Five Steps for Resume Preparation

Your resume is the most important document in your job search. It makes the first impression - and you may get only 10-30 seconds to impress!

• For the job or internship seeker, the resume is a marketing tool to land an interview - it must get the employer's attention.
• For the employer, the resume is a "screener," and you don't want to be screened out!

Your resume needs to answer one question for the employer: Why should I hire YOU?

To build a resume that answers this question, keep these points in mind:

• An effective resume is tailored to show you are a good match for the job by highlighting your relevant skills/qualifications.
• An effective resume is not simply a chronological listing of your experiences but a selective listing that is carefully ordered.
• Your resume needs to include the necessary information in a visually appealing, easily readable format. Your message won't get across if it can't be easily found.

When developing a resume, ask yourself: What is the message I want to communicate?

To answer this question, you must:

• Know yourself
• Know the needs of the organization
• Know the requirements and responsibilities of the position

STEP 1: Review resume samples - don't reinvent the wheel!

When developing a resume, there are many places to go for help.

• Binders with student samples in the Career Library
• Books in the Career Library
• Career Services Workshops
• Critiques with counselors and Peer Career Counselors
• Guides suggested on our Web site and elsewhere on the Web:
• http://careerservices.brown.edu/careerresources/resumemain.htm

When looking at samples, consider:

• What do the headings and format quickly tell the reader?
• What does the order of the section headers and descriptive phrases tell the reader?
• How are experiences described?
• How is white space used?

STEP 2: Inventory your skills, accomplishments, and experiences

Make lists. Consider including:

• Educational institutions
• Relevant courses
• Projects and presentations
• Study abroad
• Paid work/on-campus jobs
• Volunteer work/community service
• On-campus activities / leadership
• Sports
• Internships
• Awards/honors
• Skills
• Interests

STEP 3: Prepare a draft - include key sections

HEADING:

• Full name
• College and permanent addresses
• Telephone number(s)
• E-mail address(es)

Examples:

Sandra L. Baldwin
Sandra_Baldwin@Brown.edu

200 Hope Street 61 Colonial Drive
Providence, RI 02906 Ames, IN 50011
(401) 274-5532 (515) 924-3632

MAY CHIN
Box 123 Brown University Providence, RI 02912 (401) 863-1234
May_Chin@Brown.edu

OBJECTIVE: (optional)

If you are focusing on a specific job, this can be useful. Do not include an objective if you are considering a variety of jobs within an organization or you are writing a general resume. Your objective can be handled instead in the cover letter.

EDUCATION: Listings within this section should be in reverse chronological order. Include:

• Institution(s) attended, location(s)
• Graduation date (month, year)
• Degree and concentration
• GPA (optional)
• Awards (optional)

Examples:
EDUCATION

Brown University, Providence, RI
A.B. History, expected May, 2000

University of Stockholm, Sweden
Language immersion program, Fall, 1998

Senior thesis: "The Exclusion of Afro-Ecuadorians from the National Identity"
Award: Swearer Center for Public Service Internship Award, 1998

EDUCATION Brown University, Providence, RI
B.S. Biology, Class of 1999
GPA in major: 3.4/4.0 overall: 3.2/4.0

Related courses:

• Introductory Statistics
• Financial Markets
• Mathematics of Finance

EXPERIENCE:

• Listings should be in reverse chronological order.
• List your experiences using functional headings to focus reader on areas of qualifications.
• Tip: Don't categorize experiences according to paid/unpaid. Combine them to emphasize
  types of experiences.
• Identify where you worked/volunteered, location, your job title, and dates.
• Use short, descriptive statements starting with "action words" that reflect transferable skills to describe your experiences.

Possible functional headings:

• Experience
• Additional Experience
• Related Experience
• Leadership Experience
• Research Experience
• Community Service Experience
• Writing Experience
• Teaching Experience
• Business Experience
• Computer Experience

Examples:

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant, Sociology Department, Brown University 1998-1999

• Developed survey questionnaire
• Interviewed study participants
• Compile and analyzed data; presented to department

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

JP Morgan, New York, New York
Assistant to Mutual Fund Account:
Recorded trades; updated journals; prepared worksheets and graphs
for analysis; prepared monthly fund growth reports. (Summer 1999)

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Treasurer: Latin American Students' Organization 1998-1999
Meiklejohn Advisor: Academic advisor for ten 1st year students 1998

COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE

Traveler's Aid, Providence, RI - Tutor 1998

• Taught weekly GED classes for five students
• Provided vocational assistance

SKILLS:

SKILLS

• Languages: Fluent in Spanish, proficient in Korean
• Computers: Macintosh, PC, Lotus, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, FileMaker

COMPUTER SKILLS

• Environments: PC, Macintosh, Unix
• Languages: C++, Pascal, BASIC
• Software: MS Word, Excel, PageMaker

LABORATORY SKILLS

• Light microscopy
• Gel electrophoresis
• Nucleic acid extraction
• Animal dissection

TECHNICAL OR OTHER SPECIAL SKILLS: What else do you want an employer to know about you?

• Interests
• Honors
• Extracurricular (clubs, organizations, sports)
• Travel
  
  Examples:
  INTERESTS

  Tae Kwon Do, mountaineering (medical certification), skiing

OTHER INTERESTS Jazz piano performance, composition, arranging
Film theory and independent video production

STEP 4: Have your resume critiqued! Make revisions

• Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!
• Check for punctuation and spelling.
• Check for format and style consistency.
• Show your resume to a friend.
• Make an appointment at Career Services for a critique.
• Revise! Proofread! No errors!

STEP 5: Print your resume

• Use a resume weight paper (available in the bookstore or local copy centers.)
• Pick a light, neutral color, like white or ivory.
• Laser print, or have your resume copied at the copy center.
• Get matching envelopes and paper for cover letters.

Finally: You should usually include a cover letter with your resume, even if it is not specifically requested. For help writing cover letters, see other handouts, attend a workshop, and use other resources in the Career Library and online: http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Career_Planning/careerresources/covermain.htm

Resume Writing - Getting Started

ACTION VERBS THAT CAN HELP YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SKILLS

This exercise will help you identify and describe your skills and accomplishments.

Read the list of action verbs below, checking those skills you have demonstrated through internships, part-time or summer jobs, coursework, leadership experience, or community service. Try to incorporate some of these action verbs in the descriptions of your experiences on your resume. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Other activities for assessing your strengths can be found on our Web site, in the Career Library, or through meeting with a career counselor.

Management Skills
Administered
Analyzed
Assigned
Attained
Chaired
Consolidated
Contracted
Coordinated
Delegated
Developed
Directed
Evaluated
Executed
Improved
Increased
Organized
Oversaw
Planned
Prioritized
Produced
Recommended
Reviewed
Scheduled
Strengthened
Supervised

Communication Skills
Addressed
Arbitrated
Arranged
Authored
Collaborated
Convinced
Corresponded
Developed
Directed
Drafted edited
Enlisted
Formulated
Influenced
Interpreted
Lectured
Mediated
Moderated
Negotiated
Persuaded
Promoted
Publicized
Reconciled
Recruited
Translated
Wrote

Research Skills
Clarified
Collected
Critiqued
Diagnosed
Evaluated
Examined
Extracted
Identified
Inspected
Interpreted
Interviewed
Investigated
Organized
Reviewed
Summarized
Surveyed
Systematized

Technical Skills
Assembled
Built Calculated
Computed
Designed
Devised
Engineered
Fabricated
Maintained
Operated
Overhauled
Programmed
Remodeled
Repaired
Solved
Upgraded

Teaching Skills
Adapted
Advised
Clarified
Coached
Communicated
Coordinated
Demystified
Developed
Enabled
Encouraged
Evaluated
Explained
Facilitated
Guided
Informed
Instructed
Persuaded
Set goals
Stimulated
Trained

Financial Skills
Administered
Allocated
Analyzed
Appraised
Audited
Balanced
Budgeted
Calculated
Computed
Developed
Forecasted
Managed
Marketed
Planned
Projected
Researched

Creative Skills
Acted
Conceptualized
Created
Customized
Designed
Developed
Directed
Established
Founded
Illustrated
Initiated
Instituted
Integrated
Introduced
Invented
Originated
Performed
Planned
Revitalized
Shaped

Helping Skills
Assessed
Assisted
Clarified
Coached
Counseled
Demonstrated
Diagnosed
Educated
Expedited
Facilitated
Familiarized
Guided
Motivated
Referred
Rehabilitated
Represented

Clerical or Detail Skills
Approved
Arranged
Catalogued
Classified
Collected
Compiled
Dispatched
Executed
Generated
Implemented
Inspected
Monitored
Operated
Organized
Prepared
Processed
Purchased
Recorded
Retrieved
Screened
Specified
Systemized
Tabulated
Validated

plm 6/01

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