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Building and Writing a Resume
In this module, you will learn the basics of writing a professional resume, and strategies to make your resume stand out amongst the competition!
Resume or Curriculum Vitae? What's the difference?
The short answer is length. CVs are longer and more detailed than resumes. A resume is a brief (1 to 2 page) document that highlights why you're right for a particular job. A CV is a complete rundown of your career and accomplishments.
Curriculum Vitae (CV) is Latin for "course of life."
In contrast, resume is French for "summary."
Creating Resumes
A resume is the summary of your education, employment history, skills and accomplishments. It is the story of you. It is also a living document because it will change every time you acquire new knowledge, a new skill or a new job.
The purpose of a resume is to give a prospective employer a snapshot of what you have done and what you have the ability to do. When combined with a cover letter, it becomes an effective marketing tool - one that is marketing you!
A resume should make a good first impression and make the employer want to know more about you. How can you accomplish this?
Make it short: it should be no more than one or two pages.
Organize it: the information should be coherent and presented in an attractive and tidy way.
Focus it for the employer: show how your skills and accomplishments can benefit an employer.
Have proof: be able to prove every statement about yourself with a specific, recent example.
3 Main Types of Resumes
Chronological
Chronological
Lists education, skills, and experience in reverse chronological order (the most recent experience first) with the focus on relevant experience.
Skills Based
Skills Based
Lists skills and talents in order of importance. This form is more suited to those with limited experience.
Combination
Combination
The most common format combines prominent skills and relevant experience with the most recent history presented first.
Resume Information
Some students don't feel that they have enough information to put on a resume, but you may be surprised! You have many transferable skills that you use in your life that you may not even be aware of. In all of your educational and extra-curricular activities you develop skills - the trick is just restating those skills into those that employers want!
Employers who are looking for employees still in high school are not going to expect to see too much on a resume. The examples listed below, from sites around the world, show that lack of experience is common among most high school students:
Resume example from SD#71
My first resume from careerfaqs.com.au
Sample resume High School - from about.com
Two samples High School - from alec.co.uk
The idea that you need to keep in mind is that each year you are building on your experiences. Your resume should document your growing experiences, so keep a copy of it to adapt over time. Always remember the companies or organizations you have worked for or volunteered with, and the first and last names of those people you would like to use as references.
You can compare the difference between high school students and college students through these examples:
College resume sample 1 from the Senaca College, Ontario
College resume information from BCIT
Keeping track of your experiences will save you time when you start doing the work needed to complete your Capstone, required for graduation in British Columbia. A well documented resume can form the outline for some of your Capstone Project.
Assignment
Step 2:
Writing the resume. Now that you have gathered your information, it is time to create a more formal resume.
The following links are examples of resume layouts. You are welcome to use any of these or choose your own.
Need a template? Try any of the following:
Google docs - resume template
Microsoft word - resume and cover letter templates
SUBMIT
Submit your completed assignment in your Advisory block Google Classroom
Due: Monday, March 31, 2025
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