Cover Letters & Resumes (SSS Workshop): Resumes

This video explores the three of the most popular resume formats: (reverse) chronological, functional, and combination formats - breaking down each format's unique features to help you understand which aligns best with your experiences and goals.

What Makes a Great Resume? by Cathy Wasserman and Lauren B. Weinstein
If you’re struggling to get your resume noticed, it’s time to add some soul into it. Don’t treat it like a document with a laundry list of your responsibilities and successes. Rather, work on converting it into a document that conveys what truly motivates you as a professional.

18 Résumé Writing Tips to Help You Stand Out By Allison Pohle
A résumé isn’t just a list of every job you’ve ever had. It should demonstrate your accomplishments. Mirror language used in the job posting so your résumé isn’t discarded by an applicant tracking system. Use a clean and simple format.

Just like you brainstorm for a writing assignment,
you need to brainstorm your resume

Begin by writing down all of the experiences you have had that could relate to your potential job

REMEMBER: Not all of your past experience is going to be relevant for your final resume. It is a good idea to have all of your relevant experiences to draw from to help you write a great resume

Examples:

• Athletics
• Awards/Honors
• Certifications and Education 
• Community/Church Activities
• Group Projects
• Language Skills 
• Leadership Skills 
• Organizational Memberships
• Professional Associations 
• Technical Skills
• Volunteer Experiences

The word “resume” comes from the French résumer, which means “to summarize.” Your resume is a written summary of your professional and educational history, and it is often the first thing a prospective employer may see of you.

• The purpose of a resume is to get an interview.

• Your resume is how potential employers obtain their first impression of YOU - your education, your experience, and your skills.

• A resume needs to be captivating, clear, and concise.

• There are many types of resumes and all are acceptable and widely used - choose the one that best fits you and highlights your qualifications and skills.

Types of Resumes

Chronological
(also referred to as Reverse Chronological)

• Most popular format

• Emphasizes employment history and experience 

• Highlights your information from the most recent and relevant to the oldest and least relevant

Functional

• 100% based on your skills

• Emphasizes your specific accomplishments and skills

• The format lists your skills by groups

• This format is recommended for the following situations: people with gaps in their work history, people wanting to change careers, and people a wide variety of skills 

Combination

• This format combines the chronological and the functional formats - emphasizing skills and accomplishments, while also listing work history

You have decided to write a resume!
What should it look like?

REMEMBER:
Your resume and your cover letter need to match so many of the same formatting rules apply:

• Font: 10 to 12 point Arial or Times New Roman
• Length: 1 page for your first resume is standard (1-2 pages keep it short and sweet)
  REMEMBER: As you gain more experience, your resume will expand too
• What kind of paper? The same as your cover letter — a quality bond
• Margins: 1 or 1.25 inches (you can use narrow margins if you need to in order to get more information to fit on the page)
• Layout: Left justified, beginning no more than 2 inches from the top
• Style: Positive persuasive language, confident but not imposing, concise with supporting detail, written in active verb voice
• Use the same keywords in your resume that are used in the job description 

DO NOT: 

• DO NOT use pronouns or first person ("I", "me", "my")

• DO NOT put your high school if you have attended secondary education 

• DO NOT put educational institutions that you did not graduate from 

• DO NOT use employment history that would not reflect positively on you

• DO NOT use personal information (family, children, marital status, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, political affiliations, visa status or revealing photographs)