writing a resume

nice, since ill be working in the fall, i got this email.

This is the first of three emails to assist you on developing a resume,
cover letter, and some interview tips (resume samples are attached). Should
you have any questions about the W-S process, let us know!

In the attachments, you might immediately notice "Education" is at the
bottom. And most folks who do resumes tell you that at this stage of your
life/career, put "Education" at the top. And they're right...except for W-S
jobs. Because you're all Cal students, it doesn't distinguish you from the
competition (your fellow W-S students). So our advice is, for W-S jobs, put
Education at the bottom.

In working with students, we've often heard this, "I can't get a job; I've
never had a job." Then we begin going over what they have done, and job
skill after job skill pours out relating to their outside-the-classroom
activities.

And that is the key: breaking down all your academic, community service,
extracurricular, sports, and other activities into viable job skills. And
doing so in an organized and efficient manner. Keep in mind the following
scenario: someone hands your resume to the employer. Then that someone
lights the bottom of your resume on fire.

That's how long you have to impress the employer.

Avoid phrases such as "I'm a quick learner," "I work well with people," or
"I work well under pressure."

BE OBJECTIVE! Illustrate the same conclusion through a job duty. Try phrases
like:

"responsible for coordinating and directing incoming calls/visitors in a
sometimes high-volume, high pressure environment,"

And never use the personal pronoun "I" on a resume - it's a given that it's
you. Avoid using any personal pronouns unless absolutely necessary.

Stay away from double-edged words or phrases, such as "deal with
customers...," "deal" can come across like you weren't too happy to be
there. And even if you weren't, well, just keep it to yourself if you want
the job! Even without subjective words, it's important to make sure your
resume has an upbeat, if no nonsense, tone to it.

Do not use "etc." or copy and paste the same job duties for a second
job/activity. Using "etc." says, "you figure it out" or "I'm too tired to
tell you the rest..." and copying and pasting will make the employer think
you're wasting their time. Even if the duties for the two jobs/activities
were nearly identical, you have to describe one differently from the other.

So in one you might focus attention on a particular aspect (training) and
the other on a different aspect (results).

Here's an outline:

I.        Name
Only one of each: address, phone number, and e-mail that'll be easiest for
the employer to reach you. The goal is to not confuse the employer about
anything, even in the slightest!

*NEVER put your social security number on your resume. It is not needed by
an employer until you've been hired and are filling out the payroll papers
(and never send your SSN in an email or as an attachment).

II.        Skills/Qualifications:
Be VERY specific, wpm (words per minute typing), computer programs (name of
program, version, whether it's for Mac or Windows- the two most sought after
programs are Microsoft Word and Excel for Windows and lately, we see more
and more jobs requesting Powerpoint and Access.

Data entry, filing, phone reception (how many lines?), faxing, copying,
languages, etc. Do NOT leave out any programs, including web browsers and
email programs. The more you have on your resume, the better an idea they
can get of how fast you'll know your way around.

Tense of a resume: you can use a combination of present and past tense in a
resume (present for anything that's still going on, past for jobs/activities
that are over), or present tense throughout (both still going on and over)
but you have to maintain consistency. If you use present throughout, it will
be easier to update (you won't have to hunt through previous jobs to make
sure you change the tense from present to past).

Beware of adding "ing" to everything.  It sounds like a lullaby and puts the
reader to sleep ("faxing, copying, filing, mailing...zzzz...."). And if you
remove the "ing's" you don't lose anything and it's sharper.

III.        Work Section:
(Your) Job Title, Name of Company/Organization, City, State, Dates (about
dates, it should be Month Year - Month Year), Duties: more general than
skills, but don't leave anything out, keep asking yourself, "What else did I
do?" What degree of responsibility did you have? If you worked in a store,
did you open/close the store? That's a high degree of responsibility and
trust. Did you train new employees? That's "I work well with people"
(without saying it).

IV.        Achievement Section:
The "umbrella" title for extra-curricular activities such as student
government, academic awards, volunteer experience (treat like work
experience, "volunteer" was only your salary), and sports or music. Break
these down into job skills.

V.        Education:
Don't forget Cal! That's an achievement in itself.


Things to remember: never lie, never exaggerate, but don't overlook or
downplay achievements/job skills. Be direct, not vague.

Keep the resume down to one page, not on your rough draft (include
everything on a draft and then edit down), but the final version. When
looking at any section, such as academic awards, think in terms of what a
potential employer wants to see. "The Smith Award for Academic Achievement"
by itself doesn't say much, but put a dash and, "Faculty-nominated award for
a student with the most outstanding achievement in mathematics," aha!
That'll get the employer's attention.

Stylistically, you want your name bolded and in a larger point size, 14 or
16, address/contact info in 12, and body in 12 or 10 (never smaller than
ten). No need to copy the above exactly but make it easy for your employer
to read. Easy to read means being consistent throughout, align dates (Month
Year - Month Year is better than seasons/semesters, a la "Fall" or
"Spring"), and never, never have a typo or mistake.

Side note: Don't use the function "Justify" to format all the lines even
across the page. It may make your resume seem sloppy with extra spaces.

Your resume must be a perfect, beautiful thing...Really, not a typo, not a
misplaced comma, not a correctly spelled word used incorrectly ("there"
vs."their") anything that says "mistake," or "careless..." in the employer's
mind. You do not want your resume to become a "Where's Waldo?" with the
employer trying to find your next mistake.

Paper? Heavier and off-white. But most employers are asking for it via
email.

Bullets or diamonds? Stylish, but use them sparingly. Use them to highlight
a particular section. Placing bullets next to everything takes that away.
Also, never use them if you're emailing your resume in the body of the
email, they sometimes turn into question marks on the other end. If sending
your resume as an attachment, make sure you're specific about the job in the
subject heading and in the body of the email. Because of viruses, folks are
wary of attachments so you want to make it clear you're a W-S student
responding to their job ad.

Ours is not the last word on how to write a resume. Ask five people who work
with resumes on style and information and in all likelihood you'll get five
different opinions. Our formula is based on W-S specific jobs, asking
employers what they look for in a resume, and feedback from students
regarding getting interviews.

One employer said, "if we don't see something we can use within five
seconds, we toss it." Our advice/approach is to have the resume "hook" the
employer with your skills as soon as possible.