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Then read this entire document below to the end to better understand how to do a resume. The guidelines for the assignment begin where it says in large font and in highlight: THE RESUME ASSIGNMENT. Finally, check out the Grading Criteria below the guidelines to see how your work will be graded.
Use only black ink for your resume as it is considered to be a professional standard in business; any other color used will lose points in formatting.
How to Format the Resume
Let’s begin with the Resume Header which consists of the person’s full name and contact sources such as a street address, phone number, and an e-mail address. Your name should be a size just a little bigger than the rest of your resume so that it stands out, but not awkwardly large. The best font sizes to use for a resume overall is Times Roman 11 or 12; therefore, your name on top could be 14, or just simply in all caps and in bold but the same size as the rest of your resume. Make sure to have a professional e-mail address, not one that would be good for your friends and family, but awkward in the business world–I think you know what I mean.
The important headings your resume should contain:
EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS, and CERTIFICATES and AWARDS (as one heading, if you have any relevant to the job for which you are applying).
Since most of you are now college students and may not have extensive or even any full-time job experiences, you may want to use the Functional Resume format (see Chapter 16). If using a Chronological Resume format (most commonly used), it may be best to begin with your Education credentials then your Employment or Work Experience.
For Education, mention in chronological order where you are now in your education status; for instance:
Business Major, Santa Monica College, Associate of Arts, Expected date of Graduation June 2020. Courses taken in Business Communications, Marketing, and Accounting.
Don’t mention high school since you are in college now (even if you are still in high school and taking this college course, begin with this college); start with your most current college.
EMPLOYMENT: begin with your current or latest job. Write the name of the company, the city and state it’s located in—not the full address; your job title (Payroll Clerk/Server/Cashier, etc.); the duration of your employment (February 2019–Present, or February 2019—January 2020, etc.). Example:
ABC Corporation Assistant Bookkeeper
Santa Monica, CA January 2019-March 2020
[NOTE: Although the above appears to be double space (Canvas glitch), it should be single spaced when you write yours.]
Most important thing to remember when doing this part is to use action words to start each sentence as you describe what you accomplished in the job—not what your job description is/was. Accomplishments mean what did you do very successfully, think of the times your boss or coworker complimented you on a task, a time when you knew you did something really well and were proud of yourself. Also use numbers or percentages whenever possible as quantifying accomplishments seem more credible. Here are two examples:
Generated multiple leads to three salespeople in the company one month by proactively reaching out to existing clients during inside order taking, resulting in a 20 percent increase in revenue for that quarter.
Assisted the bank’s branch manager with several difficult tasks, including client contact, as were required during a shortage of regular staff; thereby allowing the branch to maintain its smooth operations.
Use closed bullets or numbers only when listing things such as the above.
SKILLS: (Review my Summary Notes carefully in Announcement to understand the difference between skills and attributes.)
Hard skills such as computer/language can be measured and quantified such as “Knowledge of Java, Oracle, and MS Access.”
Note: If you write MS Office, it will imply that you know all the software applications of Microsoft Office which include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access; you may be tested on each. Therefore, it’s best to clearly state only those which you feel confident about such as perhaps MS Word, etc.
Soft skills cannot be quantified or measured, but they are still considered to be important skills, such as leadership skills, multitasking skills, communication skills, etc.
Attributes are personal traits or characteristics such as “strong team-player”, “ability to get along with others”, “strong work ethics”, etc. These are not considered as skills as they cannot be measured; therefore should not be mentioned on a resume, but can be mentioned during an interview. Remember, the purpose of a resume is to get the interview, and the purpose of an interview is to get the job.
For the skills section you need to mention mainly any computer and language skills you have (the hard skills) and you can write them in this manner (example only):
Computer Skills: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Java, Oracle, and QuickBooks.
Language Skills: Fluent in Bengali, Spanish and French; competent in Hindi; knowledge of Japanese, Russian, and Hebrew.
(Make sure that it’s the truth because you will likely be tested on whatever hard skills you include on your resume.)
Below the Awards and Certificates heading, mention only things that are relevant to the job you’re seeking. If you won the Olympics in Swimming but are not looking for a job as a Swimming Coach, don’t mention it on the resume; do it during the interview process if it makes sense to do so.
Okay to mention College GPA if 4.0 or higher than 3.6, but NOT High School GPA. Most of today’s job market requires at least some college background; and since you are all in college now taking this course, you need to mention college and any other higher education you had or have.
Similarly, making the Dean’s List in college is worthy of a mention on a resume, but not for high school unless the company is hiring fresh out of high school applicants.
THINGS NOT TO DO ON A RESUME
No “I” statement. DO NOT use any pronouns (I, you, s/he, we, etc.) on a resume.
NO PERSONAL INFORMATION such as weight, height, eye or hair color, divorced or single, religious affiliation, political viewpoint, etc. Believe it or not, people do; I have seen quite a few in my 25 years of working for companies before I went into teaching.
Treat the resume as a technical document, a professional tool to get you the interview. Use the interview to get the job.
Never include a photo of yourself attached or included with your resume in the U.S. unless required. I have seen that too, passport size photos of the applicants attached to their resumes. This is not required at all in the U.S. unless asked for specifically as in perhaps a government or some type of security job.
Don’t mention hobbies on a resume.
NEVER include your Social Security number or any Identification Number such as your Driver’s License number on your resume.
Do not use any odd e-mail address, suitable for your friends only; use an e-mail address that is more professional and earns you respect and credibility.
Avoid using P.O. Box for your mailing address as a potential employer may think you are homeless—it’s the sign of the times these days–and become biased against you. You can rent mail boxes that will give you actual street address and a unit number (your mailbox #) making it seem like an apartment address if you don’t have an original street address.
Do not use colored ink or colored paper: Use only black ink (not even blue) and white or off-white paper when printing —this is a business standard. Keep it professional in appearance.
Using ASCII Files for Resumes (Not for this assignment)
Although most employers prefer Microsoft Word or pdf files for resumes from job applicants, some prefer ASCII files as they may use resume screeners. Do some research before sending out your resume to see what format the company prefers. ASCII resumes do not have any graphics such as bullets, bar lines, etc. Open the link below for more information:
How to Create an ASCII Resume
Links to an external site.
FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT USE WORD ONLY OR PDF, NOT ASCII FILE.
Avoid drawing bar lines across the page. Also, avoid cluttering the resume page.
Do not pay anyone to write your resume. The Internet has thousands of templates and “How To’s” for you to follow, including YouTube videos.
THE RESUME ASSIGNMENT
Now write a one-page resume and post it to complete this assignment. First go through the strategy I laid out at the beginning, that is do an inventory on yourself first, what are your marketing skills and your knowledge level, what things do you have that a potential employer is looking for in the person they hire, etc. Use any template you wish, there are many on the Internet, and a few in your book, but try to keep your name as the first item on your resume; all other information including contact source should be at a lower level from your name. You name should be in a slightly bigger font size than the rest of your resume. Stick to just one type of font to avoid confusion. This are just suggestions, not requirements.
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