UNIT1ＷritingAWinningResume1-1SampleEngineeringResume1-2Words&Expressions1-3ReadingMaterial1-4Exercises

Overview

Thedefinitionofresume

Introductiontoresumewriting

KeyPoints

Understandingthefundamentalconceptsofresumewriting

Knowingthestepsofresumewriting

Masteringhowtocreatearesume

Keywords:

resume,sectionsofaresume,resumeformat

1-1SampleEngineeringResume

Aresumeisasummaryofyourexperiencesandskillsrelevanttothefieldofworkyouareentering.Ithighlightsyouraccomplishmentstoshowapotentialemployerthatyouarequalifiedfortheworkyouwant.Itisnotabiographyofeverythingyouhavedone.Itspurposeistogetyouaninterview.Aresumecan(andoftenshould)reflectmorethanjustyourpaidworkexperience.Currentstudents,inparticular,shouldconsiderincludingthedetailsofyourmoreimportantextracurricular,volunteerandleadershipexperiences.Tailorseparateresumestofiteachcareerfieldinwhichyouarejobsearching.Somepeoplecreateslightlydifferentresumestailored

toeachjobopening.

Sample1

Sample2

1-2Words&Expressions

extracurricularadj.學(xué)校課程以外的，課外

embeddedsystem嵌入式系統(tǒng)

programminglanguages編程語言

object-oriented面向?qū)ο?/p>

circuit電路

assembly匯編

software軟件

hardware硬件

LAN局域網(wǎng)

eligibilityn.適任，合格；被選舉資格

accountabilityn.有責(zé)任，有義務(wù)，可說明性；會計責(zé)任；可計量性；責(zé)任制

internshipn.<美>實習(xí)醫(yī)師，實習(xí)醫(yī)師期

chronologicaladj.按時間的前后順序排列的；編年的

prolongvt.延長，拉長；拖延，延期

GPA?=?GradePointAverage平均分數(shù)

transcriptn.抄本；謄本；打字本；副本

1-3ReadingMaterial

WritingAWinningResume

STEP1Makealistofyourvariousactivitiesovertheyears.

Studentsshouldlistpaidwork,volunteerpositions,extracurricularactivities,(especiallythoseinwhichyouhadaleadershiprole)andinternships.Studentsshouldgoasfarbackasfourorfiveyears.

Evengraduatingseniorswilloftenhaveoneor,occasionally,twoitemsfromhighschoolontheirresume.However,theremaybealsosomanyexperiencesfromcollegethatmaynotneedtoincludeexperiencesfromhighschool.Alumnimayalsolistvolunteer,leadershipandcivicactivities,especiallythoseinwhichyouhadaleadershiproleorthosethatindicateskillsrelevanttothecareerfieldyouarepursuing.

STEP2Writeaparagraphabouteachimportantitemonyourlist.“Importantitems”wouldincludemostpaidwork,internships,extendedvolunteeractivities,andactivitiesinwhichyouhadaleadershiprole.Don’tworryaboutthewordingofyourparagraphsatthispoint—fornow,theydon’tneedtofitthestandard“resumelanguage.”Describeaccomplishmentsaswellasduties.Anexampleofadutymightbe“Imaintainedtencomputers,loadingnewsoftwareandresolvingproblemsasneeded,”

whileanexampleofanaccomplishmentmightbe?“Icreatedtwoself-pacedpowerpointpresentationstotrainpeopleinourofficeonthenewcompanysoftware,anditwassosuccessfulthatmymanageraskedmetopresentittofiveothermanagersinthecompany.”

NOTE:Youwilleventuallychangeyourwordinginto“resumelanguage,”droppingany“I’s”andmakingyourphrasesmoreconcise.Fornow,usewhateverlanguageyouwant.

STEP3Picktheitemsthatyouwillhighlightoremphasizeonyourresume.

Givethissomethought!Considertwofactorshere:

1)Whatareyourgreateststrengths,andhowcanyoudemonstratethosestrengthsthroughyourexperience?

Allemployersvaluecertainqualities:teamplayer;goodcommunicationskills;leadershipabilities.Inaddition,youhaveparticularskillsthatyouconsideryourstrongpoints,youwouldgenerallytrytobringthosetolight,aswell.(Ifyouwanthelpunderstandingyourskills,werecommendyouspeakwithacareeradvisor.)

2)Whataretherequirementsandneedsofthisparticularindustry,thisparticularemployer,andthisparticularjob?

Here’sanexampleoftheneedsofanindustryandajob:

Advertisingindustryaccountexecutive:theindustrytendstovaluecreativity,highenergy,andtheabilitytoworkinahectic,deadline-drivenenvironment.thejobofaccountexecutivedemandsthatyoubedetail-oriented,goodwithpeople,andabletohandlemanyprojectsatonce.

Yourtask,then,wouldbetodemonstratethosequalitiesthroughtheactivitiesdescribedonyourresume.

NOTE:Youmaywanttocreatesomewhatdifferentresumesfordifferentjobs.

STEP4Createthesectionsofyourresume.

NOTE:Whatfollowsistheformatforachronologicalresume,byfarthemostcommonformofresumeinusetoday.Occasionally,alumniwhoarechangingcareersorre-enteringtheworkforceafteraprolongedabsencemayfindthatafunctionalresumeismoreappropriate.

1.?NameandAddress

Putyournameinatleast14-point.Recruitersoftenmustlookthroughstacksofresumesinsearchofaparticularone.Makeiteasyforthemtoseeyourname.

Ifyouarestillinschool,besuretoincludebothyourschooladdressandphonenumber,aswellastheaddressandphonenumberwhereyoucanbereachedduringschoolvacationsorafteryougraduate.

Includeyoure-mailaddress.Ifyoucheckyoure-mailduringschoolvacations,youmaywanttocentertheaddressonyourresumeinawaythatimpliesitisnotjustassociatedwithyourschooladdress.Besuretohaveaprofessionalemailaddressforyourjob/internshipsearch.Employersmaybeturnedoffbyyourgreatguy@emailaddress.Alsoavoidtheemailhyperlinkunderyouremailaddress.Thelineunderyouremailshouldnotbeincluded.

Avoidunnecessarypersonalinformationsuchasmaritalstatusanddateofbirth.

2.?Objective/Keywords/Summary

Anobjectiveisoptional.Ifyouhaveworkedoutaclearlytargetedjobobjective,thendefinitelyincludeit.

Avoidpronounsandflowerylanguage.

Focusonwhatyouhavetoofferratherthanonwhatthejobcanofferyou.Thismaysoundbackwards,butemployersarenotsomuchinterestedinwhatyouhopetogetoutofajobwiththem,somuchastheywanttoknowwhetheryoufittheirneeds.

EXAMPLE:

OBJECTIVE:Editorialassistantpositioninpublishingindustry,utilizingmyacademicbackgroundinliteratureandmythreeyearsofexperiencewritingforcampusandlocalnewspapers.

Ifyouarenotclearonyourcareergoals,youprobablyshouldnotincludeanobjectiveonyourresume.Youshouldworkwitha

careeradvisortofocusyouinterestsandobjectives.

Ifyouareapplyingforaninternship,youprobablyshouldnotincludeanobjectiveonyourresume.

IMPORTANT：Resumesthataresenttoanemployerby

e-mailorthatareenteredontoaformontheWebmayenduponaresumedatabase.Whenrecruitersseekresumesfromthesedatabases,theytrytomatchcertainkeywordsappropriatetoaparticularcareerfield.

Particularlyforjobseekerswithexperienceinthatcareerfield,itisimportantthatyourresumecontainsomeofthosekeywords.Clickheretolearnmoreaboutresumekeywords.

Experiencedjobseekers,especiallythosewithtworesumes,sometimesincludeaSummaryofQualificationssectionatthebeginningoftheirresume.IFyouchoosetoincludeaSummary,itshouldbeconcrete(e.g.“fiveyearsmanagementexperienceinthehealthcareindustry,”etc.),anditshouldincludeasmanyappropriatekeywordsaspossible.

3.?Education

Thissectionalwaysgoesfirstonyourresume,aslongasyouareinschool.

Ifyouarestillanundergraduateandapplyingforaninternship,listyourhighschoolbelowBostonCollegeinthissection(freshmenandsophomorestudents).

NOTE:Yoursignificantactivitiesfromhighschoolcanbelistedinthissection,thoughmanystudentsbenefitmorefromlistingthoseinmoredetailintheirExperienceorActivitiessections.

Ifyouhavegraduatedfromcollege,youreducationsectiongoesfirstonyourresumefromonetothreeyearsafteryougraduate,dependingonsuchfactorsaswhetheryoureducationwasrelevanttoyourcareerfieldandhowimpressiveyourworkexperiencehasbeenintheinterveningyears.Ifyouhaverecentlyreceivedagraduateorprofessionaldegree,youreducationwouldusuallygoatthetopofyourresume.

Asagraduatingsenior,yourGPAshouldalwaysbementioned,aslongasitisabove3.0.Mostrecruiterswillassumethatitisbelow3.0iftheydonotseeitonyourresume.(Thephrase“3.2/4.0”indicatesthatyouhavea3.2GPAonascalethatrunsupto4.0.Someschoolsusea5.0scale.)YourGPAisprintedonyourmostrecentBCtranscript.DonotroundupyourGPA.Ifyouhavea3.90,putthatdown.Donotrounduptoa4.00.EmployerswanttoseeaccurateinformationandmaycompareyourresumeGPAwithyourofficialtranscript.“Coursesstudied”or“RelevantCoursework”isanoptionalsection.Ifyouhavetakencoursesoutsideyourmajorthatarerelevanttothejob(orifyousimplywanttoemphasizeyouracademictrainingrelevanttothejoborinternship),youwoulddefinitelybenefitfromincludingthissection.Forexample,ifyouwereaPhilosophymajortryingtofindworkinthecomputerindustry,andyouhadtakenthreecoursesintheComputerSciencedepartment,youwoulddefinitelyincludethemina“RelevantCourses”section.

Significanthonorsandawardscanbeincludedasasub-categoryofyourEducationsection.

4．Experience

Whatshouldyouincludeinthissection?

Don’tfeelthatyoumustlimitthissectiontopaidworkexperiences,especiallyifyouarestillincollegeorarecentgraduate.Employersunderstandthatthemostvaluableormostchallengingexperiencesoftenoccurininternships,volunteerworkorotherextracurricularactivities.

NursingClinicalExperience—listplacementsinreversechronologicalorder,includingdates.Describetypeofsetting,responsibilities,andknowledgegained.

StudentTeachingExperience—includenameandlocationofplacements,datesinvolved,andgradelevelofassignment.Majorresponsibilitiesinteachingareashouldbeemphasized.

Consulttheparagraphsyouwroteabouteachofyourjobsoractivities-choosefromonetoeightsentences(dependingontheextentofyourresponsibilities)thatencapsulatetheskillsyouusedatthisjoboractivity,yourdutiesandyoursignificantaccomplishments.

IncludebothyourdutiesANDyouraccomplishments.

Dutiestelltheemployeryoucandothejob.Accomplishmentsindicatethatyouwillgoaboveandbeyondthecallofduty.

Dutiesalonecansoundbland:“Wrotearticles,researchedtopics,fileddocuments”?

Whenyouaddyouraccomplishmentsandcontributions,yousetyourselfapartfromtheotherapplicants—“researchedandwroteweeklyMusicNotesforlocalartsnewspaper.Createdarchivaldatabasethatsavedstaffseveralhoursofworkperweek.ChosenfromamongseveninternstorepresentnewspaperatMusicFest2001festival;wrotefeaturestorythatranonfrontpage.”

Useactionverbs(“wrote,”“managed,”“researched,”“coached,”“planned,”etc.).

Wherepossible,usekeywords—resumesthataresenttoanemployerbye-mailorthatareenteredontoaformontheWebmayenduponaresumedatabase.Whenrecruitersseekresumesfromthesedatabases,theytrytomatchcertainkeywordsappropriatetoaparticularcareerfield.

Particularlyforjobseekerswithexperienceinthatcareerfield,itisimportantthatyourresumecontainsomeofthosekeywords.

Citenumberstomakeapoint(e.g.numberofpeoplesupervised,numberofchildreninclassroom;sizeofevent;budgetyouoversaw,etc.).

Beconcise.Avoiduseofthepronoun“I”.

Include“buzz”wordsonlyifyouaresureoftheirmeaning.

5．Activities/VolunteerWork/Interests

Ifyouchoosetoseparateyourworkexperiencefromyourextracurricularactivitiesorvolunteerwork,theycangoinaseparatesection.BUTtheydon’thavetogoinaseparatesection.REMEMBER,though,thatsomeoftheseactivitiesmaydemonstrateyourskillsjustaswellorevenbetterthanyourpaidworkexperience.

Youdonotneedtodemotetheseactivitiestothebottomofyourresume.Employersspendanaverageof15-30secondslookingateachresume.What’sleftatthebottomofyourresumemaynotgetanyattention.

Anoteabout“interests”:listingyour“interests”orhobbiesonaresumeisokay,butgenerallyyoushouldnotdosoattheexpenseofleavingoutother,moreimportantinformation.Whenshouldyoulistyourinterests?

Whenyourinterestsorhobbiesaresounusualthattheyareboundtoattractpositiveattention.(Onerecentalumna,applyingforworkintheinvestmentindustry,listed“skydiving”asahobby.Everyrecruiterthatinterviewedherstartedtheinterviewoffwithaquestionaboutherhobby.)

Whenyourinterestsorhobbiesreflectpositivelyonyourjobskills.Forexample,ifyouareapplyingforworkasaparalegalandyoulovechess,therecruitermayequateyourhobbywithanalyticalabilities.

6．Skills

Thisisanoptionalsection—ifspecificskillsarenecessarytothejob,orifyourskillshelpyoustandoutfromthecrowd,thenincludeaskillssectioninyourresume.

7．ComputerSkills

Youmaywishtolistthesystems(Macintosh,IBM,UNIX,etc.)andapplications(FilemakerPro,MicrosoftWord,Pagemaker,HTML,Excel,Powerpoint,etc.)withwhichyouarecapable.

Ifyouknowprogramminglanguages,listthoseaswell.

Youmayevenwanttouseitalicizedsub-categories:

Systems:

Applications:

ProgrammingLanguages:

8．Languages

Listlanguagesinwhichyouhavemorethanjustsomebasicability.Inotherwords,ifyouareabletocarryonaconversationinthatlanguage,listit.

Indicateyourlevelofability(“basicconversational

ability,”“proficiency,”“near-fluency,”“fluency”)orthenumberofyearsofcollege-levelstudy.

9．LaboratorySkills

Ifyouareapplyingforscientificorlaboratorypositions,youmaywanttocreatealistofyourlabskills.Abiologymajormightbreakthoseskillsdownintosub-categoriessuchas“histology,”“cellculture,”and“staining.”O(jiān)fcourse,thesub-categoriesandskillsmentionedshouldberelevanttotheparticularjob.

Alwayscheckyourskillslistwithaprofessorormentor,unlessyouhavesignificantprofessionalexperienceinthatcareerfield.

10．References

Don’twrite“ReferencesAvailableOnRequest”onyourresume.Thiswentoutofstyleoveradecadeago.

Docreateareferenceslistassoonasyoucanandhaveitavailable,incaseanemployerasksforreferences.

STEP5Formatyourresume.

THEKEYtoawell-formattedresume—realizethatmostemployerswillonlyspend20-30secondslookingatyourresume.Youdirecttheemployer’seyetothemostimportantinformation:

1．Leaveplentyofwhitespaceonyourresume—don’tmakeyourresumelookcrowded.

2．Emphasizejobtitlesbyboldfacingthem(exceptwherethenameofaprestigiousorganizationyouhaveworkedforwillgrabtheirattentionfirst).

3．Placethemostimportantinformationclosertothetopofyourresume.(Forexample,ifyouareastudentandyourpaidworkhavebeenfairlymundane,butyouhavegreatcomputerskillsorexcellentextracurricularleadershipexperience,thenputtheskillsortheextracurricularsnearthetopofyourresume.)

4．Whereappropriate,descriptivecategoryheadingscanattractanemployersattention(forexample,“CounselingandTutoringExperience”or“LeadershipExperience”insteadofjust“Experience”).

5．L