2. What is a resume?
A brief document that summarizes your:
▫ Education
▫ Employment history
▫ Experiences
that are relevant for a particular job.
The purpose is to get an interview!
3. Facts about Resumes
Employers take about 35 seconds to look at
a resume before they keep or discard it!
• Needs to be persuasive and perfect.
• No shorter than one full page.
• No longer than three pages.
• Maintain a general resume but be prepared to
tailor it to a specific job.
4. Designing the Resume
• Conform to the conventional format
• Be consistent
▫ Use same font and size for all headings and text
• Use Emphasis but don’t overdo it
▫ Bold
▫ Italics
▫ Capitalize
▫ Underline
▫ Color
▫ Choose one not all
5. Essential Sections
• Contact information
• Education
• Experience
Place strongest/most relevant section
closest to the top of the page!
6. Additional Section: Recommended for
Health Care Professionals
• Instrumentation Skills
▫ Proficient in the use of Slit Lamp, Tonometry,
Lensometer . . .
7. Optional Sections
• Objective statement
• Computer skills
• Languages
• Certifications
• Honors/Awards
Only if relevant!
8. Contact Information
• What is the best way for you to be contacted?
▫ Home phone
▫ Cell phone
▫ Email
• Record appropriate voice mail greeting
• Use an appropriate email address
9. Education
• List most recent schooling first
• Names of schools you have attended
▫ Don’t list high school, unless particularly relevant
• Location of schools
• Date of graduation
▫ actual or anticipated
• Degree(s) earned
• Grade point average
▫ If over 3.0
10. Experience
• List most recent experience first
• Names of companies you have worked for
• Location of companies
• Position title
• Dates of employment
• Description of responsibilities and duties
Don’t forget volunteer & intern
experiences too!
11. Make non-relevant experience relevant
Sales Associate, Hot Topic, Miami, FL 3/1/09 – Present
Responsibilities
▫ Conduct sales transactions
▫ Interact with customers
▫ Track inventory and stock shelves
Skills Learned
▫ Interpersonal communication
▫ Marketing and sales
▫ Money transactions
▫ Following directions
12. Make your descriptions parallel
Before After
• Recording OSHA regulated • Recorded OSHA regulated
document documents
• Material purchasing and • Conducted material
expediting purchasing and expediting
• Prepared weekly payroll • Prepared weekly payroll
• Responsible for charge orders • Processed charge orders
13. Things to avoid
• Colored Paper
• Photographs
• References to
▫ age
▫ religious preference
▫ political preference
▫ hobbies
