Resume Writing 101. Your resume should be designed with one thing in mind to get you job interviews. THE RESUME GENERAL INFORMATION RESUME BREAKDOWN

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1 GENERAL INFORMATION Avoid using resume templates. They are generally restricting. Use point font. Anything smaller is hard to read and anything larger looks unprofessional. List information in chronological order within each heading, from most recent to least. Add hierarchy by bolding headings and job titles. It will focus the employer s eyes to what you ve done. Spell check and grammar check. Have others look over your resume to be sure you have caught everything. RESUME HEADINGS Education Educational Background Educational Highlights Educational Preparation Certification Language Competencies Licensure and Certifications Military Service Specific Training Training Computer Skills Core Competencies Laboratory Skills Professional Skills Special Skills Experience Clinical Experience Coaching Experience Teaching Experience Work Experience Additional Experience Related Experience Special Talents Exhibits Presentations Publications Related Course Work Research Achievements Activities & Distinctions Endorsements Honors/Awards Honors & Distinctions University Distinctions Memberships Professional Affiliations Professional & Community Activities Professional Organizations Related Activities Travel Abroad University Activities Volunteer Activities Volunteer Work References THE RESUME Your resume is a brief history of your accomplishments that you prepare for potential employers. A good resume is: Clear. Effectively state your skills and experience in a concise, easy-to-read manner. Well-Organized. Employers should see your strong points at a glance. Dynamic. Content and action verbs should enlive your resume and engage the employer. Sleek. Its appearance should say, I m proud of who I am and what I ve done Your resume should be designed with one thing in mind to get you job interviews. RESUME BREAKDOWN RESUME HEADER Name as you want to be referred to professionally. Example: Grace Evelyn Goodwin, Grace E. Goodwin, Gracie Goodwin Current address and phone number with area code. Where you can be reached now. Permanent address and phone number with area code. If you will be in different locations during your search, use an address of someone who will always know how to reach you. This could be a family address. address Use your school address (if a non-graduate), or create a new professional . Example: firstname.lastname@gmail.com. EDUCATION For each degree-conferring institution Degree/Certification and date obtained Example: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education, May 2012 Check the Clarke University Academic Catalog for official degree titles Concentration/Emphasis and date obtained Example: Reading endorsement, May 2012 Check the Clarke University Academic Catalog for official concentration titles Minors and date obtained Institution, City, State and GPA (if above 3.0) Example: Clarke University; Dubuque, IA GPA: 3.2/4.0 Relevant coursework (optional) Teaching Certificate (if applicable) Specialized Instruction (if applicable)

2 EXPERIENCE This part of your resume may include several sections such as work experience, volunteer experience (internships, community service, student teaching), campus leadership, and any area in which you may have significant experience, such as publications/presentations or knowledge. You may divide this between Career Related Experience and Additional Work Experience. Briefly describe each position: Job Title, Organization Name, Location, Dates. Bullet points: use a variety of action words to describe situations and achievements how did you stand out? When possible, avoid little words like a, an, the Include scope of responsibility such as: Trained eight student workers. Concretely outline outstanding results such as: Developed new computerized customer listing using MS Access software. Think about who, what, where, when and why when creating bullet points. ACTIVITIES AND DISTINCTIONS Front load these with those most important or most pertinent to your career goal. You may want to use specific headings such as professional organizations, computer skills, and leadership positions. Include any honors, scholarships or recognition awards that you have received. If you were actively involved in any clubs, teams or committees while in college, those may be included also. The key to this section is keeping it brief. If you need more detail, use the guidelines from EXPERIENCE and make it a complete section. INTERESTS The trend is to keep away from any extraneous information that does not clearly connect to your career goal. However, if you are applying for a position in which you have experience through a hobby or leisure activity, you may want to consider adding it to your resume. For example, if you are applying for a forest ranger position and you enjoy hiking in the wilderness, include it by stating: Skilled in all-terrain hiking, camping and navigating. What you need to ask yourself is, Will this information help the potential employer learn more about how well I can do the job? POLISHING IT UP Once you have all of your information down on paper, decide which experiences are directly related to your objective, which are not and which are questionable. The questionable information can be used only if there is room, otherwise stick with the directly related experiences. Action Words Use action words to describe situations and achievements. Utilize a mix of words to avoid repetitiveness. effected fulfilled obtained produced promoted resolved secured adopted applied employed exerted mobilized restored revived specialized used utilized assisted cooperated dispatched expedited helped promoted authorized delegated empowered invested qualified carried out assumed attained discharged exercised fulfilled performed practiced pursued transacted undertook ventured continued adhered to persisted remained resumed cooperated collaborated contributed negotiated supported sustained transacted developed built caused charted commissioned constructed created derived designed devised effected established formed generated made organized originated prepared prompted sponsored synthesized earned merited exceeded excelled surpassed progressed advanced emphasized accentuated featured stressed implemented administered enforced performed managed administered checked commanded commissioned conducted controlled designated directed engineered handled operated oversaw regulated represented supervised participated collaborated combined contributed coordinated pooled shared synchronized planned designed projected proposed schemed outlined mapped modeled programmed pointed out demonstrated displayed exhibited indicated revealed showed succeeded prevailed resisted withstood understood apprehended assimilated mastered seize

3 THE COVER LETTER The key to a successful job or graduate school search is to communicate with the person who has the ability to hire or admit. Therefore, your cover letter is extremely important. Effective cover letters convey a sense of purpose, project enthusiasm for the position or program and demonstrate your knowledge of the employer or graduate program s goals and needs. Many times individuals will spend hours writing a perfect resume and very little time writing a quality cover letter. Remember that your cover letter not only accompanies your resume, it is typically the first to be seen. To make positive first impression, your resume should be neat, concise and error-proof in both spell and grammar. NOTE: Each cover letter should be customized to fit the position for which you are applying. COVER LETTER BREAKDOWN REASONS TO SEND A COVER LETTER A result of a direct search In response to an advertisement To follow up on a contact made through networking related experiences. ADDRESSING THE READER Tips for: if you know who you are sending to and if you do not. HEADING AND SALUTATION Your contact information (formatted like your resume) Date cover letter is being sent Recipient name, company name and address Salutation to the recipient (refer to Addressing the Reader to the right for tips) FIRST PARAGRAPH State purpose of letter Indicate your interest in the position or company Catch attention Flatter your audience by using company/ program information found through research SECOND PARAGRAPH Explain how your background makes you qualified Use specific achievements to show this Highlight information found in the resume but do not simply repeat your resume FINAL PARAGRAPH Indicate your intentions for follow-up Repeat a number where you may be reached CLOSING Closing Signature

4 THE REFERENCE PAGE The term reference refers to a person who may be asked to talk about your skills, experience and work ethic. A potential employer may call a reference and ask questions about you. A reference may be asked to write a letter of recommendation as well. When choosing your references, ask individuals who will provide honest, candid, and positive recommendations. CHOOSING YOUR REFERENCES Select professional references. Unless requested, do not select friends to serve as character references. Choose people with whom you have worked, people who know your skills, abilities and career goals, and people whom you have asked in advance to serve as references. When asking people to serve as references, give them a copy of your resume. Ask them for advice or feedback. Talk to them about your career goals. This way, they are more prepared to talk to a potential employer in a helpful way. Remember that people have busy lives. If there are deadlines for writing letters or completing forms, be sure to tell your references. Check in with them if necessary. While doing so, be respectful and gracious of their other obligations. Always follow up with your references when you have accepted a position. Send them a thank you note telling them about your new opportunity. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Letters of recommendation are written evaluations of an individual s performance, whether at work or in the classroom. This information is an integral part of the world of work and education. Communication of this information is necessary and appropriate. Often, references are requested to convey this information through a written document. HANDLING REFERENCES AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Self-management The trend is moving towards self-management; that is, for prospective employees to send their letters of recommendation directly to potential employers. We, in Career Services, support this practice as it provides the employee greater control over his/ her file. Simply keep copies of your letters of recommendation and copy them as needed. Ask letter writers to not address the letter to anyone in particular; simply put at the top, Letter of Recommendation for... All letters should be signed and dated. Alternatives ReferenceNow is the premiere clearinghouse for reference information on the internet. For a fee, Clarke students can create a file of information which can be made available to potential employers and graduate schools. With an active file, your vital information is available instantly and online, eliminating mailings, faxing, delay, and hassle. By having more information available to employers and graduate schools, you can increase your chances of success! Simply visit their site at and create a file to organize your: Official Transcript Letters of Recommendation (confidential and open) Examples of Work Writing Samples Reference contact information and anything else which you want to present to recruiters or graduate schools.

5 JORDAN M. JAMESON Cell: Current Address: Clarke University Permanent: Kenilworth Street Home: Clarke Drive Lincoln, Nebraska Dubuque, Iowa OBJECTIVE: Position as an elementary education teacher. EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education May 2011 Reading endorsement July 2011 Clarke University; Dubuque, IA GPA: 3.2/4.0 COMPUTER SKILLS: TEACHING EXPERIENCE: OTHER WORK: Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe InDesign on both Windows and Macintosh systems Student Teacher Fall 2010 St. Anthony Elementary School; Dubuque, IA Managed classroom of 28 first-grade students Developed and utilized original lesson plans on topics including social studies, mathematics and language arts Used challenging teaching methods in varied learning environments Initiated and positive relationships with students, staff and parents Block II Spring 2010 Lincoln Elementary School; Dubuque, IA Assisted teacher with 24 second-grade students Created a six-week multi-curricular expeditionary unit Led small-group and whole-class learning situations Attained Project Wild in-service Education Certificate Block I Fall 2009 St. Joseph Key West Elementary School; Dubuque, IA Assisted teacher with 16 fifth-grade students Coordinated and facilitated reading groups Created original lesson plan covering multicultural themes Teacher Aid Fall 2008-Spring 2010 DuCare Child Care Center; Dubuque, IA Developed age-appropriate learning activities for children ages 6 months to 9 years Assisted teachers in overall responsibilities of child care center Student Assistant August 2008-May 2010 Career Services Office; Clarke University; Dubuque, IA Created and designed various promotional materials Prepared and sent teacher credentials as requested Maintained related teacher credential records and correspondence Assisted Career Services staff in daily office operations Volunteer Big Brother; United Way of Dubuque; Dubuque, IA Fall 2007-present Hunger Clean-Up; Clarke University; Dubuque, IA SCANNABLE RESUMES Some organizations scan resumes with software to search for keywords and find the best job candidates. Follow these additional tips to make your resume scanner ready : PAPER Choose plain white paper that is 8 1/2 x 11 Don t fold or staple your resume Print on one side only TYPEFACE Don t underline words or use italics and boldface Use ALL CAPS for section headings Use a standard typeface, points in size. Avoid fancy, decorative type FORMAT Place your name on the top line. Use a separate line for your address Avoid tabs, bullets, graphics, boxes, shading and horizontal / vertical lines Limit the use of abbreviations CONTENT Include keywords related to the skills and experience employers in your field are looking for. Don t use your scannable resume in place of your regular resume. Take your regular resume to interviews.