Résumé
Résumé
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Whether you decide to pursue a career or college path, a résumé is important to have and often is needed. A résumé summarizes who you are, including but not limited to, your experience, what you can do, and your unique skills, talents, and abilities. You will usually need one if you are applying for a job, an internship, or scholarship, and one may even be needed for a college application.
Misconceptions
Misconceptions
The résumé is just a way to show work history.
No one really reads résumés.
Writing complete sentences is usually frowned upon.
The Education section should be at the bottom, placement of sections does not matter.
Employers only want to see paid work listed on résumé.
Reality
Reality
The résumé is your highlight reel. It’s showcasing your best of the best.
Employers look for what is wrong. It’s easy to résumés with a lot of errors.
The résumé reveals your critical thinking and thought process abilities.
The placement does matter.
Employers define experience as how you practice the knowledge and skills learned in class.
1) Efficiency & Efficacy
1) Efficiency & Efficacy
Let’s face it! It is challenging to write a résumé on one page. It is emotionally draining to face the past and it is frustrating to guess what employers even want. However, there are ways to get around these difficulties:
Spend 20-30 minutes a day, not all-day.
Start with pen and paper. Why? Because writing is better for memory recollection than a computer.
Use the tools below: Experience Chart or Story Map for each of your experiences. Why? It helps organize facts, recalling facts faster, and increases efficiency for writing. Also can be used for interview preparation. *Note*: This method can be used for Education as well with slightly different questions.
Research the position you’re applying for. Please refer to the Career Path page and use the ONETonline.org, My Next Move, and Washington Career Bridge. These websites are rich in data. Look for the following:
Tasks: What needs to be done?
Tools & Technology: What are the equipment that need to be operated?
Knowledge: What do you know and what do you need to learn?
Start drafting sentences. Limit your sentences to one idea per sentence and keep them evident. Mention the frequency of a task(daily, weekly… etc.) and use the appropriate tense (past, present). It is okay to have long sentences.
Lastly, read aloud. Review your final product with someone who can ask you questions and/or give feedback.
Story Map
Story Map
Tell you work experience as a story. The Title can be your job title, the Author/Illustrator is you! You don't need to say that in the resume though. Characters are the audience, for example, Customer Service Reps deal with external customers all the time however, managers deal with customers and coworkers. Settings, just like in any story is the place and time of the job. Problem, is the issue/concern or the matter to be maintain; Solution, is the resolution provided for the issues. Refer to job descriptions to identify the problems and solutions.
Experience Diagram
Experience Diagram
Draw a diagram that helps putting together the details of the jobs accomplished. A visual can answering the following questions:
What did you do? The job title
For Whom/what organization? The employers name, use the official name on paystubs.
How Long? The duration of the job, normally duration are listed as Month/Year not specific dates required unless asked so keep track of your starting days.
Main responsibilities, tasks, and accomplishments? Refer to job descriptions to identify the job responsibilities and tasks.
2) Sections of your Résumé
2) Sections of your Résumé
Information Header:
Do not include your address. This has been discussed among recruiters, employers and HR. In this digital age and safety for personal information, no one needs to know where you live. Also, sadly, there have been incidents where discrimination occurred based upon where one lives, such as can they get to work living so far away? So, let’s prevent any potential biases and remove your address!
Summary:
The Summary is normally three to five sentences, high-level look at accomplishments, or unique skills. It's recommended working on this last because after writing, your mind should be refreshed and ready.
Education and relevant coursework:
This section immediately signals to recruiters you are in school or recently graduated. Otherwise it is assumed that applicants have 3-5 years of experience out in the working world after graduation. Education at the top is important!
Your GPA does not need to be included on the resume.
Experience:
Employers want to learn how you practice the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom that relate to your field of study or even better, the job you are aiming for.
Skills:
The Skills section should always be last. Why? Because recruiters quickly refer to that location and expect to see it there when reviewing thousands of resumes.*
3) Formatting
3) Formatting
Below is a description of three different formats: (See Figure 1)
Format A:
This format is a typical layout with sections that are organized for the reader.
Summary is asterisked and is discussed at the end of the section descriptions on purpose.
Format B:
This can be helpful if you have little to no experience directly related to your career interests. Only the upper-level class titles should be utilized here. The lines represent visually how the classes should be neatly presented.
Notice you can either choose the ‘Experience’ section layout to look like A or C depending on how you would like the recruiter to obtain the information.
Format C:
This layout is great in allowing the recruiter to quickly see your experiences that are more relevant to the job. By organizing in this manner, it allows relevant experiences to be brought to the forefront, which would otherwise be buried if using the typical format (Option A).
4) Résumé Glossary
4) Résumé Glossary
A: Achieved, Acted, Adapted, Adjusted, Administered, Advanced, Advised, Altered, Analyzed, Appraised, Arranged, Assembled, Assessed, Audited.
B: Balanced, Budgeted, Built.
C: Calculated, Calibrated, Categorized, Charted, Classified, Coached, Collected, Combined, Communicated, Compiled, Composed, Computed, Conducted, Configured, Consolidated, Constructed, Consulted, Contrasted, Controlled, Converted, Convinced, Coordinated, Counseled, Counted, Created, Cultivated.
D: Decided, Decreased, Defined, Delivered, Demonstrated, Designed, Detected, Determined, Developed, Devised, Diagnosed, Differentiated, Distributed, Documented, Doubled, Drafted.
E: Edited, Eliminated, Encouraged, Engineered, Enhanced, Ensured, Established, Estimated, Evaluated, Examined, Executed, Expanded, Expedited.
F: Facilitated, Filed, Filled, Forecasted, Formulated, Fostered, Fulfilled.
G: Gained, Gathered, Generated, Grew, Guided.
H: Handled, Headed, Hired.
I: Identified, Illustrated, Implemented, Improved, Increased, Influenced, Informed, Initiated, Inspected, Installed, Instituted, Instructed, Integrated, Intended, Interviewed, invented, Investigated.
L: Launched, Lectured, Led, Liaised, Logged.
M: Maintained, Managed, Manufactured, Marketed, Measured, Mediated, Mentored, Migrated, Minimized, Monitored, Motivated.
N: Negotiated.
O: Obtained, Operated, Orchestrated, Ordered, Organized, Originated, Oversaw.
P: Performed, Persuaded, Planned, Posted, Prepared, Prescribed, Presented, Priced, Processed, Produced, Promoted, Proposed, Protected, Provided, Purchased.
R: Realized, Received, Recommended, Reconciled, Recorded, Recruited, Redesigned, Reduced, Referred, Removed, Reorganized, Repaired, Reported, Represented, Researched, Resolved, Restructured, Revamped, Reviewed, Revised, Revitalized, Routed.
S: Scheduled, Selected, Separated, Served, Serviced, Set up, Simplified, Sold, Solved, Specified, Started, Strategized, Streamlined, Strengthened, Studied, Summarized, Supervised, Supplied, Supported.
T: Tested, Tracked, Trained, Transformed, Translated, Troubleshot.
U: Updated, Upgraded
V: Verified.
W: Weighed, Wired, Won.
Where to save my Résumé ?
My School Data is available through school district student information systems. The electronic platform used the format in the OSPI Career Guidance WA High School and Beyond Plan template to provide career interest inventory, postsecondary choices, pre-populated 4-year course plan with state assessments, and captures activities, experiences, résumé, and academic plans, with the ability to upload other documents. Parent access and school counselor tracking tools are also a part of this digital format. This digital plan can follow students who transfer to other middle and high schools in our state.
Use Skyward login credentials to access “My School Data”
Use the following username and password to access the Resume Builder Tool
Username: career.center@ferndalesd.org
Tool Password: FHScc@502
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