Students will find it useful to compile a resume and update it frequently. As such, ENG 202 will require them to begin their work of compiling one, despite the fact that the standard course textbook does not discuss how to do so.
A standard resume will list, in reverse chronological order, the writer's recent information in each of the following sections (omitting those for which the writer has no information):
Education
Licenses, Credentials, and Certifications
Work Experience
Honors and Awards
Community Involvement
References
Each section should be given a heading, set off by font size and, possibly, by an additional formatting concern. In addition, the top of the first page should include the writer's contact information. The bottom of the (common) second and (rare) subsequent pages should include the writer's name and the page number. Other formatting and stylistic concerns are discussed in class lectures, so attendance remains necessary.
It is not true that a resume must limit itself to a single page; those with longer work histories should indicate that work history. Even so, brevity is expected. Gaps in work experience should be accounted for in cover letters, unless they are readily indicated by other information on the resume.
The assignment will be graded based on 1) ease of reading and understanding of the resume, 2) completeness and accuracy of information throughout, and 3) adherence to the conventions of edited academic American English as discussed in the current edition of the MLA style guides throughout. (Please see the Purdue University Online Writing Lab for more information regarding those standards, here; be sure to follow MLA rules.) Each category will be assigned a grade, A+ through 0, and the average of those category grades will be recorded as the total assignment grade.
An example of the type of resume for which the assignment calls appears as a PDF document below.
The assignment must be submitted as an attachment via email to geoffrey.b.elliott@gmail.com prior to the beginning of class on the day the course calendar indicates the assignment is due. Acceptable file formats for the attachment are limited to Rich Text Format (.rtf) and Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx); no other file formats will be accepted. Typed hard copies may be submitted only with PRIOR approval of the instructor, offered on a case-by-case basis by direct consultation. Handwritten copies are not acceptable in any case. Failure to follow stated submission guidelines will result in the submitted assignment being discarded.
Students are reminded that appropriate citation must be provided for any externally referenced information, and all included information must be justified. That is, any time external information is included, there must be a reason, expressed along with that information, for its inclusion. Such materials must also be appropriately integrated into the student's writing. Acceptable standards for doing so appear on the Purdue University Online Writing Lab, here; be sure to follow MLA rules. FAILURE TO ACCOUNT FOR SOURCES IS PLAGIARISM AND WILL BE DEALT WITH HARSHLY.