Resume Introduction

Standards Covered:

• • Standard 3b: Career Majors: Students who choose a career major will acquire the career-specific technical knowledge/skills necessary to progress toward gainful employment, career advancement, and success in post secondary program.

Objectives:

• • Students will be able to successfully create a resume attractive to potential employers in the field to which they will be applying.

  • Students will understand the use of an action verbs, and the correct language and tone appropriate for a resume to successfully gain an interview.

  • Students will be able to research careers and understand the skills and qualifications employers desire.

Materials:

• Sample resumes

• Computers with Microsoft Word & Internet (or similar word processing application)

• Projector and screen

• Resume worksheet

• Completed student autobiographies

Procedure:

• Hook: ask students to come up with two positive adjectives to describe themselves. If students are having trouble coming up with adjectives, have them focus on the challenge they overcame in their autobiography (to be used for the resume). (3 minutes)

• Have each student share their adjectives with the class, compiling a large list (5 minutes)

• Write on the board “If you were an employer, what would you want to know about a job applicant?” and “If you were a job applicant, what would you want your employer to know about you?” Allow the students to work in pairs or groups and assign one half of the room one question and the other half the other. Bring students back in and discuss what they came up with, writing results on the board and discussing how to match employer and employee needs. Note the similarities and differences between the answers of the two questions, and brainstorm solutions to merge any large gaps. (10 minutes)

• Resume Introduction: Introduce students to what a resume is, and it's corresponding parts. Explain how a resume is used by job applicants to sell themselves to their employers, and how a resume is an active document that is constantly changing as one gains new skills and experience. Provide sample resumes. (10 minutes)

• Provide sample resumes from other high school students; ask student to work in partners come up with strengths and three weaknesses for each resume on the provided worksheet, and rate the resume on a scale of 1-10. Have students share their reactions and grade with a partner and then with the class. (8 minutes)

• Closure: Perform a technology mini-lesson to teach students how to edit different fonts in Microsoft Word and add lines/shapes and relate it to different formats for their resumes. (8 minutes)

Evaluation:

• • I will be evaluating students on their participation in discussions, ability to understand effective language, ability to scrutinize and rate sample resumes.