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What is a resume anyway?
A resume is the story of your work history that presents you in the best possible light, for the purpose of getting invited to a job interview.
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What should the resume content be about?
It's not just about past jobs! It's about YOU, and how you performed and what you accomplished in those past jobs--especially those accomplishments that are most relevant to the work you want to do next. A good resume shows a future employer how you might perform. |
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| 3. |
What's the fastest way to improve a resume?
Remove everything that starts with "responsibilities included" and replace it with on-the-job accomplishments. |
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| 4. |
What is the most common resume mistake made by job hunters?
Leaving out their job objective! If you don't show a sense of direction, employers won't be interested. Having a clearly stated goal doesn't have to confine you. |
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| 5. |
What's the first step in writing a resume?
Decide on a job target (or "job objective") that can be stated in about 5 or 6 words. Anything beyond that is probably "fluff" and indicates a lack of clarity and direction.
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How do you decide whether to use a chronological resume or a functional one?
The chronological format (date order) is widely preferred by employers, and works well if you're staying in the same field. Only use a functional format (by job type) if you're changing fields, and you're sure a skills-oriented format would show off your abilities better; and be sure to include a clear chronological work history! |
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| 7. |
What if you don't have any experience in the kind of work you want to do?
Get some! Find a place that will let you do some volunteer work right away. You only need a brief, concentrated period of volunteer training (for example, 1 day a week for a month) to have at least SOME experience to put on your resume. Try a temporary employment agency (like Roper). We often have entry-level jobs that don’t require past experience. |
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| 8. |
Does it matter if you fudge a little?
ABSOLUTELY!
In today’s high tech society, almost every aspect of your background can be verified. Check and double-check dates. If you indicate that you have a degree, be able to prove it. Otherwise, if you are working towards a degree, indicate the expected date of receipt. |
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| 9. |
What do you do if you have gaps in your work experience?
General Rule: Tell what you WERE doing, as gracefully as possible--rather than leave a gap.
If you were doing anything valuable (even if unpaid) during those so-called "gaps" you could just insert THAT into the work-history section of your resume to fill the hole. Here are some examples:
- 1993-95 Full-time parent -- or
- 1992-94 Maternity leave and family management -- or
- Full-time student -- or
- Volunteer work at church/school -- or
- Parenting plus community service
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| 10. |
What if you have several different job objectives you're working on at the same time?
Then write a different resume for each different job target. A targeted resume is MUCH, much stronger than a generic resume.
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| 11. |
What if you have a fragmented, scrambled-up work history, with lots of short-term jobs?
To minimize the job-hopper image, combine several similar jobs into one "chunk," for example:
- 1993-1995 Secretary/Receptionist; Jones Bakery, Micro Corp., Carter Jewelers.
- 1993-95 Waiter/Busboy; McDougal's Restaurant, Burger King, Traders Coffee Shop.
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What's the best way to impress an employer?
Fill your resume with "PAR" statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results; in other words, first you state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what you did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results.
Here's an example: "Transformed a disorganized, inefficient warehouse into a smooth-running operation by totally redesigning the layout; this saved the company thousands of dollars in recovered stock."
Another example: "Improved an engineering company's obsolete filing system by developing a simple but sophisticated functional coding system. This saved time and money by recovering valuable, previously lost, project records." |
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What if you never had any "real" paid jobs -- just self-employment or odd jobs?
Give yourself credit, and create an accurate, fair job-title for yourself. For example:
- A&S Hauling & Cleaning (Self-employed)
- Household Repairman, Self-employed
- Child-Care, Self-employed
Be sure to add "Customer references available on request" and then be prepared to provide some very good references of people you worked for. |
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How far back should you go in your work history?
Far enough; and not too far! About 10 or 15 years is usually enough - unless your "juiciest" work experience is from farther back. |
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How can a student list summer jobs?
Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, such as "Spring 1996" or "Summer 1996" rather than 6/96 to 9/96.
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| 16. |
What if you don't quite have your degree or credentials yet?
You can say something like:
- Eligible for U.S. credentials
- Graduate studies in Instructional Design, in progress
- Master's Degree anticipated December 1997
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What if you worked for only one employer for 20 or 30 years?
Then list separately each position you held, so your job progression within the company is more obvious. |
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What about listing hobbies and interests?
Don't include hobbies on a resume unless the activity is somehow relevant to your job objective, or clearly reveals a characteristic that supports your job objective. For example, a hobby of sky diving (adventure, courage) might seem relevant to some job objectives (security guard) but not to others. |
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What if you got your degree from a different country?
You can say "Degree equivalent to U.S. Bachelor's Degree in Economics-Teheran, Iran." |
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