Resumes

RESUME BUILDING

What is a Resume?

• A self-marketing tool where you highlight your qualities, skills and experiences with the goal of obtaining an interview

• A work in progress – you should continually update your resume as you finish school, change jobs, receive awards, etc.

What should I Include in my Resume?

1. Contact Information

2. Personal Profile

3. Objective Statement

4. Skills and Abilities You’ve Developed

5. Your Education

6. Work Experience (including Co-op experience)

7. Extra-Curricular Activities

8. Volunteer Experiences

9. Achievements

10. Certifications you’ve earned

11. Hobbies and Interests

12. References

How do I determine the skills I have to offer? If you are not sure what your skills are, you may want to complete a skills inventory to know what you can offer an employer. Use the following links to help identify your transferable skills :

• Ontario Skills Passport

• Services for Youth

What if I don’t have specific work experience or little work experience? You can use extra-curricular accomplishments and skills to land a job in a related area of interest. Maximize your experience, include volunteer work and show your range of skills and abilities. Try to incorporate words or phrases from the job listing into your resume as this is a great way to catch your prospective employer's attention. Employers realize that students/interns do not have a lot of working experience, so it is okay to include past volunteer experience or projects you have completed. What if I have some work and volunteer experience? List any work experience you’ve completed (e.g., formal work experience programs at school). Start with the most recent experience and work back from there. Tell your story to “sell” yourself and your skills to a potential employer.

Top 10 Resume Tips for Students

1. Think ahead - Avoid waiting until the last minute to hand in your resume, or you could miss the deadline and risk not being considered for the job! In fact, some employers have been known to close applications even before the deadline because they have already found a suitable candidate.

2. Tailor your Resume – Make sure you include information in your resume that is relevant to the job you are applying for. Try to eliminate skills that you have little familiarity with. Make sure you are prepared to answer questions about the skills you put on your resume in the interview.

3. Chunk it out – Use headings to separate your information, and make it more visually appealing.

4. Use action words – Focus on your accomplishments and describing how you were successful. For example, rather than writing: "For my final-year project, I had to carry out a survey of patients' attitudes of health care services for the elderly. This involved interviewing patients in hospitals and in their homes. A database was used to keep track of data collected. This project was finished on time and was awarded a 2.1 grade." You should instead write: "Devised and prepared a survey of patients' attitudes to health care services for the elderly as my final-year project. Interviewed 70 elderly patients and obtained a substantial amount of data. Created a database to analyse and interpret this material. Completed this project three weeks ahead of schedule and achieved a 2.1 grade."

5. Proofread – Have multiple people review your resume to avoid mistakes. It will look extremely unprofessional if a resume contains spelling or grammatical errors.

6. Make it presentable – Your resume should be clean and organized. Choose a font that is easy to read such as Arial or Times New Roman and use font size 12.

7. Keep it concise – Keep your resume as short as possible, 1-2 pages at the most.

8. Be honest – Never lie on your resume. If your employer finds out that you were dishonest, you could lose your job. You should be prepared to talk about any skills or experiences you put on your resume. You can been questioned by an employer about any information you put on your resume.

9. Be professional - Your resume is a business document, so make sure that you use professional language and design.

 Where can I go to find job postings?

There are many places you can go to find job postings or get help in your job search:

• Parents, friends, family – ask around! Let people know you are looking for a job, what your skills are, and what you would like to do. Many jobs are not officially posted. This is called accessing the "Hidden Job Market"

• Use the myBlueprint Job Search tool to explore real-life jobs and volunteer positions in your region. These postings are aggregated from 10 different websites including Indeed, Workopolis, TalentEgg, and many more!  

• Newspapers – look for the jobs section or in the classifieds

• Internet – try a Google search for "jobs" to discover various job websites

• Local resources – Youth Employment Services, libraries, Service Canada

• Ask your Guidance Counsellor for many more helpful resources! 

Ready to get writing? Click here to access the myBlueprint Resume builder and start writing your very own resume. Don't forget to check out  the Resume builders different formats, so employers know you're a professional too!

For more information on writing a resume, sample resumes, templates and helpful tips, visit the Government of Canada’s Services for Youth website or the Youth Central website.

Please see the Writing A Resume Visual weblink below to learn more about creating your own resume: