Transcript Professional affiliations Publications or projects

Writing an Effective Resume
Writing Consultant Presentation
EG 1003: Intro to Engineering and Design
NYU’s Polytechnic School of Engineering
Writing an Effective Resume
 Why you are writing
 Organization
 Presentation
A resume gets you an interview
 Find out which applicants are suitable
 Choose a small number of
candidates to interview
 Same issue for proposals
and grant applications
Stand out from the crowd
 Include interesting and
unique information
 Attempt best effort to make
a first impression
 No chance to explain if you
do not get an interview
Writing an Effective Resume
 Why you are writing
 Organization
 Presentation
Summary of sections
Name
Address, telephone number, e-mail address
Objective
Education
Experience
Achievements and awards
Skills
Professional affiliations
Optional
Publications or projects
Start with contact information
 Name (bold, not underlined)
 Address
 Telephone number
 Email address
Objective
 One or two sentences
 Type of position (part time, full time, summer
internship)
 What position would you like to find?
 Emphasize how you will use your skills, not what you
want to gain
Use the objective to stand out
Do not be needy:
Objective: To obtain a position that will allow me to
advance my potential while seeking new challenges.
Show what you will contribute:
Objective: An entry-level position in mechanical
engineering where strong leadership ability and good
communication skills are needed.
Objective: Vice-president of aerospace engineering in an
agency where extensive knowledge of thermodynamics
and heat transfer are needed.
Education in reverse chronological order
Include schools attended beyond high school
List major and minor(s), supply interesting details
For Poly, put the expected date in parentheses:
Polytechnic Institute of NYU
B.S. Electrical Engineering
(Anticipated graduation: June 2011)
Include special or interesting aspects of your program
Experience also in reverse order
Dates of employment (2003–present)
Name and location of the company (Con Edison, Brooklyn)
Add specific detail that shows your organization,
cooperation, responsibility with action
Calling this section Experience allows you to include jobs for
which you were not paid. Include:
 military service
 internships
 volunteer positions
Achievements and awards
 Dean’s list
 Scholarships
 Grants
 Prizes
 Nominations
 Professional societies
 Significant accomplishments
 Committees and leadership roles
Use the skills section
Software programs and proficiency (Word,
PowerPoint, Excel, FrontPage, AutoCAD …)
Programming languages (include Visual Basic,
HTML, PHP, …)
Abilities (based on experience)
Languages and language ability
Writing an Effective Resume
 Why you are writing
 Organization
 Presentation
Create an effective layout
Try to interest your reader visually
A clean, professional format with a little style
Extra white space makes it easy to read – set margins
Use tables to line everything up
CHRISTOPHER LESLIE
222 Nothing Street, Apt. 999, Noplace, NY 00000 • (718) 260-3130 • [email protected]
Experience
Document Specialist
FMCG
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Paralegal
Anthony Santoni, Esq.
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• Cover light phones and typing part-time
• Prepare and filed legal papers
• Perform consultations and intakes for new cases
Assistant Art Director
That New Magazine
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Create ads and layouts using an MCS typesetter and a Macintosh
Conceive and implement design overhaul for TheaterWeek
Design two-, three-, and four-color covers, inside pages, advertisements
Efficiently produce five magazines with four deadlines a week
Summer Intern
The Buffalo News
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Cover for vacationing staff on copy desk and in features department
Edit copy, proofread, design cover pages for sections on deadline
Write for book review and feature section
First intern ever selected from SUNY Fredonia
Intern and Stringer
The Post-Journal
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Report on three local governments and two school boards
Write hard news and features
Take photographs to illustrate stories
Cover police and court beat when assigned
Peer Tutor
SUNY Fredonia
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Tutor college students in writing and mathematics
Train in general program and a full-semester writing tutor program
Help train new tutors
Write computer program to analyze usage statistics
Prepare color flip-books and presentation materials for financial consultants
Edit and proofread marketing newsletters and monographs
Negotiate writer’s needs, English usage, firm style under deadline pressure
Modify stock images, clip art, and logos to meet writer’s specifications
Skills
• Advanced knowledge of PageMaker, Word, PowerPoint, Deltagraph, FileMaker
Limit font to two choices
For text: a serif font like Times
For headings: Arial or Helvetica are good choices to add
visual interest
Don’t choose non-standard fonts like Comic Sans or
Lucida Handwriting
Font size should be 11 or 12 point
Write concisely and vigorously
 A focused, targeted resume is best:
 Avoid the temptation to go more than one page
 Delete obvious information in order to highlight your
unique qualities
 Find specific, dynamic verbs:
 Use present (or past) imperatives
 Include each verb only once
 Consult online lists of “resume action words”
Make lists parallel
 Was responsible for staff of ten
 Present reports to consultants
 New reporting system was developed
 Leader of monthly staff meeting
 Coordinate monthly review
Make lists parallel
 Managed staff of ten
 Presented reports to consultants
 Developed new reporting system
 Led monthly staff meeting
 Coordinated monthly review
Use brief style like presentations
 Omit articles (a/an, the)
 Use more lists than sentences
 Arrange information in columns
Final thoughts …
 Choose the correct tense and use it consistently
 Do not ask for a particular salary
 Be accurate and honest
 Print it out! Do not attempt to proofread on screen
Writing an Effective Resume
 Why you are writing
 Organization
 Presentation