RESUME WRITING
WRITING A RESUME WHY WRITE A RESUME? The purpose of the resume is to get you the interview NOT the job. It should be clear & concise. Your resume functions as an advertisement of yourself, a sales brochure for you! Your resume must grab attention & spark interest, making the reader want to meet you.
RESUME HEADINGS & CONTENT The headings you use depend on what is most important to the reader. Always use a header with your name (in larger, bold font), address, e-mail, & phone number. Use an appropriate (professional) e-mail address.
PROFILE Your profile needs to be a snapshot of your relevant job experiences & skills. Keep this section fairly concise, targeting statements based on skills listed in a job description or applicant profile. Write your profile to grab the reader’s attention & invite you for an interview.
EDUCATION List educational experiences with school or university name, city, state, & graduation or expected graduation date. Include schools you have attended & degrees or certifications received. Beyond freshman year, you will omit high school since you should have more recent & relevant experiences.
EXPERIENCE Broaden your definition of experience to include a wide range of nontraditional examples such as paid or unpaid positions, full or part-time, temporary or permanent, volunteer, internships, cooperative education, clubs, etc. It all counts!
MEMBERSHIPS & ACTIVITIES List memberships in clubs & campus organizations, as well as affiliations in academic or professional associations, including any leadership experiences you gained.
HONORS & AWARDS Don't forget to list honors, awards, academic achievements, scholarships, & any other leadership or academic recognition received.
COMMUNITY SERVICE Voluntary, community, & civic organizations provide a valuable source of experience, especially for those careers or graduate/professional schools that require involvement.
OTHER POSSIBLE HEADINGS
Relevant Coursework Technical or Computer Skills Language Skills Publications, Presentations, &/or Patents
BLAZE DRAGON
Address City, ST Zip Code Phone number with area code Professional email address
SAMPLE RESUME
PROFILE • •
Over 200 volunteer hours of clinical interactions within a healthcare facility Teaching Assistant for Human Anatomy Lab of 25 students
EDUCATION University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL Name of Degree Major: Area of Study GPA: Include only if it is 3.0 or higher
Expected Graduation Date: Month Year
EXPERIENCE Organization Name, City, ST Work Study Type Experience Month Year – Present • Critique resumes and cover letters for students and alumni and provide them feedback via the career services management website • Manage five career counselors’ work schedules; handle conference room reservations; resolve career questions and act as hostess at career services events Organization Name, City, ST Shadowing Experience Month Year – Month Year • Experienced over 200 hours of direct patient and physician interaction while shadowing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physicians • Completed patient assessment forms and assisted in monitoring patient vital signs • Assisted nurses by providing hospitality services to patients and their families Organization Name, City, ST Sales Associate Type Experience Month Year – Month Year • Greeted all customers, processed customer transactions and provided excellent service • Generated sales by ensuring that customers were aware of all promotions and advertisements • Aided customers with locating merchandise and with shoe, apparel and accessory selections • Monitored floor stock and organized merchandise on the sales floor and in display areas Organization Name, City, ST Student Assistant/ Tutor Experience • Facilitated tutoring sessions for Introduction to Biology • Enforced good study skills and helped students understand the course material
Month Year – Month Year
Organization Name, City, ST Volunteer Experience Month Year – Month Year • Worked on team to prevent childhood obesity by building a culture of active living and learning for children • Led a Walking School Bus route for X children in X communities • Interacted with parents, children, and school administrators to provide a safe environment for kids to walk to school and activities
Ima Sample 725 Sunny Drive Huntsville, Al 35000 Ima@uab.edu; (205) 777-7777
PROFILE
Completed writing and editing internships with out-of-state magazine and publishing companies Proficient in Microsoft Office, Java Script, Dreamweaver, HTML, Adobe Photoshop and InDesign University Honors Program- One of 50 students selected from 600 candidates
EDUCATION University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama Bachelor of Arts in English Minor: Business Dean’s List Ambassador- Representative at student functions and special events ABC Scholarship Recipient – Based on GPA of 3.8
Dec. 2013
EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE UAB Writing Department, Birmingham, Al Writing Tutor- Student Assistant Evaluate and comment on students’ writing Meet with 15 students once a week to review and edit writing Attend monthly workshops to strengthen teaching techniques Marlowe & Co., Avalon Publishing Group, New York, NY Editorial Intern Checked facts for publications to ensure accuracy Worked closely with editor-in-chief and editorial assistant Wrote 30 tip sheets, reviewed copy letters, and slugged manuscripts Maintained correspondence with authors Organized travel arrangements for conferences
Fall 2012- Present
Summer 2012
The Atlantic Monthly, Boston, MA Summer 2011 Research Intern Worked in magazine’s online division researching back issues to feature as “Flashbacks” related to current events Responded to customer questions about web site
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE UAB Computer Science Department, Birmingham, Al 2011-2012 Computer Science Tutor Tutored a web site design course with a focus on web-based research, HTML and Java script programming
Andrew Alley
1422 Avon Rd., Birmingham, AL 35200 balleyho@gmail.com 205-111-2222 Profile
Skilled in circuit design and installation Proficient in MATLAB, AutoCAD 2/3D, MathCAD, SPICE, .NET Supervised staffs of four up to twenty Good communication and team skills evidenced by successful project completions Education University of Alabama at Birmingham Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering • 3.52 GPA • IEEE Bevill State Community College Associate of Science, Electrical Engineering Experience University of Alabama at Birmingham Graduate Assistant • Researched line traps • Simulate a line trap equivalent circuit in PSpice • Constructed and tested various trap models • Correlated model results to simulation results
Birmingham, AL 2013
Jasper, AL 2011 Birmingham, AL 2011 - 2013
U.S. Steel Fairfield, AL Shift Supervisor 2009-2011 • Supervised electrical and mechanical maintenance • Worked with PLCs and associated programs • Partnered with vendors and contractors to achieve project deadlines and profitability margins. • Oversaw utilities while co-worker on leave Boseman Homes Brent, AL Electrical Engineer Intern 2008-2009 • Utilized AutoCAD to design electrical systems • Performed troubleshooting of electrical equipment • Proficient with PLCs and HMI screens and various associated programs • Designed circuits for remodeling of office buildings • Ran wire and installed wiring fixtures and outlets Skills C++, MATLAB, Visual Basic, SPICE,.NET, AutoCAD, MathCAD, General Audio/Video, General Help Desk/Tech Support - Computers
RESUME POWER WORDS Effective resumes use an active voice in describing experiences. Use power words to effectively communicate your experiences. Be sure to use present tense for current positions & past tense for previous positions.
GENERAL LIST ACCOMPLISHED ACHIEVED ADVISED ASSURED BUDGETED BRIEFED CALCULATED COACHED
COMBINED COMMUNICATED CONCEIVED DEALT DELIVERED DEMONSTRATED DISPENSED EARNED
EDITED EDUCATED ENSURED EXAMINED EXCELLED IMPROVED INCREASED INDICATED
INSTRUCTED INTERPRETED INTERVIEWED INTRODUCED INVESTIGATED LAUNCHED PROJECTED PROMOTED
QUALIFIED RECOGNIZED RECOMMENDED RECORDED RENOVATED SKETCHED STREAMLINED SUMMARIZED
PLANNING BASED ACTION ADMINISTERED ANTICIPATED COMMISSIONED DETERMINED
DEVELOPED DEVISED EVALUATED FORECASTED
FORMULATED IDENTIFIED OBSERVED PLANNED
PREPARED PRIORITIZED RESEARCHED REVISED
STRATEGIZED STUDIED TAILORED TARGETED
EXECUTING ACTION ACTED CARRIED OUT COLLECTED
COMPLETED CONDUCTED DISPLAYED
DISTRIBUTED INSTALLED OPERATED
PERFORMED PROCESSED PRODUCED
PROOFED SOLD TRANSACTED
SUPERVISING ACTION ADJUSTED ANALYZED APPORTIONED ASSESSED
COMPARED CONTROLLED CORRECTED DISCOVERED
ESTABLISHED GRADED INSPECTED MAINTAINED
MEASURED MODIFIED MONITORED OFFICIATED
OVERSAW REVIEWED REVISED SCREENED
LEADING ACTION ACCELERATED ASSUMED CHAIRED CHANGED
CONDUCTED DIRECTED ELECTED EMPLOYED
EMPOWERED ENCOURAGED ENLISTED ENVISIONED
FOSTERED FOUNDED GUIDED HIRED
INFLUENCED INITIATED INSPIRED INVOLVED
Is your resume ready for review by an employer?
Name: ___________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ Major: _____________________________ YES NO
HEADING 1. Name at the top of the page, largest font size, bold 2. Current contact information 3. Professional email address PROFILE 4. Profile: Highlights in 2-4 bullet points what makes you the best candidate; avoids listing personal traits EDUCATION 5. Full name of degree is written (Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, etc); for multiple degrees, the most recent degree is listed first 6. University of Alabama at Birmingham, with location listed (Birmingham, AL) 7. Expected date or date of graduation is listed, does not use dates of attendance 8. Use bullet points for Minor, GPA if it is over 3.0, Honors and Awards 9. High School information is not included EXPERIENCE 10. Job title with dates (Month and Year) 11. Organization or company name and location (City, ST) 12. 3 – 5 bullet points describing your relevant skills and accomplishments 13. Each bullet point starts with an action verb (Current experience: present tense; Completed experience: past tense) 14. Information is listed from most recent to least recent OVERALL PROFESSIONALISM OF RESUME 15. Uses 11-12pt font (with the exception of the name); appropriate margin size 16. Does not include references or “References available upon request” 17. Limited to one page. If two pages, the most important and relevant information is on the first page, and that the second page is at least half full; name and page number are listed at the top of the second page 18. Free of grammatical and spelling errors 19. Information included is relevant and strengthens the resume ADDITIONAL HEADINGS TO CONSIDER Community Involvement Technical Skills Coursework Certification (Leadership, Teaching, Clinical) Experience Honors and Awards 10 MOST OVERUSED WORDS/PHRASES ON RESUMES Creative Motivated Extensive Experience Organized Track Record Good Communication Effective Responsible Problem Solving/Analytical FINAL TIPS:
ONE OR MORE BOXES MARKED “NO”? • Review the resume information and examples in the Resume Building Guide provided for ECG 300; make the appropriate revisions. ALL BOXES MARKED “YES”? • Upload a copy of this completed checklist and your resume onto Blackboard as directed in assignment. 532 Hill University Center │934-4324│ www.uab.edu/careerservices
936 19th Street South (205) 934-4324 http://uab.edu/careerservices