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RESUMES

American CornerVolgograd, RussiaAugust 10, 2003

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Purpose of Resume

Summarize personal accomplishments

Sell yourself Spark enough interest to gain an

interview

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Resume Format

Chronological Resume (not skill based) Individual Identification Education Experience Additional Data

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Identification

Name use common name

Address Phone number Personal e-mail address

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Education

Degrees in reverse chronological order Major or Concentration Clubs and activities; leadership roles Ranking in class, if applicable Scholarship if significant - include basis for

scholarship, # selected out of # of applicants, and % of tuition

Academic honors, awards Volunteer work Sports

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Experience

Reverse chronological order Name of company and division, title, city, state,

dates of employment (years, not months) General overview statement, 1 - 2 sentences, of job

(basic responsibilities found in a job description) and also of company (a $3M manufacturer of paper clips), if necessary, before accomplishment bullets

Accomplishment bullets - Detailed, action oriented, results focused statements (may omit for less recent jobs to conserve space; must have at least two bullets)

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Example

TEXAS WINE AND GRAPE GROWERS ASSOCIATIONExecutive Director. Directed marketing, education and

legislative strategy for a trade organization, representing an industry with $118M annual economic impact for the state. Improved member services through participation in

the design and launch of web page to disseminate time sensitive information in cost effective method.

Redesigned turnkey production of marketing collateral, resulting in cost savings of 56%.

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Experience: Accomplishment Bullets

Project or accomplishment specific with action and result Action

Focus on business language and tasks that are meaningful to reader Avoid company specific/military terminology, acronyms and jargon Use terms familiar to that industry

Accurate representation of individual responsibilities Use specifics - client names if appropriate, # of people

supervised, size of budget, titles of those presented to, etc.); however, avoid unnecessary specifics (don’t list the 20 products you managed or the specific names of the 5 events that you organized rather focus on the tasks required to complete those activities)

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Experience: Accomplishment Bullets

Results Quantify results where possible: increased revenue, decreased costs,

cycle time reductions; if not quantifiable, list intended goal of project (“in order to increase customer satisfaction”)

Begin with powerful, past tense verb(s) -s, facilitated Avoid vague words such as “Responsible for” or “Duties included” Verb(s) should comprehensively articulate scope (Implement versus

conceptualize and implement) and should accurately articulate responsibilities (coordinate versus manage)

Keep most bullets to one sentence Refrain from using pronouns (I, we, my) List bullets in order of importance or in chronology if necessary for

logic (ex. 5 steps to a deal - list them in order) Overall, does your resume sell 3 - 4 skills Language should convey leadership and teamwork simultaneously

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Experience: Accomplishment Bullets

BEFORE QUESTIONS AFTER

Trained international salespersonnel on new sales system.

Benchmarked best practices ofcompetitors’ insurance claimsprocess.

Championed the optimization ofmucoadhesives for ophthalmicapplications, utilizing cationicpolysaccharides with anionictherapeutic agents.

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Experience: Skills Worth Highlighting Leadership Working in teams and coordinating between

departments (“cross-functional”) Problem solving/analytical Interpersonal and communication Pattern of accomplishments Strategic thinking and planning abilities Global (cross-cultural) orientation Results orientation

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Additional Data

Activities, clubs, volunteer work unrelated to education/prior jobs

Professional affiliations and accreditations Include computer skills if asset but do not include basic Word,

Excel, PowerPoint (example: Argus in real estate industry) Include interests but avoid controversial material such as

political or religious affiliation or other issues of contention Foreign language - include fluency level Dual citizenships; include citizenship status if U.S. Citizen and if

work experience or undergraduate institution is non-U.S. Current, up-to-date information is best Nothing too “cute”

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Guidelines for Resumes One page only, ample white space Minimum of 11-pt. Font Minimum of .8 margins (1” on the left for binding in book) Perfect spelling and grammar (there are errors that spell

check misses) Do not abbreviate Consistent use of punctuation Not necessarily comprehensive - stress recent Use action verb phrases, not complete sentences (start

with verb, omit “the, a”)

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Additional Information

Can have different resumes for different functional interests; attach specific resume to position in software system during ‘drop’; cover letter optional in software system

Always include cover letter when sending resumes independently

Can include ‘Accomplishments’ section before Education

Scannable resumes - limit use of bold, italics, underline, bullets, tabs, tables; include keywords for searches

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Process

Write down all of your accomplishments and activities during your career What is quantifiable? What skills does each demonstrate?

Analyze the job or program What skills are they looking for?

Structure your Resume to sell.