how to write your resume

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2. RESUME means “summary”
A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills,
experience and education.
A goal of resume writing is to be brief and concise and
at best.
The resume reader will spend a minute or so
reviewing your qualifications.
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3. A Curriculum Vitae is commonly referred to as CV.
A CV means “course of life”.
It is a longer document with more than two pages.
It is a more detailed synopsis.
It includes a summary of your educational and
academic backgrounds as well as teaching and
research experience, publications, presentations,
awards, honors, affiliations and other details.
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4.  What are your career goals?
 What are your strongest skills?
 What are your major accomplishments?
 What can you offer a potential employer?
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5.  What can you do for a potential employer?
 What have you done in the past?
 Can you do it again?
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6.  1) Too long.
 2) Disorganized.
 3) Poorly typed and printed.
 4) Not enough information.
 5) Misspellings and typos. Poor grammar.
 6) Overwritten.
 7) Lists duties rather than accomplishments.
 8) Lacks focus and clarity.
 9) No telephone number. Address is not correct.
 10) Dishonesty.
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7.  Contact information
 Education
 Experience
 Skills
 Honors & Activities
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8.  Name
 Address(s)
 Phone number(s)
 Email address
 Website (optional)*
* If you have an online portfolio, you can also include the URL.
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9.  Degree
 Minors (also include certificates)
 University
 Date of graduation
 Higher education
 Optional information:
 Relevant coursework, study abroad experience, research
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10.  Job Title
 Company Name
 Company Location (City, State)
 Date(s) of Employment
Include paid jobs, internships, co-ops, unpaid experience
(club/organization offices, volunteer work, service activities)
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11.  Focus on results & accomplishments
 Quantify your experience
 Be concise
 List in reverse chronological order
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12.  Transferable skills:
 Skills learned during any activity in your life that can be
applied or “transferred” to a job.
 Examples:
 Ability to meet deadlines
 Ability to multi-task
 Writing and research skills
 Goal-oriented
 Ability to adapt
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13.  Academic awards and scholarships
 Membership in campus and professional
organizations
 Leadership positions
Be sure to include the date of the award or the dates of
participation in an activity.
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14.  Objectives are optional.
 Identifies your interests and place within a company
 Presents a focused, self-confident person
If you don’t know what you want to do, you shouldn’t include an
objective.
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15.  Keep it short.
 Be specific.
 Focus on what you can offer the employer.
 Include the job title or type of position and your top
skills that pertain to that position.
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16.  Emphasize experiences and accomplishments in brief
keyword phrases
 Include relevant academic, volunteer, and paid
experiences
 List as a bulleted list or in narrative form
 Does NOT take the place of a cover letter!
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18.  A curriculum vita -– often called a CV or vitae (plural)
 CV is a Latin word meaning “course of life”..
 A CV more detailed than a resume, usually 2-3 pages,
but can run even longer as per the requirement.
 Tend to provide great detail about academic and
research experiences.
 Where resumes tend toward brevity, vitae lean
toward completeness.
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19.  Typical vita categories or headings may include:
 Personal/Contact Information
 --name
--address
--phone number(s)
--email
 Academic Background
 --postgraduate work
--graduate work/degree(s), major/minors, thesis/dissertation titles,
honors
--undergraduate degree(s), majors/minors, honors
 Professional/Academic Honors and Awards
 Professional Development
 --conferences/workshops attended, other activities
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20.  Professional Licenses/Certifications
 Academic/Teaching Experience
 --courses taught, courses introduced
--innovation in teaching
--teaching evaluations
 Technical and Specialized Skills
 Related/Other Experience
 --other work experience
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21.  Research/Scholarly Activities
 --journal articles
--conference proceedings
--books
--chapters in books
--magazine articles
--papers presented/workshops
--work currently under submission
--work in progress
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22.  Grants
 Service
 --academic
--professional
--community
 Academic/Research Interests
 Affiliations/Memberships
 Foreign Language Abilities/Skills
 Consulting
 Volunteer Work
 References
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23.  CV longer than resume (usually one page)
 CV not tended toward brevity
 CV is prepared by an experiences person having
work experience.
 Focuses more on academic achievements and
experiences.
 Usually begin with short intro on fields of interest
 Summarizes research, publication, teaching
experiences
 Submitted in place of resume in Europe, Middle
East, Africa, and Asia
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