RESUME WRITING TIPS Get that interview A resume is a tool which highlights your past experience to demonstrate your ability to perform a job. A resume’s function is not to get you the job, it is to get you the interview. It does this by: 1. Structuring the reader’s thinking 2. Communicating your strengths and abilities 3. Grabbing the attention and motivating the reader to take action Make it easy to read On average, a prospective employer will scan your resume for no longer than 30 seconds. In order for this to work in your favor, your resume must deliver job-relevant information quickly by being easy to skim and extract interesting information. Make it relevant to the employer To gain a competitive edge in the marketplace, your resume must be well written, error-free, and as quantitative and objective as possible in order to convey a clear and concise image of yourself. Many of the skills and characteristics listed below relate to how employees work, indicating the importance employers place on work style. Your ability to demonstrate to an employer that you have these qualities and skills is just as important as actually possessing them. When you can, point to specific activities or course work that demonstrate these qualities: Communication, verbal and written Teamwork skills Interpersonal skills/works well with others Motivation/initiative Strong work ethic Analytical skills Flexibility/adaptability Computer/technical skills Organizational skills Leadership Source: Job Outlook 2006, National Association of Colleges and Employers, Bethlehem, PA DO: ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ Make sure everything on your resume supports your job objective. Focus on the employer’s needs for the position. Emphasize what you got done, do not simply list your job duties. Show results, and quantify. Use numbers, percentages, frequency, volume, etc. Be relevant – mention the specific skills you have to do the job. Use action verbs to describe your work. (A list can be found at the end of this handout) Limit length to one page. After you have a couple of years of experience, then go to two. Be visually appealing and easy to read. Use consistent formatting. 1 DON’T: ⋅ Lie on your resume. The truth will be found out and many employers will terminate an employee if false information was provided during the hiring process. ⋅ Have any misspellings, bad grammar, or poor punctuation. ⋅ Use lengthy phrases, sentences or paragraphs. ⋅ Include your birth date, marital status, religious affiliation, and personal philosophies. ⋅ Include salary information; save it for the interview. If you are required to give that information, reveal it in the cover letter. ⋅ Include a photograph of yourself. ⋅ List exact dates (months and years are sufficient). ⋅ List your high school information. ⋅ List references on the resume – those will be asked for later if needed. ⋅ Use pronouns, abbreviations, conjunctions, jargon or buzzwords unless terms are widely known and accepted (as in the case of AFL-CIO or UNICEF). ⋅ Be too repetitive with your action words. ⋅ Have someone else write your resume. You can ask for advice, but you know yourself best and will have to defend the contents in the interview. Sample Action Words for Describing Your Experience Abolished Achieved Acquired Acted Activated Adapted Added Addressed Adjusted Administered Advanced Advertised Advised Advocated Affected Affirmed Agreed Alleviated Allocated Allotted Altered Amended Analyzed Announced Anticipated Appointed Apportioned Appraised Approved Arranged Assembled Assessed Assisted Assumed Assured Audited Augmented Authorized Averted Avoided Awarded Backed Based Bought Broadened Brought Budgeted Built Calculated Called Calmed Campaigned Canceled Captured Caught Caused Centralized Challenged Changed Charged Checked Chose Claimed Clarified Closed Collaborated Collated Collected Combined Commenced Commended Communicated Compared Compiled Completed Composed Conceived Concluded Condensed Conducted Conferred Confirmed Considered Constructed Contacted Contracted Contributed Converted Conveyed Coordinated Corrected Corresponded Counseled Created Cultivated Dared Dealt Decentralized Decided Decreased Defined Demanded Demonstrated Designed Described Destroyed Detected Determined Developed Devised Diminished Directed Disapproved Discarded Discovered Dismissed Displayed Disseminated Distributed Divided Documented Donated Doubled Drafted Drove Earned Eased Edited Effected Elected Eliminated Employed Encouraged Ended Endorsed Enforced Engineered Enhanced Enlarged Erected Established Estimated Evaluated Examined Exceeded Excelled Executed Exercised Exhibited Expanded Expected Expedited Expelled Experimented Explained Exposed Extended Extracted Faced Facilitated 2 Fashioned Finished Firmed Foresaw Forestalled Formed Formulated Fortified Fought Found Framed Freed Fulfilled Gained Gathered Gave Generated Governed Granted Gratified Grew Gripped Grouped Guarded Guided Halted Handed Handled Harmonized Hastened Headed Healed Heightened Held Helped Hired Identified Ignored Ignited Imparted Impelled Implemented Imposed Improved Improvised Inaugurated Increased Incurred Indicated Influenced Informed Initiated Innovated Inquired Insisted Inspected Inspired Installed Instigated Instituted Instructed Insured Interpreted Interviewed Introduced Invented Investigated Invited Invoked Involved Isolated Issued Joined Judged Jumped Justified Key Knit Laid Launched Led Left Lessened Leveled Lightened Limited Linked Liquidated Localized Located Locked Maintained Managed Mapped Marketed Matched Measured Merged Met Mitigated Mobilized Moderated Modernized Modified Monitored Motivated Mounted Named Narrated Negotiated Nominated Nullified Observed Obtained Offered Opened Operated Opposed Organized Originated Overcame Oversaw Passed Patched Paid Perceived Perfected Performed Permitted Persuaded Pledged Pleased Polished Possessed Predicted Prepared Presented Presided Pressed Probed Processed Proclaimed Procured Produced Programmed Projected Promoted Prompted Proposed Proved Provided Pruned Published Publicized Purchased Pursued Quelled Questioned Quickened Quieted Raided Rallied Razed Reacted Received Recommended Recorded Recruited Rectified Redesigned Reduced Referred Reformed Refuted Regulated Rejected Related Relieved Remedied Renegotiated Reorganized Repaired Replaced Replied Reported Represented Researched Rescued Reshaped Resolved Responded Restrained Restricted Retarded Revealed Reviewed Revised Revitalized Rid Risked Routed Sanctioned Saved Scanned Scheduled Screened Scrutinized Searched Secured Selected Settled Separated Served Serviced Set Up Settled Shaped Shaved Sifted Simplified Singled Out Slashed Slowed Sold Solved Sought Sparked Specified Spelled Split Spoke Spurred Staffed Stalled Standardized Stated Stimulated Stood Stopped Streamlined Strengthened Struggled Studied Submitted Suggested Supervised Supplied Supported Surpassed Surveyed Sustained Swept Systemized Talked Taught Terminated Tested Thwarted Tracked Traded Trained Transferred Tripled Triumphant Uncovered Undertook Unearthed Unraveled Upgraded Upheld Upset Urged Used Utilized Vindicated Vitalized Warned Withheld Won Wrote 3