Composing Your Resume

• Write your résumé using a simple and direct style. Use

short, crisp phrases instead of whole sentences and fo
cus on what your reader needs to know. Avoid using t
he word I, which can sound both self-involved and rep
etitious by the time you outline all your skills and acco
mplishments. Instead, start your phrases with strong a
ction verbs such as these.
• The majority of résumés are now subjected to keywor
d searches in an applicant tracking system or other da
tabase, in which a recruiter searches for résumés mos
t likely to match the requirements of a particular job.
Name and Contact Informatio
n
• Your name and contact information constitute the h
eading of your résumé; include the following:
●● Name
●● Address (both permanent and temporary, if you’r
e likely to move during the job-search process)
●● Email address
●● Phone number(s)
●● The URL of your personal webpage, e-portfolio, or
social media résumé (if you have one).
Introductory Statement
You have three options for a brief introductory statem
ent that follows your name and contact information:
● Career objective.
● Qualifications summary.
● Career summary.
Whichever option you choose, make sure it includes
many of the essential keywords you identified in your
research—and adapt these words and phrases to eac
h job opportunity as needed.
Education
• If you’re still in college or have recently graduated,
education is probably your strongest selling point. P
resent your educational background in depth, choo
sing facts that support your professional theme.
• The education section should also include relevant t
raining sponsored by business or government organ
izations. Mention high school or military training on
ly if the associated achievements are pertinent to y
our career goals.
Work Experience, Skills, an
d accomplishments
This section can be called “Work Experience,” “Profes
sional Experience,” or “Work and Volunteer Experien
ce,” if you have limited work experience and want to
bolster that with volunteer experience. Like the educ
ation section, the work experience section should foc
us on your overall theme in a way that shows how yo
ur past can contribute to an employer’s future.
Activities and Achievements
• This optional section can be used to highlight activi
ties and achievements outside of a work or educati
onal context—but only if they make you a more attr
active job candidate.
• Because many employers are involved in their local
communities, they tend to look positively on applic
ants who are active and concerned members of the
ir communities as well.
Personal Data and reference
s
how a job applicant can put these guidelines to work
in three job-search scenarios:
1. Scenario 1: Positioning yourself for an ideal oppor
tunity
2. Scenario 2: Positioning yourself for an available o
pportunity
3. Scenario 3: Positioning yourself for more responsi
bility
Completing Your résumé
Completing your résumé involves
• revising it for optimum quality,
• producing it in the various forms and media you’ll n
eed,
• and proofreading it for any errors before distributin
g it or publishing it online.
REVISING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
• Revising your résumé for clarity and conciseness is
essential. Recruiters and hiring managers want to fi
nd key pieces of information about you, including y
our top skills, your current job, and your education,
in a matter of seconds.
• Remember the fundamental purpose of the résumé
—to get you an interview, not to get you a job. The
ideal length of your résumé depends on the depth
of your experience and the level of the positions for
which you are applying.
PRODUCING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
• Choosing a Design Strategy for Your résumé
• Considering Photos, Videos, Presentations, and infog
raphics.
• Producing a Traditional Printed résumé.
• Printing a Scannable résumé
• Creating a Plain-Text File of Your résumé
• Creating a Word File of Your résumé
• Creating a PDF Version of Your résumé
• Creating an Online or Social Media résumé
Creating an Online or Socia
l Media résumé
• Remember that your online presence is a career ma
nagement tool.
• Take advantage of social networking.
• During the application process, don’t expect or ask
employers to retrieve a résumé from a website.
PROOFREADING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
Your résumé is one of the most important documents
you’ll ever write, so don’t rush or cut corners when it
comes to proofreading. Check all headings and lists f
or clarity and parallelism, and be sure your grammar,
spelling, and punctuation are correct. Double-check a
ll dates, phone numbers, email addresses, and other
essential data. Ask at least three other people to rea
d it, too. As the creator of the material, you could sta
re at a mistake for weeks and not see it.
DISTRIBUTING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
Beyond that, here are some general distribution tips:
●● Mailing printed résumés.
●● Emailing your résumé.
●● Submitting your résumé to an employer’s website
.
●● Posting your résumé on job websites.