This document provides an overview of resume basics for career counseling interns. It defines a resume as a summary of one's experience, education, and qualifications used to secure an interview. The purpose is to introduce the applicant to potential employers and secure an interview. Effective resumes are easy to read, use standard fonts and formatting, and highlight relevant skills, experience, and achievements tailored to the job in a chronological, functional, or combination format. Cover letters and references should accompany the resume.

1. RESUME
BOOTCAMP
Career Counselor Intern
Jamie Garrett

2. WELCOME TO RESUME
BOOTCAMP!
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 What is a resume?
 What is the purpose of a resume?
 Resume Basics
 Resume Formats
 Resume Content
 Samples
 Cover Letter
 Resume FAQ

4. WHAT IS A RESUME?
 First impression
 Summary of experience, education, and qualifications
 Reflects uniqueness
 SALES AD!!

6. PURPOSE OF A RESUME
 An introduction to the employer
 Secures the interview, not the job
 A bad resume may prevent you from getting the interview
 Reminder: Interview secures the job
 Employer uses to screen applicants to fill a need
 Tip: Identify how you have or will fill that need throughout your resume

7. RESUME BASICS

8. APPEARANCE
 Easy to read – concise. Proper balance of white space and text
 Standard font styles and sizes – Helvetica or Arial sizes 10 – 12
 TIMES NEW ROMAN IS OUT OF DATE
 Page margins can range from .5” – 1”
 Length: 1 – 2 pages maximum
 Tip: If you use 2 pages, fill the 2nd page
 Create visual impact to guide the reader
 Tip: If copying and pasting in a text box, remove formatting
 Use 8.5 x 11 quality bond paper
 No colors - White, light tan, or beige is appropriate

9. ORGANIZATION
 Information should be listed in order of importance
 Employers scan resumes in 6 – 10 seconds
 Tip: Fold resume in half…this information is seen first by employers
 Tailor resume to the job description
 Tip: Use job description wording
 Tagcrowd.com is excellent for discovering word frequency
 Templates
 Pro: Quick data entry, and is already formatted
 Con: Cannot customize format, and may limit your information

10. WRITING STYLE
 Begin sentences or statements with a power verb
 Can use past or present tense
 Tip: Maintain same tense throughout resume
 Keep it short, sweet, and simple – no unnecessary words
 Task, how it was demonstrated, and results, outcome, or purpose
 Quantify when possible – provides context and makes it a WOW statement
 Always proofread
 Have more than one person, and if possible, someone in that field proofread
your resume

12. DO NOT…
 Include personal information (age, sex, race, religion, marital
status, SSN, etc.)
 Use pronouns such as I, me, or my
 “My” is appropriate to use in an objective
 Do not write in the 3rd person (i.e. Jamie accomplished….)
 Include a photo
 Could lead to first impressions, either positive or negative
 Include references, or state “references available upon request”
 Should be on a separate page, and bring to the interview anyway
 List work history more than 10 to 15 years old

13. RESUME CONTENT

14. CONTACT INFORMATION
 Name, city/state/zip code, phone number, and e-mail
 Make sure email is proper for work (i.e. hotmama69@aol.com is awkward and
unprofessional)
 Voicemail or answering machine should be professional and brief
 “Hello, you have reached Jamie. I apologize I missed your call, but please leave a
message and your contact information, and I will get back to you as soon as
possible. Thank you.”
 No screaming children, loud music/television, or barking dogs in the background
 Include your LinkedIn profile link
 This allows employers to familiarize themselves with you
 Adds a personal touch
 Showcases that you are “up to date” with technology

15. OBJECTIVE OR PROFILE?
Objective Profile
 State position you are applying
to
 Company name
 Experience or skill you can
bring to the next position
 Example: “Seeking a position as a
career counselor at Golden Sierra
Job Training Agency where my
passion and experience in guiding
individuals will help them choose
a satisfying occupation through
career exploration.”
 Uses a tagline or title
 i.e. Career Counselor
 Try to make your profile
statement no longer than 4-5
lines long. The goal is to make
it short and powerful.
1. Experience/education/job-specific
skills
2. Area of expertise
3. Contribute to the specific
employer

16. SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
 Summarizes relevant skills, experience, and professional qualities
 Hard skills
 Soft or transferrable skills
 Personal qualities
 Experience, knowledge, skill, ability, & PQ
 Identifies key achievements to support the objective
 Can include items such as level of proficiency with computers or
foreign languages
 Should be listed on every type of resume

17. EDUCATION & TRAINING
 Placement is key
 Recent graduate, list at the beginning
 Not recent, list towards the end
 Begin (beyond high school) with the most recent first
 E.g. M.S., B.A., A.A.,
 Can remove graduation date to avoid age discrimination
 Mention relevant certificates, licenses, courses, honors, special
awards
 Membership in professional associations could be listed in a
separate category, or within education

18. WORK EXPERIENCE
 Chronological order (most recent first)
 Job title, company name, city, state, and dates of employment
 List tasks in order of importance tailored to the job
 Each statement should begin with a power verb
 *Remember – task, how it was demonstrated, and result, outcome, or
purpose

19. RESUME FORMATS

20. CHRONOLOGICAL
 Most common format for emphasizing work experience or
education
 Best suited for someone with a strong history of experience
related to the job
 Can showcase employment gaps or “job hopping”

22. FUNCTIONAL
 Emphasizes relevant skills rather than employment history
 Suitable for someone changing careers, gaps in employment, or
limited experience
 Placement of employment history is listed towards the bottom
 Employers might wonder if you are trying to hide information, or
may feel like they are not getting “the whole picture” with specifics

24. COMBINATION
 Combines features of chronological and functional
 Highlights skills AND employment history
 Suitable for someone with temporary work, volunteer experience,
or varied employment history
 Could highlight frequent job changes, and give the employer a
pretty good idea of your age

26. ELECTRONIC
 Simple, text-only, no graphics or formatting
 Allows for the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
software for quick scanning
 Keywords and phrases are crucial
 Use job announcement words
 Requires research of the job, and specific key words. Challenges
uniqueness of your resume.

29. COVER LETTER
 Introduces you and your resume – keep to 1 page
 Allows for more personalization and explanation
 Can use personal pronouns
 Information not included in the resume could be placed in the letter – saves
space in the resume
 Use same elements as your resume
 Header, font, format, etc…
 Order of self-marketing documents
1. Cover Letter
2. Resume
3. References

32. RESUME FAQ
 Do I have to include a cover letter?
 Yes! Be on the safe side…resumes might not be considered without a cover
letter, even if it is not required
 Is one format preferred over another?
 Chronological is the typical resume; however, utilize what showcases your
strengths
 Do I have to keep it to one page?
 For succinctness, one page per degree OR 10 years of experience; 2 pages if
needed
 How many references?
 Job description may ask for a specific number; however, 3-4 contacts is
appropriate
 Name, job title, company, address & phone number, personal association
 Any additional questions?

33. YOU HAVE COMPLETED
RESUME BOOTCAMP!
CONGRATULATIONS!