Create Your ResumeCareer Center

2nd Floor, Rogalski CenterSt. Ambrose University

563.333.6339www.sau.edu/cdc

After completing this tutorial, have your

resume draft reviewed

by contacting the Career Center

for an appointment

Think of your resume as a…

Targeted summary of skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements

Document used to track your accomplishments, network with others and obtain job interviews

Method for communicating your professional value to future employers

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Bust these resume myths before you start…Bust these resume myths before you start…

Myth: Resumes should never exceed one page If you have a lot of relevant experience and it takes more than one

page to describe it, that’s ok. Most undergrads with a couple key professional experiences can do it in 1 solid page.

Myth: Unusual resumes attract attention Resumes are formal documents. Use your creativity but remember

that you want to stand out because of the content!

Myth: Exaggerate accomplishments--nobody checks This isn’t the time to be humble, but never lie on your resume. It’s

the surest way NOT to get hired.

Myth: Resume Templates are easy and best; you can use the same resume for each job

It’s much better to change your resume as relevant to the particular position for which you’re applying. Read the job description and then make sure you incorporate all the skills they’re looking for. Using an MS WORD DOCUMENT is the best way to be able to update your resume regularly; templates are not nearly as user friendly and/or easy to change.

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Where can you begin?

Reflect on your skills, knowledge, and experience. Take out a piece of paper and jot down answers to the following 3 questions:

1. What makes you uniquely qualified for this position and for work in this industry? (even if you’re not currently applying you should find an interesting job description and practice tailoring your resume to it)

2. What skills do you have that would be useful to this employer?

3. What have you accomplished in school, internships, student orgs, or as a volunteer, etc. that you want to highlight?

In a moment, we will look at how to incorporate these elements into your resume.

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What makes you unique?

It’s easy to overlook individual strengths, skills, accomplishments and knowledge utilized but now is not the time to be humble!

Ask yourself these questions: What could you uniquely contribute to any

organization or project? If your supervisor were to write a letter of

recommendation, what would he/she say? Did you initiate, develop, create something

new? What were the results?

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Consider highlighting these skills…

Organizational & Planning Skills Teamwork Skills Interpersonal & Communication Skills Leadership Impact & Initiative Attention to Detail Adaptability

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Resumes generally have this appearance and contain 3

broad categories of information.

What do resumes look like?

1. Name & contact information

2. Education information

3. Descriptions of your experience, skills & accomplishments

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A few technical logistics…

Use a Microsoft/Mac Word Doc to create your Resume, as templates are very difficult to change

Should use a 12 point font throughout EXCEPT for your header section (14 point or smaller); use no smaller size than 11 point font

Use a professional font such as Times New Roman or Arial

Top Margin: 0.8” or above Bottom Margin: 0.6” or above Left and Right Margins: 0.8” or above DO NOT USE acronyms Try to limit to one page if possible (see slide 3)

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Let’s Get Started…

If you have the Resume Packet from the Career Center, begin by completing the worksheet

Can also print resume guidelines from our website:

Start with the top section ,“Your Name”. If you do not have the packet or the

guideline sheet, the tutorial will instruct you what to complete as we go along.

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ANDREA JONES JonesAndreaM@sau.edu

Present Permanent518 W. Locust Street 815 E. Ambrose RoadDavenport, IA 52804 Rock Island, IL 61201(563) 333-3030 (309) 738-0000

Michael Smith1010 North Rogalski Road

Bettendorf, IA 52722(563) 333-2222

SmithMichaelN@sau.edu

John DoeDoeJohnE@sau.edu

Present Address: 123 Ambrose Street #411, Davenport, IA 52803 (563) 333-0101Permanent Address: 2008 Graduate Lane, Des Moines, IA 50301 (515) 555-5050

Include a personal heading

Make your name stand outWith a 14 point font or

smaller

Include permanent address if you’ll be moving or home for

break

Use professional-looking email

Remember to

make your

voicemail sound

professional!

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State your career objective or profile statement (optional) If you want to include an objective, be concise (1-2

lines), clear and targeted to the specific position

Consider including: The industry or position of interest What skills you have to offer (how you can benefit the

employer) Type of agency/organization you want to work for

Remember: A well written objective shows the employer you have purpose & direction; a poorly written one just wastes space!

Examples:

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Objective Statement vs. Profile Statement

An objective statement tells the employer what you are looking for

A profile statement tells the employer what you have to offer them

Profile statement should detail three to five key strengths, experiences and interests that one has to offer the employer

A comparison:Objective: Desire technical editing position with supervisory

responsibilities in an engineering firm.

Profile: Highly skilled technical writer with three years publishing experience. Knowledgeable in current web design technology. Experienced communicator and team player.

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Create the education section

Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minor in BiologySt. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa Graduation: May 2010 GPA: 3.65/4.0Honors: Dean’s List, Phi Eta Sigma Honor SocietyLanguages: Spanish, two years – college

Sydney University, Sydney, Australia, Summer 2008Coursework included Australia art, Australian politics and economics

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If your GPA is over 3.0it’s generally a good

idea to include it.Consider calculatingyour major GPA if it’s

higher.

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Tips on Education Section

When including your GPA, but sure to put the number out of 4.0 (example: 3.6/4.0) because some schools in Illinois are on a 5 point system

Do not have to include the name of a college you transferred from UNLESS you received a degree (A.A., A.S) or if it was a college with name recognition (see example next page)

Colleges should be listed in reverse chronological order (list the most recent college first)

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Examples of including Transfer College Information in Education

Bachelor of Arts in EnglishSt. Ambrose University, Davenport, IAGraduation Date: May 2009 GPA: 3.6/4.0Associate of Arts Degree, BlackHawk College, Moline, Illinois, May 2007

Bachelor of Science in ChemistrySt. Ambrose University, Davenport, IAGraduation Date: May 2009 GPA: 4.0/4.0Transfer College: University of Notre Dame, 33 credits

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You may add these sections before Work Experience:

Special Projects-first line should include name of project, class title, and the date you took the class

-can use paragraph or bulleted form to explain your duties & responsibilities

-if you have already done an internship or have lots of related experience, you can leave off special projects

-use ACTION VERBS to explain what you have done(see list of action verbs in the packet)

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Keep bullets

limite

d

To tw

o or thre

e MAX

You may add these sections before Work Experience:

Internships or Practicum-first line should include name of company, location, and date of internship/practicum

-can use paragraph or bulleted form to explain your duties, responsibilities, etc.

-use ACTION VERBS to explain what you did(see list of action verbs in the packet)

-list Internship(s) before Work Experience UNLESS you have a lot of extensive experience, then put it afterwardsOR include both in a section called “Professional Experience”

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You may add these sections before Work Experience:

Related Coursework

-this looks nice in columns but you can also list by using a comma to separate the experience

-do not use class numbers, use the actual TITLEof the class

-you do not need to add related coursework if you are getting ready to graduate and have a lot of related experience – once you have a BA the employer knows that you have taken lots of related coursework

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You may add these sections before Work Experience:

Job Shadows

-start by including the name of the company, the location, date, and hours completed

-include a brief description about what you observed using ACTION VERBS (see list of action verbs in the packet)

-you can use either paragraph or bulleted form to explain what you observed

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Tell them about your experience

This is the most important part of your resume Start by making a list of:

Employers and organizations where you’ve worked, volunteered, participated

Location of employer/org (City, State) Your job/position title Dates worked Duties &

responsibilities Accomplishments Skills you gained Projects you worked on

If you only have 20 minutes

to work on your resume, spend 15 of themworking on the

experience sections

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Use bullet points, 3-5 is a general

recommendation

Start each statement with a strong action verb

Highlight youraccomplishments!!

Be sure to write out abbreviations that others may not recognize

Play with fonts, italics, and bolding to make your title and the

organization name stand out

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Action Verb Ideas

You can find lists of actionverbs online. Try doinga Google search using‘resume action verbs’.

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Quantify your experience when you can

Use creative headings to group your experiences

This student could integrate more about the transferable skills she gained during these experiences. Remember not to be too focused on your duties; incorporate skills

and accomplishments too.

Example: “Honed decision-making skills and ability to multi-task while being responsible for 75+ children at

bus stop”

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Ideas for experience headings

Laboratory Military Publications Writing & editing Research Teaching Language International, cross-cultural, study abroad Patient care Animal care

Certifications, licensure Leadership experience Public/Community

Service Professional

associations, student organizations

Fundraising Campus involvement Technical skills Computer skills

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Having trouble defining your achievements (in a job, volunteer or leadership position)?

Use the E A S Y Method:E – Experiences (what experiences have I had in this role?)

A – Achievements (what achievements have I had in this role?

S – Skills (what skills have I learned in this role?)

Y – Your link to the relevant aspects of the job you are applying for!

(Source: “What Color is Your Parachute?” 2008)25

How do I describe my Experience?

STEP 1: WHAT DID YOU DO?Example 1: Taught children

Example 2: Prepared Payroll

Example 3: Designed and implemented a new incentive program compensation program

Example 4: Provided care to patients

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How do I describe my Experience?

STEP 2: QUANTIFY IF POSSIBLE

Example 1: Taught 25 children ages 5-7

Example 2: Prepared payroll for 150 employees

Example 3: Designed and implemented a new incentive compensation program that contributed to a volume increase of 7.7%

Example 4: Provided care to 8 patients per day

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How do I describe my Experience?

HINTS ON QUANTIFYING

Resources come in: People specific number who were impacted,

involved, led, or supported

Time dates – to & from

# of years, months, weeks, hours # of times% of times

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How do I describe my Experience?

HINTS ON QUANTIFYINGMoneyTotal dollars $

Net worth amountsDollar amounts per hour, day, week, annual,

bi-annually, etc.

ThingsScope of duties by # of offices

Size of territory# of things

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How do I describe my Experience?

STEP 3: HOW DID YOU DO IT? DID YOU DO IT WELL? WERE THERE RESULTS?Example 1: Taught 25 children ages 5-7 communication & fine motor skills through the facilitation of social & recreational activities

Example 2: Prepared computerized payroll for 150 employees; assisted in preparing divisional salary/bonus reports; analyzed and reconciled monthly payroll reports

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How do I describe my Experience?

STEP 3, continued:

Example 3: Designed and implemented a new incentive compensation program that contributed to a volume increase of 7.7 percent

Example 4: Provided post-operative nursing care to up to 8 patients per day on the orthopedic floor

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How do I describe my experience?Words and phrases to consider:

Successfully Correctly On time Properly To standards Professionally

Which resulted in _____

Saved money by _______

Which increased ________

Which improved ________

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Now you can add these sections:

Volunteer Experience Campus Activities & Organizations Community Involvement Professional Organizations Computer and Technical Skills Professional Licensures & Certificates

Be sure to include the activity, city/state, and date of each

Narrow down these sections so only the most relevant activities are included

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Should I include high school information on my resume?

First year students and sophomores may include High school information, but ONLY if you plan to list relevant & recent activities elsewhere or if you need help filling the page.

Juniors and Seniors should generally remove all high school information unless it would specifically help you get a job or an internship, for example:

You attended a private high school known for it’s dance instruction and you want to be employed at a dance academy.

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“References Available Upon Request”

Always, ALWAYS ASK someone to be a reference for you BEFORE you put their name down as a reference

Create an additional page, separate from your resume, which lists your references and their contact information

Put your personal header at the top of that page in case it gets separated from the others

You can send this list along with applications or wait until you’re asked for it.

Ask only those with whom you have a professional relationship (supervisors, advisors, professors, etc) to serve as your reference.

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Example format for your references

Dr. John Deere, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorSt. Ambrose UniversityDepartment of Psychology1234 McMullen Hall518 West LocustDavenport, Iowa 52803(563) 555-5555deerejohna@sau.edu

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Check, check, check your resume!

Scan it! What jumps out at you? Is that the first thing you want employers to notice?

Read it! And have others proofread for errors, especially spelling.

Print it! Check margins, print type, font size, never email before printing it yourself. Use high quality white paper.

Email it! Send it to yourself and friends, make sure it looks the way you want.

Revise it! Target your resume for every opportunity, generic resumes are less successful.

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Where can I find more help?

There are many great websites which can give you more ideas for formatting and structuring content Check out The Riley Guide

Ask your student organization to host a resume, interview, or cover letter workshop. Contact SAU Career Services for more information.

Additional resources, links, and sample resumes can be found here.

SAU Career Services After creating your draft resume, visit the SAU Career

Center to schedule an appointment for an individual critique

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