Study how to make a resume

Resume Format

Choosing the format of your resume is a good place to start. There are three most common formats which will be discussed...Chronological, Functional, and Targeted/Combination.

Basic Resume Format

Our experience has found that interviewers prefer a reverse chronological format resume over a functional or other formats. What is a chronological format resume? Don't worry, in the following information we will tell you exactly what your resume should contain and provide you with an example resume to use as a guide.

When selecting paper, pick something white or ivory, these are standard and acceptable colors. Pages should be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches. It is very acceptable for your resume to be over one page. However, your resume should never exceed two pages.

1. At the top of the page, put your name. On the next line place your mailing address followed by city, state, and zip. To the right of your name and address, place your home phone number. On the next line place your work phone number. Now you are ready to begin the body of your resume.
2. In the first section of information, list your educational background. This section should be titled "EDUCATION". List the Degree and the year you received your degree on the first line. Second line should list the University your degree was received from and the city and state in which the University is located. If you received a Graduate Degree, you should list this prior to undergraduate work on one full line and list it in the same manner. If you have not fully completed your graduate work, list the amount you have completed.
3. The second section on your resume should be your military history. The grouping should be listed as "EXPERIENCE". Under experience you should list all military positions in reverse chronological order.

   First you should list, on one line, the date you began active duty to "present" (If you have already left active duty then list that date in the place of the word "present".) On that same line, place that branch of the service and location. Then, skip one full line.

4. Now, we want to explain the positions you have held. On the first line, list he dates when the positions were held and the title of the position. Then, in paragraph form, list the responsibilities of the position you held, the number of people you supervised and the type and amount of equipment for which you were responsible. After you have briefly covered the data, you must then cover the most important part of the paragraph. List the accomplishments, in a bullet format.

   Listing your accomplishments and the positive impact these accomplishments made is important for an interviewer. An interviewer must know more about you than accomplishments you attain and the results and impact of those accomplishments. It is the results of you accomplishments, on which an interviewer will judge your job performance and effectiveness. I'll stress this again, you must list your accomplishments, the results, and the impact of those accomplishments.

   Repeat the above section for each position you held in military.

5. The third grouping on your resume should be special classes or training you received. This section should be titled "SPECIAL TRAINING". To the right of the group title, list the name of the class / course and the date attended.
6. The fourth grouping on your resume should be involved honors / activities. This section should be titled "HONORS". You should list all honors, organizations, community service, offices held, etc.
7. The fifth grouping on your resume should be any military awards you received. This section should be titled "AWARDS". After the title, skip one line and list all awards you received.
8. The sixth grouping should list additional information. This section should be titled "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION". In this section you should list any important information that did not get mentioned in the previous sections of the resume. Such as: computer skills, foreign language skills, college expenses earned, etc.

Note: Do not include your reference names or say that references are available on request. It is assumed that they are. Do NOT use an "objective statement".

Chronological	Electronic	Combination
Detail work experience in reverse chronological order. Include work history and education. Easiest to prepare. Most favored by organizations - preferred by 83% of corporate human resource professionals.	Scannable Resumes are designed to be entered into a computerized database. The resume is read by a scanner and stored in text format. E-mail Resumes also deserve special attention to ensure an organized transfer of your information.	Focus on a position / job target. Present capabilities in support of that position. Permit you to prominently relate you ability to do the job even if skills and experience are not recent. Must research the position sought. Include job titles & dates of employment.

Sample Chronological Resume

Anita Job
341 Blossom Lane
Cherry Hill NJ 18109
(609)555-9554

ajob@camden.rutgers.edu

Objective:

Entrance into a Masters Degree program in Physical Therapy

Education:

Rutgers University, College of Arts and Sciences, Camden NJ
Bachelor of Science Degree, Biology - May 1997
GPA: Major 3.45 Cumulative 3.2

Honors:

Dean's List Spring 1995, Fall 1996
Outstanding Camden County Student Scholarship, 1993
Biology Student Achievement Award, Spring 1995

Experience:

Cherry Hill Rehabilitation Center, Cherry Hill NJ
Physical Therapy Aid June 1996 to Present

• Worked with elderly patients in geriatric rehabilitation center.
• Followed treatment strategy devised by physical therapists which included the use of passive exercise, compresses and ultrasound.
• Taught patients to use crutches, and wheelchairs to perform day-to-day activities.

Rutgers University, Biology Department Camden NJ
Lab Assistant September 1995 to June 1996

• Performed routine lab experiments as directed by supervisor
• Organized lab equipment, checked for safety of instruments, ordered supplies as needed.
• Cared for lab animals.

World of Science, Cherry Hill NJ
Sales Clerk October 1994 to May 1995

• Delivered courteous and prompt customer and sales service.
• Awarded Sales Person of the Month Award, December 1994.

Activities:

• Member, Life Sciences Club, Rutgers University
• Volunteer, Cooper Hospital

References available upon request

Scannable Resumes

A scannable resume is a resume designed to be entered into a computerized database. The resume is read by a scanner and stored in text form.

Guidelines:

·Type Font: 11-12 point-size is ideal, use courier typeface. Do not underline or use italic fonts.

·Design: Keep it simple. Avoid use of columns, boxes, lines, symbols, pictures

·Format: Minimize use of bullets, hyphens or dashes. Format neatly using capitalized headings. Left justify your paragraphs.

·Paper: Use paper white or beige paper and of average thickness. Do not staple multiple page resumes, put your name on the top of each page and if possible, send an unfolded resume.

·Key Words: For the traditional resume action verbs are used to describe responsibilities. For the electronic resumes use nouns to describe qualifications, not verbs. When employers search a database of resumes, they can only search by key words, and those key words tend to be nouns. Use nouns that are used to describe your industry. Industry jargon is OK for the electronic resume. Put yourself in the employers place. What words would you search on to fill the position you are applying for?

 

E-mail Resumes

Why use an e-mail format? Many different word processing applications exist ( such as WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, ClarisWorks, etc.) which operate on various computer platforms. This can make sending information difficult because you are unsure which specific program or platform the receiver uses to view documents.

What is ASCII Text? ASCII (American Standard Code Information Interchange) is a standard, common text language which allows different word processing applications to read and display the same text information. ASCII text enables anyone to construct an on-line resume so when prospective employers retrieve your resume via the Internet or e-mail, they will be able to view it no matter what kind of computer they are using.

STEP 1: To create an ASCII resume, all you need to do is type your resume using your favorite word-processing application, and then save it as a text only document (simple text for Mac users). This should be an option under your "save" or "save as" command. You can also use a text program to compose your resume.

Because ASCII will not recognize special formatting commands specific to your word-processing program keep in mind these following tips:

Special characters ("smart quotes," or mathematical symbols) -do not accurately transfer in text format.

Tabs- do not use tabs; use your spacebar instead.

Alignment - the default for ASCII is to make everything left justified, so if you want to

indent a sentence or center a heading, use the spacebar.

Word wrap - do not use this feature when composing your resume; use hard carriage returns to insert line breaks.

Fonts - fonts will become whatever a computer uses as its default face and size so boldface, italics, and various sizes will NOT appear in the ASCII version.

Spell check - check your document before you save it as a text file.

STEP 2: Once you have created your text file, copy or cut your text. Next, open your e-mail message. Put your cursor in the body of the e-mail message and use the "paste" command to bring in your resume. Check the resume again to make sure there are no errors. You may need to make some minor adjustment to the text at this point.

If you do not wish to cut and paste your resume, you can save the text file as an attachment and attach it to your e-mail message.

Finally, send your e-mail message. It is recommended that you practice e-mailing your resume by sending it to yourself or to a friend. This way you can see how it will look for the receiver.

Sample Electronic Resume

ANITA JOBB

34 Center Street

Seaville, NJ 08147

(609) 345-9327

ajobb@crab.rutgers.edu

 

OBJECTIVE

A position as a Public Relations Assistant

 

EDUCATION

Rutgers University Camden, NJ

College of Arts & Science

BA, May 1999

Major: ENGLISH

Minor: MARKETING

GPA: 3.40

Yankee Doodle Scholarship, Dean's list 3 semesters

Relevant Coursework: Public Relations, Writing, Journalism, Marketing, Research,

Communications, Non-Profit Public Relations

 

EXPERIENCE

Philadelphia Convention Center February 1998 - present

Philadelphia, PA

Marketing Intern

Assisted with promotional events surrounding the Jazz Festival

Wrote press releases

Conducted market research surveys

Created Festival brochure

 

The Learning Store March 1997 - Present

Mt. Penn, NJ

Assistant Store Manager

Supervised 5 employees, scheduled hours, trained, conducted performance evaluations

managed inventory, selected products to sell, created displays, performed inventory control

 

SPECIAL SKILLS

writing, public relations, communications, presentation, WordPerfect, Word, MacIntoch, PowerPoint,

HTML, events coordination, team player, Quark Xpress, Photoshop

 

ACTIVITIES

Reporter, The Gleaner, Rutgers University (1997-1998)

Writer-The literary Magazine Fund-raising, American Heart Association

 

Sample Resume: Chronological and Electronic

Ernest Money
32 Main Street
Cherry Hill, NJ 08067
(609) 555-4367

money@camden.rutgers.edu

Objective

Seeking a position as an Accountant.

Education

Rutgers University, School of Business, Camden NJ
B.S. Accounting, May 1997
Minor: Computer Science
Overall G.P.A. 3.6, Dean's List-Three Semesters

Professional Skills

Accounting

• Successfully completed a 2-semester intership at AccuCount, Inc.
• Skilled in all areas of accounting including accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll.
• Currently taking CPA course.
• Awarded "Best Intern", Spring 1997

Customer Relations

• Effectively interact with corporate as well as small business clients.
• Participate in client meetings.

Computer

• Skilled in Excel, Lotus, WordPerfect, and other word processing programs.
• Familiar with PC and Mac environments.

Employment History

Accounting Intern, AccuCount, Inc., Hometown, NJ, 9/96 - 5/97

• Worked closely with Lead Payroll Accountant in all daily functions.

Payroll Clerk, Price Squeezers, Nexttown, NJ, 4/95 - 8/96

• Assisted in the managment of payroll for approximately 75 employees.

Cashier, Price Squeezers, Nexttown, NJ, 6/94-4/95

• Served as cashier in busy food store.

Activities

Accounting Society, Rutgers University - Treasurer 9/96-5/97, Member 1/96-5/97
Computer Science Club, Rutgers University - Member 1/96-5/97\