Resume

Think of your resume as your personal marketing brochure. The purpose of a resmue is to get you an interview, not to get you a job. It should be complete and factual but reflect you in your best light. Resumes should normally be no longer than two pages - one page for recent college grads.  

Here are the 5 critical components.  

1. At the top block your name, address, phone numbers and email address. 

2. Begin with a compelling career summary highlighting your success factors. (may include your objective)

3. Next bullet key words for your transferable skills regardless of where or how you acquired them.  For example:  customer service, project management, sales and marketing, accounting, nursing, graphic design, IT technical support, etc. 

4. List your employment history in reverse chronological order.  Be sure to bullet both specifc accomplishments and results for each accomplishment - not just duties and responsibilities.   

5. List your education including relevant certifications, continuing professional education, computer skills, etc.

The most common resume format is chronological but don't hesitate to use a hybrid format, especially if you are leveraging transferrable skills.  Once you have a draft of your resume share it with your coach for feedback.  Create your resume in Word and name the document with your name; for example, Jane Doe Resume.doc   

Be sure to spell check!  For mailing or personal presentation layout, formatting and paper quality are important.  For submitting online applications you also need to an unformatted text version that can be copied and pasted.  For networking events such as job fairs we recommend a one page resume and/or business cards. 

A Note About Job Applications

Your resume is your marketing brochure and does not include compensation.   Job applications are legal documents.  Applications often request what you have been earning and/or salary expectations.  They may also request references.  Always be completely honest on both your resume and applications. 

Additional Resume Resources 

• Resume Now provides free templates you can use to create your resume . 

• Resume Resource provides sample resume with many practical tips on writing resumes and cover letters