The Office of Career & Professional Development (OCPD) can help you in your preparation and search for a job, internship or career. Using our services can play a key role in your success. Our main focus is assisting you in your internship/job search and helping you to properly market yourself to potential employers.
Without a great resume, you will not even get an invitation to interview. We feel strongly in focusing much effort on a quality resume. So let’s begin with The Resume. If after a quick glance a hiring manager notices a few mistakes, she will trash it and move on. There is no room for error on first impressions, and the competition is steep.
It’s common knowledge that grammatical and spelling errors are trash triggers, but there’s more that you probably don’t even know about.
– The first is formatting. A poorly formatted resume that doesn’t flow, doesn’t have indents, inconsistent spacing, funky fonts, and that is just not easy to read is simply not professional.
Resume Examples: Majors
– Second, immaturity. It’s almost shocking that this even has to be addressed, but avoid cuteness and keep it professional.
– Third, templates. Customize your resume for each job that you apply for. A tailored resume shows that you understand the position and what the employer is asking for. Use the language within the job ad to highlight your most relevant experience.
– Fourth, sneakiness and fabrication. Believe me when I say, we read between the lines. Employment gaps aren’t a problem if you address them. Exaggeration will come back to haunt you. Be straightforward and honest on your resume and use your cover letter to tell a brief story of your career’s progress.
– And last, proofing. Always have at least one other person review your resume and give you honest feedback.
The OCPD can get you started building that winning resume that is essential in landing an internship or job. Simply email career@bethanywv.edu to set up an appointment.
When Should You Use a Resume Objective and a Summary Statement?
Are you relatively new to the job search market or lack work experience?
Are you changing industries?
Are you targeting a specific job or position?
If you answered “YES” to any of these above questions, then the resume objective is perfect for you!
If you answered “NO” to all of the above questions, you might not need to have an objective on your resume and can consider trying out the alternative “Resume Summary Statement.”
To read more click [here].
RESUME WRITING GUIDE
CONTACT INFORMATION your name, address (s), you may include your school and home or permanent address, your phone number (s), your email. Be sure you use an email address that is appropriate for job searching.
OBJECTIVE (optional) indicate your career goals or job target
EDUCATION list in reverse chronological order. If you are an underclassman, you may include your high school information. Once you graduate from college, your high school information should be dropped. Include information such as; college name(s), city(s) and state(s), major(s), minor(s), track(s), year of graduation or anticipated graduation, degree received, GPA if over a 3.0. Include that you have or will complete the Senior Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams.
EXPERIENCE List in chronological order with the most recent first. Experience might include; volunteer work, work study, internships, etc. Include experience that pertains to your field of interest. Work experience that does not pertain to your field of interest may be included under a separate heading, i.e. Work Experience, Other Experience, etc. Indicate your title, place of employment, city and state. Give a brief description of your responsibilities, duties, but more importantly your accomplishment. You may describe in a short five or six fragment sentence paragraph OR you may bullet each line. Bullets make it much easier for the reader to scan and still absorb the content. Be sure to use the correct tense in your descriptions. Write in past tense except for the job you presently hold. Use strong action verbs in your description, i.e. coordinated, supervised, managed, increased, etc. (See the Career Disk for a list of good action verbs.)
OTHER HEADINGS Other headings to consider: Work Experience, Student Teaching Experience, Volunteer Work, Coaching Experience, Affiliations, Activities, Memberships, Honors, Internships, etc.
REFERENCES Available upon request may be used at the bottom of your resume, but is not necessary. If you are required to provide a list of references with your resume, list them on a separate sheet of resume paper.
Everyones resume is unique. Design your resume to represent your education, experience, etc.
DO'S AND DON'TS OF RESUME WRITING
Resume Writing Guide: There is no one way to construct a résumé. The focal point of your résumé will establish what contents to include and how to organize the headings. You may receive many different ideas from people and from samples. Ultimately, it’s your resume and you must decide the best way to communicate this information. The résumé outline that follows will review typical headings and contents. It is highly recommended that you get feedback from potential employers prior to your job search.
Resume Data Worksheet: As you begin your job search, it is important to know your qualifications. You have developed many skills from yourcoursework, extracurricular activities, employment and volunteer experiences and life experiences. A prospective employer expects you to be able to apply the skills you have learned in college to the work environment.
Sample Career Objectives: The primary purpose of a career objective is to communicate to the employerwhich position you are seeking. Be as concise as possible. The objective should be no longer than one or two short sentences. Use these samples as a guideline when creating your own career objective.
Reference Page Example: A concise example page of a reference page.
Sample Teacher Resume Headings: Key words that can be used to get your skills set across in the teaching field.
Sample Resume Headings: A more broad list of terms that could be used to make your resume stand out.
Resume – Chronological Example [1]: Good to review to check the best chronological way to reorganize your resume to be most effective.
Resume – Chronological Example [2]: Another example of good chronological order.
Resume – Functional Example: An example of a resume that has focused on the individual’s skills.
Action Verbs [1]: A broad list of powerful verbs that can promote your resume.
Action Verbs [2]: A second list of powerful action verbs.