Transcript Ask Other People to Comment on Your Resume

Technical Writing
Resume
What is Resume
 A resume is a brief summary of your
abilities, education, experience, and
skills.
 Its main task is to convince
prospective employers to contact
you.
 A resume has one purpose: to get
you a job interview.
Characteristics of Resume
Resumes must do their work quickly..
 your resume must quickly convey that
you are capable and competent enough
to be worth interviewing.
 The more thoroughly you prepare your
resume now, the more likely someone is
to read it later.
Steps to write the Resume
 Gather and check all necessary information
 Match your experience and skills with an
employer's needs
 Highlight details that demonstrate your
capabilities
 Organize the resume effectively
 Consider word choice carefully
 Ask other people to comment on your resume
 Make the final product presentable
 Evaluate your resume
Gather and Check All Necessary
Information
Write down headings such as
OBJECTIVE, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE,
HONORS,SKILLS,ACTIVITIES,REFERNCE
Objective
To obtain a ______ position in the area of
______ (write this infinitive phrase to
target the audience of this resume)
This infinitive phrase is often reworked by
the author to target different audiences
and purposes.
EDUCATION
 usually means post-secondary, college and
university.
 If you are just starting college, you can
include high school as well.
 List degrees and month/year obtained or
expected; names and locations of schools;
major and minor, if any; grade point average.
 A brief summary of important courses you've
taken might also be helpful.
EXPERIENCE
 Includes full-time paid jobs, academic research
projects, internships or co-op positions, part-time jobs,
or volunteer work.
 List the month/years you worked, position, name and
location of employer or place, and responsibilities you
had. As you describe your experiences, ask yourself
questions like these:
– Have I invented, discovered, coordinated, organized, or
directed anything professionally for my community?
– Do I meet deadlines consistently?
– Am I a good communicator?
– Do I enjoy teamwork?
HONORS
List
any
academic
awards
(scholarships, fellowships, honors list),
professional awards or recognition, or
community awards (i.e. for athletic
skills).
SKILLS
List computer languages and
software, research, laboratory,
teaching
or
tutoring,
communication,
leadership,
or
athletic, among others.
ACTIVITIES
 List
academic,
professional,
or
community organizations in which you
hold office or are currently a member;
 List professional and community
activities, including volunteer work.
 Listing hobbies is optional.
Match Your Skills and Experience with an
Employer's Needs
 POSITION: What kind of position do you want for this
job-search? Make notes. Now match your wishes up
with positions that are actually available (postings, ads,
personal contacts, or your own research).
 EMPLOYER: For a certain position, what aspects of
your education, experience, or skills will be most
attractive to that employer? List SPECIFIC coursework,
areas of specialty, specific skills, or knowledge that you
think would interest the employer.
Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone Number
FAX (if applicable)
Email Address
http://web.address/ (if applicable)
Objective
To obtain a ______ position in the area of ______ (write this infinitive phrase to target the audience of this
resume)
Education
Name of Degree on Which You Are Working, Expected Month/Year
University
Overall GPA: X.XX/4.00
Targeted GPA (if beneficial): X.XX/4.00
Name of Next Most Recent Degree, Month Year (if applicable)
University or College
Overall GPA: X.XX/4.00
Targeted GPA (if beneficial): X.XX/4.00
Relevant Courses
Most Relevant Course
Second Most Relevant Course
Third Most Relevant Course
Fourth Most Relevant Course
Fifth Most Relevant Course
Sixth Most Relevant Course
Experience
Most Recent Position, Company, Location
(Month/Year–Month/Year)
Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate)
Next Most Recent Position, Company, Location
(Month/Year–Month/Year)
Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate)
Third Most Recent Position, Company, Location
(Month/Year–Month/Year)
Verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Second verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed
Third verb phrase that identifies key activity that you performed (if appropriate)
Honors/Awards
Most Impressive Honor or Award
Second Most Impressive Honor or Award
Third Most Impressive Honor or Award
Fourth Most Impressive Honor or Award
Activities
Most Impressive Activity
Second Most Impressive Activity
Third Most Impressive Activity
Fourth Most Impressive Activity
Outside Interests
One outside interest, a second outside interest, perhaps a third outside interest
Organize the Resume Effectively
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Top center of first page. Name (no title);
addresses; phone numbers; e-mail and/or fax
addresses (optional); citizenship if applicable.
Example
AHMED ALI
273 East Sixth Street
Gaza, Gaza Strip 47401
(970) 286-4557
[email protected]
EDUCATION
Often comes first in student resumes,
especially if it is a strong asset.
Example
Islamic University Of Gaza (Gaza Strip)
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Expected June 2006)
Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Computer Science
EXPERIENCE
Here, you can use one of two formats:
Functional or Chronological
 Functional
To emphasize skills and talents, cluster your
experience under headings that highlight these
skills: for ex.: leadership, research, computers,
etc. This format can be helpful if you have little
relevant job experience
Continue Experience
Chronological:
To emphasize work experience, list jobs
beginning with the most recent. Some hints:
 Write all job descriptions in parallel phrases, using
ACTION verbs
 List the most important responsibilities or
successes first
 Emphasize collaborative or group-related tasks
Example of Experience
Gaza Electric Company (Gaza, Gaza Strip)
Research Assistant intern, Summer and fall 2004
Assistant manager of corporate planning and
developed computer model for long-range planning
Ali Corporation (Gaza, Gaza Strip)
Technician May,2003 to May, 2004
Use variety of test equipment to troubleshoot, repair
and test precision electro-mechanical and electronic
instruments in a team environment.
AWARDS/HONORS
Use reverse chronological order; include
titles, places, dates.
Example
Dean’s List- IUG,3.88 grade point average of possible 4.
Senior Honor Society- IUG, 2004
ASAI Scholarship 2003-2004, Islamic University of Gaza.
SKILLS & ACTIVITIES
Generally, list hobbies, travel, or languages only if
they relate to your job interests. In some cases, you
may wish to emphasize your willingness to travel or
relocate
Example
Computer: Verilog HDL & Matlab in unix environment,
Assembly,Pspice, Fortran,C++, will be learning Java
Proven record of outstanding performance and dependability with
increasing responsibility, both in teams and in stand alone
projects.
Willing to relocate, love all kind of sport, speak & write French well
Member Of IEEE.
REFERENCES
You need not put these on your resume. Write a
separate list of references, with complete name, title,
company name, address, and telephone numbers for
each individual.
Example
Available upon request
CREATING YOUR DRAFT
 Look at other resumes written for
positions within your field.
 TYPE each entry in a format close to
the one you want to use for your
resume.
 LENGTH: for many resumes, two pages
is the maximum length
Consider Word Choice Carefully
 In a resume, you need to sound positive and
confident: neither too aggressive, nor overly
modest.
 For a list of typical verbs used in resumes see
page 602 in your text.
 Examples:
accomplish;
achieve;
analyze;
adapt;
balance;
collaborate;
coordinate;
communicate; compile …
Ask Other People to Comment on
Your Resume
It STRONGLY RECOMMEND that
you have an advisor, potential
employer, or someone in your field
critique your resume.
Make the Final Product Presentable
Use a computer and
(preferably laser) printer
high-quality
Evaluate Your Resume
 Hold your resume at arm's length and see
how it looks. Is the page too busy with
different type styles, sizes, lines, or boxes?
 Is the information spaced well, not crowded
on the page?
 Is there too much "white space"?
 Is important information quick and easy to
find?
CONTENT
 Check Name and address
 All entries highlight a capability or accomplishment
 Descriptions use active verbs, and verb tense is
consistent; current job is in present tense; past jobs
are in past tense
 Repetition of words or phrases is kept to a minimum
 Capitalization, punctuation, and date formats are
consistent
 There are NO spelling errors
ORGANIZATION
 Your best assets, whether education,
experience, or skills, are listed first
 The page can be easily reviewed:
categories are clear, text is indented
 The dates of employment are easy to
find and consistently formatted
 Your name is printed at the top of each
page
FORMAT/DESIGN
 No more than two typestyles appear;
typestyles are conservative
 Bolding, italics, and capitalization are used
minimally and consistently
 Margins and line spacing keep the page from
looking too crowded
 Printing is on one side of the sheet only
 The right side of the page is in "ragged"
format, not right-justified. Right justification
creates awkward white spaces
AHMED ALI
273 East Sixth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
(913) 321-4557
[email protected]
Employment Objectives
An engineering position with potential for increasing responsibilities in which to apply my education and technical experience .
Education
Islamic University Of Gaza (Gaza Strip)
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Expected June 2006)
Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Computer Science
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
Gaza Electric Company (Gaza, Gaza Strip)
Research Assistant intern, Summer 2004 Assistant manager of corporate planning and developed computer model for longrange planning
Ali Corporation (Gaza, Gaza Strip)
Technician 2003 to 2004
Use variety of test equipment to troubleshoot, repair and test precision electro-mechanical and electronic instruments in a team
environment.
AWARDS & HONORS
Dean’s List: 3.88 grade point average of possible 4.
Senior Honor Society, 2004
ASAI Scholarship 2003-2004, Islamic University of Gaza
SPECIAL SKILLS & ACTIVITIES
Computer: Verilog HDL & Matlab in UNIX environment, Assembly, spice, FORTRAN, C++, will be learning Java
Proven record of outstanding performance and dependability with increasing responsibility, both in teams and in stand alone
projects.
Willing to relocate, love all kind of sport, speak & write French well
Member of IEEE.
REFERENCES
Available upon request
Now you're done!
You can find Resume
examples in your text in
pages 598-601