Resume Basics 1102 Tech

What Is a Resume?

At its heart, a resume is a marketing tool meant to sell yourself, your experiences, and your skills. You don't want to just blandly list what you've done--you want to demonstrate yourself as a strong candidate for a particular role and organization.

While it is a best practice to keep a generalized resume at the ready, since you never know when you might need it, it's also important to tailor your resume to the position for which you're applying. For example, if you're applying to a service job, you would probably want to highlight any retail/service work you've done. In other situations, however, you might need to remove that kind of work experience in favor of other roles you've held.

Some Fast Facts On Resumes

Did you know...

• The average recruiter spends only 6 to 7 seconds looking at a resume?

• Around 63% of recruiters like to get resumes tailored to the job position?

• 88% of resumes are rejected because of a photo on the resume?

• Only 2-3% of resumes ever result in an interview?

Source: https://teamstage.io/resume-statistics/

Key Components Of a Resume (Part I)

Personal Information

Include your full name, location, and contact information (email, cellphone number). Make sure to use an appropriate email address!

Objective Statement or Summary

This is a short introductory statement at the beginning of your resume, usually stating your goals for employment and highlighting your strongest qualities as a candidate. Objective statements should be relevant to the job you are applying for and generally should not be more than a couple sentences.

Key Components Of a Resume (Part I)

Skills & Qualifications

This section provides an overview of your skills using key words. You can cite skills that are 10+ years old, but make sure they are relevant to the job you're applying for (e.g., you could include "proficient in Microsoft Office programs" for jobs that require the use of computer applications like Word and Excel). The Skills & Qualifications section can contain both "soft" and "hard" skills.

Soft skills are personal habits or traits that define how you work.

Soft vs. hard skills

Hard skills are technological knowledge or training that you have aquired through your career or education.

Key Components Of A Resume (PART II)

Education

List the degrees, diplomas, or certificates that you have obtained or are still working on obtaining. Always start with your most recent. Include information such as program title, school name, location, and years attended. (If you are still enrolled in the program, you may list the end date as "present.")

How should you list "being a student" on a resume?

If you are currently in school, there are ways you can emphasize what you're learning and achieving and translate them to the workplace. You may choose to list your GPA, relevant coursework, clubs and organizations, and honors and awards if they are relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Example Student Resumes

Key Components Of A Resume (Part III)

Professional Experience

List jobs in reverse chronological order (i.e., start with your most recent, just like in your Education section). Include the name of your position, the company name, and its location, followed by four or five bullet points describing your main responsibilities for that position.

Worked at front desk.

Using Strong Words Matters!

Assisted customers with scheduling and executed various clerical tasks, such as processing paperwork and transferring calls.

Some Action Verbs For Resumes

• Administered
• Advocated
• Advised
• Analyzed
• Arranged
• Assessed
• Attained
• Built
• Briefed

• Clarified
• Coached
• Coordinated
• Corresponded
• Created
• Cultivated
• Delivered
• Demonstrated
• Designed

• Developed
• Documented
• Earned
• Enhanced
• Executed
• Expanded
• Explored
• Ensured
• Facilitated

• Forged
• Formulated
• Fostered
• Gained
• Generated
• Guided
• Headed
• Identified
• Implemented

Some Action Verbs For Resumes Cont'd

• Inspected
• Interpreted
• Introduced
• Investigated
• Itemized
• Launched
• Managed
• Mentored
• Modeled

• Modified
• Motivated
• Operated
• Organized
• Overhauled
• Produced
• Promoted
• Proposed
• Recommended

• Reduced
• Reorganized
• Resolved
• Revamped
• Revitalized
• Reviewed
• Screened
• Secured
• Simplified

• Spearheaded
• Supervised
• Taught
• Tracked
• Trained
• Tested
• Updated
• Upgraded
• Visualized

Key Components Of a Resume (Part III)

Volunteer Experience and/or Honors and Awards

These sections are valuable to include provided they're relevant to the job for which you're applying. Follow the same format as you would for Professional Experience. If you do not have anything to include here, don't worry! While found on many resumes, these sections are not essential.

What Is ATS?

ATS stands for "Applicant Tracking Software," and many employers use these types of programs to pre-screen applicants' resumes. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 98% of Fortune 500 companies, 66% of large companies, and even 35% of small organizations use an ATS. This means that robots are very likely to get a hold of your resume before an actual human does!

Employers may enter specific keywords that the ATS scans for when reading resumes. Sometimes they may also enter "disqualifying statements" or "knockout questions," which automatically eliminate applicants regardless of what the rest of their resume contains. Consequently, it is extremely important that you pay attention to the key words in a job description and use that exact wording as much as possible when composing your resume and cover letter.

Source: https://gohire.io/blog/how-many-companies-use-applicant-tracking

What Do You Think?

Best Resources For Finding Resume Templates

You absolutely do not need to start from scratch to create a good-looking resume! The following resources have some excellent templates you can use for free:

• Resume Companion: https://resumecompanion.com/resume-templates/

• Resume Genius: https://resumegenius.com/resume-templates

• Microsoft Word: Both the desktop app and the Office365 version come preloaded with many simple, easy-to-use templates.

• Canva: https://www.canva.com/resumes/templates/ (Great option for if you're feeling more creative and are applying to a job that would allow for a more unique resume.)

Additional Resources

Here are some great websites that offer tips on writing resumes, cover letters, and navigating the job application process in general:

• Indeed.com Career Guide: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job

• Indeed.com Resume & Cover Letter Advice: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters

• ResumeGenius' 2023 Guide for Writing Resumes: https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/how-to-write-a-resume