Creating Your Resume

The first question you need to ask yourself is: “Do I need a resume?” That leads to the next question: What is a resume?

What is a resume? First of all, let’s talk about what it isn’t. It isn’t your life story. This isn’t the time to tell about every experience that you have had. Think of it in terms of music. A life story is similar to an anthology—a collection of all the songs by a band or an artist. The Elvis Presley anthology is made up of hundreds of songs sung by Elvis. Few people other than die-hard Elvis fans would buy the anthology, however.

A resume is more like a “greatest hits” album. The record companies have released collection albums of Elvis’ love songs, Elvis’ gospel hits, Elvis’ movie music, as well as many others. These albums appeal to certain specific groups of people. They may buy the album because they like Elvis, or they may buy it because they like gospel music. So, a resume is a vehicle by which you can communicate those things about your background that you feel the employer will be most interested in. It is your opportunity to put into words, as concisely as possible, why you are right for a particular position.

You will not be starting from scratch. Go back to the autobiography that you wrote in Chapter 1. You should be able to use it to cut and paste information to put into your resume. This will give you the raw material that you can later fashion into your resume.

The next question is relatively easy to answer: “Do I need a resume?” The answer is probably yes. Many job openings will only require you to fill out a job application. It will ask for specific information that the employer will use to evaluate your candidacy. Supplementing that application with a resume will provide you with an opportunity to address some of the things that you can offer the employer that may or may not have been asked for on the application.

It is a good idea to have a resume available in the event that it is asked for, or in the event that you believe it will add value to your application. With that in mind, it is advisable to provide a brief summary of your background, strengths, and accomplishments.

What goes on a resume? There are many different possible components to a resume. Depending upon your background, and upon the requirements of the position, these different components may or may not be included in your resume. Also, depending upon the importance of each component as it relates to your background, and the requirements of the position, these sections may be found at different places on the resume. For example, if you have just recently completed your education and have little work experience, you may decide to list your education near the top of your resume, ahead of your experience.

Keep in mind that an employer is likely to spend twenty seconds or less reading your resume. With that in mind, you need to be sure that the resume is clear, concise, and well laid out, and that the most important things (in terms of what the employer is looking for) are present and easily found.

As you are writing the resume, keep pausing to ask yourself “How will this be read? What will the employer be looking for?” The focus should be on the reader, and the resume should be structured to hold their attention for at least the full twenty seconds, or longer if possible. If you can keep their attention longer, it will be more likely that your resume will stand out and that you will be asked to come for in an interview.

That brings up perhaps the most important point: A resume is not designed to get you a job. It is unlikely that anyone will hire you based solely on information that they find on a sheet of paper. A resume is really best used with one goal in mind— to pique the interest of the reader sufficiently to invite you to come in to interview for a position.

Dissecting the Resume
There are two widely used formats for a resume, as well as several hybrids that combine some features from each. The following sections describe both types of resumes and detail the information that you should include on them.

Chronological Resumes A chronological resume lists all your work experience in the order in which it happened, starting with your most recent job. If your work history has been steady—no huge gaps or job-hopping—this is the best format to use.

Vital Statistics
The most important information on the resume should be located right at the top. That is the place to list your name, address, and telephone number. This should be obvious; unfortunately, however, I see plenty of resumes of college graduates (including individuals with a Master’s degree) from which the telephone number is inadvertently left off. Sometimes people move or change phone numbers, and they forget to change their resume to reflect the changes.

There are a few other suggestions worth passing along at this point. If you do not have an answering machine, it will be worth investing in one. Employers are likely to be too busy to attempt reaching you too many times. Of course, if you have an answering machine, think twice about your message. The fact that you do a great Homer Simpson impersonation may absolutely crack your friends up, but it’s less likely to impress a prospective employer.

You may also want to include other information at the top. Perhaps you would consider including your e-mail address. E-mail can be a very valuable tool, and it’s becoming a primary means of business communication for more and more people every day. The convenience of using e-mail is the speed with which the message can be delivered and the detail that can be included. That value can be negated if you don’t use your e-mail regularly. Responding a week after an employer has contacted you will not impress anyone.

Some people also include the URL for their Web page, where they may also have a more detailed resume, and perhaps even a portfolio of sorts. This may include images, video, and/or audio clips, as well as links to other printed material. This can add significant value to your application, but it also carries some risk. You need to be sure to give the Web page(s) the same kind of scrutiny that you would give your resume. You certainly don’t want to have typos, grammatical errors, or other mistakes seen by a prospective employer.

Also, be sure that you feel comfortable with an employer visiting your Web site. It’s the computer equivalent of the medicine cabinet in your home—few can resist taking a peek to see what else they find. If the employer has any curiosity at all, they may poke around a bit and look at your other pages, and perhaps even the links. Do you really want an employer to know that you are a big Yanni fan? Or a member of Alcoholics Anonymous? Or a collector of South Park memorabilia? If not, think again about including your URL on your resume.

Objective
For many people, the objective is the hardest part of the resume to write. It may also be the most important. This is your best opportunity to clearly communicate what it is that you are interested in. Written to appeal to the employer, the objective can quickly sum up the answer to the question “What does this person want?”

Some people believe that an objective is unnecessary, because a good cover letter will address this topic, and address it more completely in a few sentences than an objective can in one. I believe that these people are half-right. Certainly a cover letter provides an opportunity to elaborate more fully on your career objective. The problem with cover letters is that they are often separated from the resume at some point during the screening process. The other problem is that “elaborate” is a doubleedged sword. There is definitely a value in being able to sum up what you want in a clear and concise way, like you do in a statement of your career objective.

If you choose to include an objective, it should be written to interest the employer in reading further. It should give a clear indication that you know what you want. As recently as ten years ago, it was more acceptable to have an objective that stated “Seeking an entry-level position with opportunities for advancement.” The theory behind this type of objective was that you did not want your resume to rule you out of any jobs that you would consider taking. The idea was to boil the objective down to its least common denominator so as to appeal at some level to just about everybody.

That philosophy made at least some sense in an age when the costs of having your resume typeset precluded you from tinkering with it too often. Today, however, in the age of the desktop PC, laser printer, and fancy word-processing programs, you can make a resume at home that looks as good as or better than the ones that were produced professionally ten years ago. So, if you can personalize each resume, why not? If you went grocery shopping, how appealing would it be to pick up a can with no picture on the label, with just the word “Vegetables” or “Fruit”? Now, if you hate lima beans, you may definitely pass up a can that says “Lima Beans,” but you would probably be more likely to pick up a can that says “Corn,” or a can of some other vegetable that appeals to you.

So, while it is important to try not to include information that will turn an employer off to your candidacy, it is even more important that you do everything you can to make them interested in learning more about you. Because the objective is usually found near the top of the resume, it is particularly important that you make sure that it captures the employer’s interest.

So, in one or two sentences, you want to state some combination of what it is that you are seeking, and what it is that you can offer.

Self-Serving or Uninteresting Objectives

• Seeking an outside sales opportunity with a progressive-thinking company that will provide me with an opportunity for advancement.

What company doesn’t like to think of itself as “progressive”? Also, why are you worried about advancement already? You haven’t even been hired for this job yet.

• Seeking to advance my career in the exciting world of pharmaceutical sales.

Every wasted word that you put on your resume decreases the impact of all the other words. If the employer spends even a half second reading the adjective “exciting,” it does two things. It increases the chance that a more important word— an action verb or an accomplishment—will be missed. Secondly, it gives the reader the impression that you are trying to snow them.

• Seeking management position.

This is a common mistake, particularly among first-time job seekers. It does not tell the employer anything, except perhaps that you have not given a great deal of thought to what it is that you want to do.

• Seeking a challenging position in social services.

Again, this adjective adds very little to the objective.

The Same Objectives, Revisited

• Seeking outside sales position requiring proven closing skills.

This clearly states what you seek, and emphasizes that you have the requisite skills.

• Seeking pharmaceutical sales position utilizing my background and experience in organic chemistry as well as my excellent interpersonal communication skills. Willing to travel and/or relocate.

Again, this shows that you are focused, and that you can make a contribution. It also states that you are willing to do what it takes to move up the ladder.

• Seeking retail-management training position, utilizing my six years of experience in retail sales.

Clearly states the goal and summarizes your qualifications.

• Seeking a position as a crisis counselor.

Short and to the point.

Education
This section will vary depending on your level of education, the time that has elapsed since you completed it, and how vital the education is relative to the position you are seeking. If you have recently graduated from high school or college, you may wish to put the Education section right after the objective. You should list this information in order of importance, which usually means that the most recent information goes first. For example:

Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA May 1999

Associate degree in Business Mississippi Valley Community College, Biloxi, MS May 1997

In most cases, you should drop your high school diploma from your resume after you have completed a college degree. There are two exceptions to this rule. One exception would be if you know that the person reviewing the resumes or the interviewer is a graduate of the same institution. I would suggest shying away from this unless there is a particularly strong bond among the alumni from that school. The second exception would be if your high school training was technical in nature, and if those skills will be especially relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Example:

Associate degree in Medical Technology
Aims Community College, Sioux City, IA May 1999

Burgard Vocational High School, Sioux City, IA
Regent’s Diploma, Certificate in Dental Hygienist Training June 1997

When listing your education, you may wish to list the date that you received your degree. Do not list the dates that you attended. Listing the date doesn’t help you out at all. Even if you are some kind of prodigy and finished a Bachelor’s and a law degree in five years, it raises more concern than excitement (how mature will a 22- year-old lawyer be?). If it took you longer to finish your education than it took the person reviewing your resume, what will their reaction be? Will that person make assumptions about you? The accomplishment is what counts, not how long it took you to achieve it.

The fact is, for many students with disabilities, the high school or college experience may take a bit longer to complete. Depending on when the disability was acquired or diagnosed, there may have been a period in which the student had to “stop out” for a time to complete rehabilitation. For students with some types of disabilities, one of the most common types of academic accommodations involves a reduction in course load, resulting in a longer period of enrollment and a delayed graduation. By citing the dates of your enrollment, you run the risk of raising questions about your disability before you have a chance to sell your skills and abilities in an interview.

More and more often, it takes students longer than two years to finish an Associate degree, and longer than four years to finish a Bachelor’s. In fact, nationally, fewer than 60 percent of those students who begin college as freshmen finish within six years. So, regardless of how long it takes you, completing a degree is what is most significant, and thus it is what is most important to put on the resume.

Not all relevant education comes in the form of a college degree or a high school diploma. It is appropriate to include in the education section any formal training that you have received from professional training organizations. Sometimes this training results in some sort of certificate. In this case, you should list the certificate in much the same way as you would list your other degrees. In other cases the training will result in increased knowledge in a certain area, but will not lead to any particular degree. In those cases, you may choose to include it in the education area, put it in a “Related Course Work” section, or a combination of the two.

EDUCATION
Associate degree in Metallurgy
Ponte Verde Community College, Ponte Verde, FL May 1997

Certificate in Dental Technology
DTT Technical Institute, Jacksonville, FL January 1998

Experience
In the experience section, you will recap any experiences you have had that are relevant to the position for which you are applying. This is a place for you to illustrate how the skills that you have can be transferred and applied to the position for which you are applying. Refer to the skills section of Chapter 1 and to the autobiography section of your binder or file. You may be able to more or less cut and paste sections from the autobiography directly into the experience section of the resume, and then just edit it from there.

Think broadly in terms of your experience. Do not feel restricted to include just full-time paid work experience. If you have had an internship or volunteer experience that is related to the type of job for which you are applying, it is worth including. If you decide to include those types of unpaid experiences, you may wish to change the heading to “Related Experience.”

Generally, people list their experiences in reverse chronological order—the most recent experience comes first. Include all of the experiences that you believe will be relevant to the position for which you are applying. If you are applying for a job in retail management, those four years you spent as a cashier or bagging groceries in a supermarket become very relevant. If you are applying for a job as an elementaryschool teacher, those three summers you spent as a nanny for the same family during college will be very relevant as well.

EXPERIENCE
Produce Manager, Wegmans Supermarket, Slidell, LA
1997–Present

Supervise and train all produce staff.

Responsible for monitoring inventory.

Increased volume by 12% over the past five years by using innovative displays, cooking classes, and product demonstrations.

Reduced spoilage by 17% by utilizing just-in-time ordering process in conjunction with the central warehouse.

Intern, Wegmans Supermarket, Slidell, LA Summer and Fall semesters, 1996

Assisted accounting and finance office in design and implementation of streamlined inventory process.

Assistant Manager, Foot Locker—Shops at Canal Place—New Orleans, LA May 1985–May 1990

Responsible for opening and closing store, balancing cash drawer with receipts, and scheduling sales staff.

Established in-store promotional campaigns, resulting in the store winning the “Store of the State” award in three of the last four years of my employment.

Sometimes, however, you will have experiences that are significant, but not as obviously relevant to the position for which you are applying. Using the above examples, the four years bagging groceries will not be as relevant to the school superintendent who is hiring an elementary school teacher, nor will the three years as a nanny seem all that relevant to the general manager of a retail store. The fact that you spent four years at any job, or that a family (or employer) would want you back for three consecutive summers, is relevant. Having another section titled “Other Experience” will give you an opportunity to point out that fact, without spending a lot of space describing it.

OTHER EXPERIENCE
Stock Clerk, Tops Friendly Markets, North Tonawanda, OH 1993–1995

Camp Counselor, Camp Mohawk, Lake Conesus, OH 1990–1993 (summers)

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Network Administrator, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Summer, 1998

Established networked database using Windows NT, allowing several staff members to have access to shared files, including the donor database.

The experience section(s) should be direct and to the point. It should outline two important areas—those things that you accomplished, and those things that you did as part of your normal responsibilities. These things do not have to be described in complete sentences; however, they should be grammatically correct in every other way (verb agreement, etc.). This section should make use of high-powered action words. Although sometimes adjectives are helpful in more completely communicating an idea, the most important words in this section of your resume will be the nouns and the verbs.

The following is a list of high-powered action words you can use to describe accomplishments:

These action words can help add a little punch to your experience section by bringing your accomplishments to life. As I mentioned before, prospective employers do not read resumes word for word; rather, they scan them. In order to catch the reader’s eye, you want to use appropriate buzzwords that will stand out.

Buzzwords
Peppering your resume with the appropriate buzzwords can also help your resume stand out, particularly if it is scanned into an electronic file for searching at some later date. Examples of buzzwords that might be searched could include:

Military Experience
If you have spent any time in the military, either on active duty or in the reserves, you should include that information on your resume. Depending on the job for which you are applying, the tasks you performed in service to your country may or may not be relevant to the potential employer. If your experience might be relevant, you should describe it in the same amount of detail that you used in the experience section. And even if the responsibilities are not directly relevant to the employer, pointing out your service record has value on its own.

In this section you should include your service dates, rank, assignments, and discharge date (and type). Also include the skills you developed. Most veterans acquire certain skills as part of their military experience, regardless of what their responsibilities were. These include leadership, teamwork, and, of course, discipline. These are skills that are in very high demand in the workforce, and they are difficult to acquire. If you have learned these skills, you should communicate that fact as often as you can, on your resume and in your interviews.