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Self-Marketing Materials
What Is a Resumé?
- A resumé is a concise summary of your education, experience, skills, and interests.
- It is often the first contact a potential employer has with you.
- Use your resumé as a marketing tool to highlight facts about yourself as they relate to a particular internship or job.
- Tailor your resumé to the specific job for which you are applying.
Resumé Basics
- Resumé should be one page.
- Use a quality 8 1/2 x 11 paper in either white or ivory.
- Font should be 10 to 12 point in a professional style (such as Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman).
- Include job title, organization, location, dates, and description for each work experience and extracurricular activity. List them in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent experience.
- Statements should be honest and positive.
- Punctuation, grammar, and syntax must be flawless.
Tips for Describing Your Experiences
- Start each statement with a strong action verb (see list on the next page), rather than passive phrases such as “responsibilities included. . .” or “duties involved. . .”
- Include the nature of the organization’s business to help employers understand the context in which you performed your work.
- Cite your key accomplishments and major responsibilities.
- Quantify achievements by using numbers or percentages whenever possible.
- Use terms, jargon and acronyms specific to your industry. Good sources for keywords: job listings, trade journals, professionals in your field, and employer information.
Example of how to elaborate on your experience:
Sales Associate (Before)
- Assisted customers
- Rang up purchases
Sales Associate (After)
- Assisted 30-50 customers during each 6 hour shift in specialty foods store
- Handled more than $1,000 in daily cash transactions
- Hired, trained, and supervised three new employees
- Performed monthly inventory of goods valued at $50,000
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