Writing Resumes

Resume comes from the French word for “summary”. A resume summarizes your experience and qualifications and provides support for your letter. A letter of application or cover letter, on the other hand, emphasizes specific parts of the resume, telling how your background is suited to a particular job.

An effective resume is brief, usually one or two pages. Begin by brainstorming and taking notes, answering the following questions:

—    What skills have you acquired in school, at work, and from your hobbies? Try to find a common thread in all these experiences.

—    What can you do well: draw, write, speak other languages, organize, lead, instruct, sell, solve problems, think creatively?

—    Are you good at making decisions?

—    Are you good at original thinking, at taking initiative, or at following directions?

—    Are you looking for experience, security, excitement, money, travel, power, prestige, or something else?

Research reports that employers usually spend less than sixty seconds scanning a resume. Remember that they are interested not in what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. They expect a resume to be typed or printed neatly, on high quality paper; to read easily, with clear headings, adequate spacing, and a conventional format; and to provide all the information necessary to make a decision.

Your resume may be arranged chronologically or functionally (around skills or expertise). Either way, you will probably include the following:

1. Name, address, and phone number, usually centered at the top.

2. Career objective(s). List career goals and specific jobs for which you realistically qualify.

3. Educational background. Start with your most recent school, and list the others in reverse chronological order. Include degrees, diplomas, majors, and specific programs or courses that pertain to your field of interest. List honors and scholarships; and your grade point average if it is high.

4. Work experience. List any jobs in reverse chronological order, identifying each with dates, names of employers, and the nature of your duties. If a job is related to the one for which you are applying, give full details. Otherwise be brief. Include any military experience in this category.

5. Personal interests, activities, awards, and skills. If spaсe permits, list hobbies, offices held, volunteer work, and any awards.

6. References. Provide the names of two or three people who know your work well first asking their permission. Give their titles, addresses, and phone or fax numbers. Or you could simply say that your references are available on request.