jimtrue.com : school : CUL137 : CH23: Write Your Resume

Posted by Jim True on July 21, 2009 11:36 AM. Last Updated July 21, 2009 11:36 AM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

CH23: Write Your Resume

Quote of the Day: If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Confucius Due Next Week: Resume Draft

What is a resume

• An advertisement that makes the reader act
• Living document
• Concise summary of your skills, education and experience
• Sales Tool
• Your definition of YOU

Resume writing requires

• careful thought and planning
• is a vital part of your job search
• maximum effort on your part

Types of resumes

• Chronological
• Functional (pretty much "out"
• Combination

Chronological

• Most Common Format
• Lists your most recent employment and continues down to earlier positions
• Career Summary or Elaborate Description
• Continuous Employment history
• Related Employment History

When you use Chronological format

• Reasonable/good career continuity
• Reasonable/good career progression
• Reasonable/good job stability
• When employment history is related to/supportive of current job search objective

When NOT to use Chronological

• Poor career continuity
• little or no career progression
• Poor record of employment stability
• little or not related work experience or career change
• frequent gaps in employment

Functional

• to highlight your skills and accomplishments rather than your work history
• lists things you are good at doing at the top of the page and then summarizes the jobs you have held at the end

When you use Functional format

• Little or no employment history
• major negative information that could keep you from getting the job
• lack of promotion
• constant career or employer changes
• long periods of unemployment
• lack of relevant experience

Combination

• Utilized both chronological and functional components
• Lists your most recent employment and continues down to earlier position, but includes responsibilities as well
• Continuous employment history
• Related employment history
• Significant accomplishment

Your resume should be:

• Typed
• Laser printed on quality paper
• Clean
• Neat
• Error free
• Accurate
• Concise
• Updated
• Proofread... proofread ... proofread
• Cover letter

Your Resume should include

• Your full legal name and address
• Your contact information
• Cautiously utilize a cell number
• E-mail address (regularly checked)
• Education
• Employment History
• Accomplishments worth mentioning
• Reference section

Summary Statement

• Overview that captures the essence of your skills/education/experience
• Highlights what makes you a qualified candidate and what sets you apart
• ALWAYS direct the summary to the job you are interviewing for

Limited or Non-Existent Employment

• Everyone has employment experience of some type
• Why should someone hire you?
• What do you have to offer?
• If you can not figure this out for yourself, an employer is not going to seek you out.
• FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS

Describe the kind of experience you DO have

• Long-term child care
• Helping a friend or family member at work or internship
• Committee or organizational activities and leadership roles
• Special duties at home
• Pro bono work
• Volunteer work

Employment History:

• Respectable ositions or positions that are related should be highlighted
• Be honest
• Do not burn any bridges - EVER!
• NEVER badmouth a former employer, employee or place of employment

Personal Data:

• Do Not Include:
• • Marital Status
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Health
  • Age

Format:

• Strongest points first

"the primary effect"

• You may include that you are:
• Bilingual
• Able to relocate
• Hobbies or interests ONLY if it relates to the position
• Accomplishments

Accomplishments:

• Employment related
• Improved performance, reliability, customer satisfaction, increased efficiency, sales, etc.
• Personal
• GPA
• Community Services
• Honors and Awards
• Perfect Attendance, Dean's List, Honor Roll, etc.

Summary:

• Include contact information
• Check your summary
• Does it correlate with the position?
• Perfect grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Strongest statements on top
• Does it sell you?

Summary continued:

• Stress achievements and accomplishments
• Education
• Accurate Degree
• GPA only if over a 3.0
• High school history omitted unless relevant
• Experience
• Internships, volunteer work
• Non-Related is okay

Culinary Degree Details

• How should your degree look on your resume?
• International Culinary Schools at the Arts Institute of Tampa, Diploma in Baking & Pastry, July 2009, GPA, Dean's List
• Should you put our ServSafe certification
• (yes!), License #

General Notes

• Resume must be pleasing to the eye
• Avoid excessive use of "I"
• Hobbies only if related
• DO NOT include a photo reference contact information, personal information, prior employment contact information or salary history
• A human resources manager or recruiter will take about 10 seconds to look over your resume
• Make sure it is easy to follow and eye catching

Common Mistakes:

• Misspellings, typographical or grammatical errors
• Disorganized information
• Poorly formatted (e.g. fonts, tabs, etc)
• Paragraphs and sentences
• Not result oriented
• Inappropriate information
• No cover letter
• Boring

HOMEWORK

RESUME Draft Exercizes:

• 3 jobs/3 employers
• Target 3 jobs (positions) that you would like to look into when you graduate
• Target 3 employers who would have your position when you graduate
• Prefer an ad, but find company and position that you'd like to look into

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.