have a resume template, however, the formatting rules are funky and so if you're not patient, you may be better off doing your own formatting. Again, I stress that formatting is very important, and things must match - all headings need to be in the same font/size, spacing between categories needs to be the same number of lines, etc.
Pixie has the best advice. At my last job, I was told by the district manager that he knew he wanted me as soon as he "looked" (ie had yet to even read) at the resume! :o
I'm in a similar situation as you, mostly schooling, little experience in the job area.
What I'm surprised people have yet to mention is the SUMMARY/PURPOSE!!! To me that is often one of the most important parts of the resume! It is ALWAYS the first (Well, after your contact info (Which should be in a header format!)). It should be the link to your cover letter, a good "starting point" for it is to simply take the topic sentences of each paragraph in your cover letter and put them together in a paragraph, and viola!! you have your summary!!
I'll PM you, if you want, so I can get your email addy to send you my resume as an example!
But here's a basic outline:
HEADER: Name/physical address/phone number(s)/email address*
*if you don't have a "business appropriate" email address now it is important that you get one!! The "safe bet" is a combination of your first and last name@....
SUMMARY: See above explanation
EDUCATION:
*SCHOOL NAME..........MAJOR........DEGREE/CERTIFICATE (expected to/attempted)receive(d)..........Date of completion Mo/Year
***Class (credit hours/semesters), etc
repeat as necessary down to High School min 2-3
EXPERIENCE:
*COMPANY/CLUB NAME............TITLE/POSITION..................Date started-Date completed
***Description/Duties
****Any awards received
repeat as necessary down to High School
SKILLS:
*Certifications/Languages and level of fluency/anything that hasn't previously been mentioned you may think will make you stand out from other applicants
Ahh, this is very helpful.
I'd love to get a sample of your resume! thanks!
I don't know if its just me and a matter of trying to be honest, but I hate making myself sound super awesome in case of disappointment...
but with a job I should hold that back and just try to sound super spectacular.
haha. thanks! Any more advice is always welcome!
Ahh, this is very helpful.
I'd love to get a sample of your resume! thanks!
I don't know if its just me and a matter of trying to be honest, but I hate making myself sound super awesome in case of disappointment...
but with a job I should hold that back and just try to sound super spectacular.
haha. thanks! Any more advice is always welcome!
No, you should absolutely play up everything you have. Doesn't mean you have to lie, you just need to think about how your experiences and education have helped you developed the qualities you need for the job!
Again, what type of job are you applying for? That would affect your resume greatly. Every job you apply for should have a different resume that is tailored to the job. Is this for a particular job, or are you using it to upload to a job-finding website? Even in the latter case, you can upload different resumes for different types of jobs.
For instance, I had a resume for engineering type jobs which emphasized my academic projects, research, and coursework. But I also had a resume for education work which emphasized my extracurriculars revolving around tutoring, leadership, and jobs involving public service. That type of thing. For education, only list specific courses if you think they are of absolute relevance to the job desired and will make you stand out. I think it is too cumbersome to list coursework in general besides a few key ones.
In general, the most important things go on the top. List less relevant things at the bottom. Use strong action verbs (directed, managed, etc.). Do not be wordy. They do not have time to sift through lots of text. Straight to the point. Your name should be nice and big at the top so they remember it.
If you tell me what types of jobs you have done and what types of jobs you are looking for, I'd be glad to help. I love love love writing resumes and am a perfectionist about them. I'd even help you come up with a draft if you want, or proofread for you. Anyway if you need more help, you can email me at kat328 at juno dot com.
Well, I'm looking for a basic entry level position just about anywhere. I'm most interested in being involved with a book publishing company, in either the design department or even editorial.
I think I have a good shot at assistant type of jobs.
I'm looking at a lot of internships on the web for a chance to gain some experience. The listed requirements are really helpful in considering some 'experience/skills' to list...
I'm moving to Nyc in May and I'm not sure how to handle it. I like to be prepared and organized so that's why I'm so full front on this.
Anyone have any advice for Cover Letters?
I know I have to type out a slightly different one for each place I apply...
tips please!!
thanks.
I just saw your email! I'll get back to you ASAP. ;)b
I would love to help you but I am not sure I can, my resume and cover letter are obviously not doing me any good and I have been job hunting for 3 months now and am not even getting any bits from companies. I have had some calls from recruiters and one of them even said that my resume looks very good.
I feel bad for you finding a job right now. The pickings are slim. The problem I am having is people with years of experience are getting the jobs that I should get and are willing to take a pay cut for it because they are out of work and desperate, and I only have 1.5 years of experience. So that basically says on my resume...I suck. Good luck, I sure hope you are having better luck than me! :-[
I ran across an interesting site recently where you can store your resume for free, then just give a URL out to everyone, it's called ResumeBucket:
http://www.resumebucket.com/
Also, there are a ton of How-to's for writing both resumes and cover letters by some pretty trusted sources here:
http://www.findhow.com/careers/how-to-write-a-resume.php
http://www.findhow.com/careers/how-to-write-a-cover-letter.php
Good luck with your job search!
- Ted
Lisa! Here it is. :)
I'm impatient- I already sent it. I'm missing a purpose/summary section. But thanks, will keep this thread in mind for if I need to send it more places.
I've never included a purpose/summary section and I'm employed. You'll be fine.