Writing a Resume Working to support our military veterans in cooperation with Accenture Published May 19, 2014
Resume overview A resume is your introduction to a potential employer. Use this tool correctly and you ll market your work, education and skills in a succinct and impactful way. This information will guide you through the following components of a well-structured resume that will stand out from the crowd. Your resume has one purpose: It markets you to a prospective employer: Your resume provides the first impression to a potential employer. It s the vehicle used to get your foot in the door. Your resume should: Be general enough that you can send it anywhere: Slant it toward specific positions, as needed. Add additional information relevant to specific roles. Highlight your accomplishments; it should not be a list of job duties. Provide a one-to-two page representation of you and your professional skills. Note: Your resume is not your autobiography or a confessional, so don t feel you need to tell all. Be honest, but only include information that is marketable and relevant. 2
Writing your resume What to include in a resume: Header and contact information Full, legal name Mailing address and telephone number Email address Objective statement Use concise, reasonable statements. Tie objective statement to job Change objective statement on each resume Education and skills Include education background Specify key skills that fit Work/professional experience List most recent work experience first Company/organization name and location Position held Dates of employment (including month and years) Major responsibilities or accomplishments held at each position Any relevant extra curricular activities Guidelines: Use a neat format be organized, descriptive and brief. Print your resume on white paper with black ink this is the easiest to read. Run spellcheck and proofread several times. Have someone else proofread it too. Have your resume reviewed by a mentor. Do not use personal pronouns (I, We) or your name in the work/professional experience section of the resume. Use past tense to describe your relevant experiences, unless you are still in the role. Be honest in employment history and dates. If applicable, show gaps in employment. Do not use graphics or include very personal data. 3
Formatting your resume Your resume should be formatted in a clear and uniform way. Here are some tips to think about when formatting your resume: Bold and enlarge your name at the top. Use Arial or Times New Roman font. Use font size no smaller than 11pt or larger than 12pt except for your name and heading. Don t use italics, underlining, shadow or any other fancy treatments Keep your resume to one-to-two pages. For a two-page resume, be sure to: Fill the second page at least halfway. Place Continued at the bottom of page 1 and your name and Page 2 at the top of page 2. Note: There are multiple resources available to help you input your information and build your resume, such as Hire Our Heroes at http://www.hiringourheroes.org/. 4
Components of a resume Your resume should contain: Objective specifies your employment Header includes your name, address and contact information goals Experience showcases your work history from most recent to least recent Education highlights where you received your education, the time attended and applicable coursework Skills lists your capabilities that are applicable to the job or unique 5
Components of a resume: Header The header of your resume contains your name, contact information and current address. Although this information might seem simple to complete, we will review the following tips that will help you present this information in a clear and concise manner: Name: Your name should appear at the top of the page and be emphasized by a larger, bold font. Address: This should be your current address and should reflect from where you will be commuting to work. Phone Number: If you have more than one phone number for example, work, cell and home you should indicate which type corresponds with which phone number. Also ensure your voicemail contains your name and sounds professional. Email: This should be the email you check most frequently, and it should sound professional in nature. A combination of your first name.last name@email.com is a safe bet. Avoid email addresses such as GoofyGuy182@email. 6
Components of a resume: Objective Your objective statement informs a prospective employer of your goal in your career search. To make this section short yet impactful, you should: Emphasize your goals and qualifications: Think about what makes you unique or appealing to a potential employer. Relate your goals to the company s goals: Express how you can help the company. Explain how your goals will help the company meet its goals. Be as specific as possible: Include the company s name, the position and why you re qualified. Be concise: Limit the objective statement to one or two sentences. Keep this section should as more of a tag line than a paragraph. 7
Components of a resume: Experience The majority of your resume will be populated by your experience. In this section, you will showcase to employers why you are qualified for the role and how you can benefit the company. The following information should be included here: Professional/military experience: - Name and location of the company or organization - Your title, role and responsibilities within the organization including a description of daily tasks - The date when you began and ended each role at each level - All major accomplishments within each role this can include medals awarded and personal or team recognition Volunteer experience: Provide the same information for a volunteer role as you would any professional experience. Note: You should begin the description of each responsibility with an action verb. For more information on action verbs, refer to the Resume Writing Quick Reference Card (QRC). 8
Components of a resume: Education In addition to your experiences, a resume should also inform a potential employer about any higher education or applicable training you have received. Information to provide here includes: Any course work completed at a university or college: - Include the full name, location and dates attended for each university or college. - Indicate when you graduated and what degree you hold, if applicable. - Specify any course work related to the job. Any applicable training or certifications: - Only include training that is applicable to the job. For example, if you attended military dive school, it may not be applicable when applying for an IT position. - Describe the type of work the certification or training allows you to do. - Specify when you received your certification or training and when it expires. 9
Components of a resume: Skills The skills section of your resume allows you to showcase abilities you possess that are not apparent in your experience or education sections. Your skills should appear as a bulleted list and include: Technical abilities: - Be sure to list any computer skills, including experience in Microsoft Office. Language capabilities: - Make sure to indicate your level of comprehension for each language. - Indicate the last date you used each language. Functional knowledge: - This would include any industry-specific knowledge or talents. - Also list skills such as motivational speaking and presentation, if applicable. Note: You should quantify your comprehension of your provided skills. Typically, descriptions like basic, intermediate, advanced and professional are used to quantify skill level. 10
Final tips Your resume introduces you to hiring managers and recruiters. It is important to remember these points when creating your resume: The purpose of a resume is to create a strong first impression by presenting your applicable skills. Be consistent in the formatting of your resume. Use an easy-to-read font, such as Arial, Calibri or New Times Roman. Your font size should be between 11pt and 12pt throughout the body, with a larger font or bolding used to call out your header. It is important to update your resume for each role and company you apply. Target each individual role s needs when highlighting your skills and experiences. Highlight your strengths and skills. You should quantify your expertise in any technical or language skills by identifying if your understanding is basic, intermediate, advanced or professional. Do not use graphics or include very personal information in your resume. Present your experiences, education and skills in a concise and professional manner. Utilize spell check and have your resume checked by a friend or mentor before submitting to a business. 11