What is a Resume?

It is a document that allows employers to quickly assess your qualifications and suitability for a position

It advertises your skills and educational history.

It helps you list your qualifications and personal goals in an organized manner.

It allows employers to assess your qualifications and suitability for a position quickly, and helps them see the benefits of your education and experience before an interview.

The resume is often the first contact a potential employer has with a job seeker. To be useful, it must make a good impression immediately.

Most employers only give each resume a quick glance (10-20 seconds10-20 seconds), then discard those that appear disorganizeddisorganized oror too wordytoo wordy and file the rest?

So…Make yours look GREAT!!!

Basic Guidelines For Resume Preparation

Write it yourself Use descriptive action verb statements

Focus on accomplishments Make sure it is perfect

Make it easy to read Target it towards the job you want

Reverse Chronological-Functional

Resume Format

Lists education and employment, beginning with the most recent and working backwards

Uses descriptive action verb statements to describe what you have done and your accomplishments.

2004200320032003…

analyzed, compiled, supervised…

A job description lists your duties and responsibilities

Remember a resume is NOT a job description

Job Description: Responsible for reception duties

Resume:

* Received the annual award for the most

courteous receptionist

* Produced department brochures using Paint

Shop 5, Adobe, Publisher, Internet

A resume describes what you did (the skills you used and the results you achieved).

MAJOR SECTIONS IN A RESUME Personal Information: Name, contact address, telephone number, e-

mail address. Objective: Why are you sending your resume? Education Details: School history, university history and training (Optional) Relevant Courses: Completed courses, current/intended

major courses relevant to the position applied to Work Experience: Previous work experience, volunteer work, family,

school or university experiences that you feel are appropriate Extra-curricular activities: List and briefly describe student-related

and other activities Special Skills and Awards: List relevant abilities, things you have

done or can do (e.g. current level and type of computer proficiency you possess,) and any awards or special certificates you have earned.

References: list 1 educational and 1 professional referee: name, contact address

Writing your resume: Personal Information

NAMEHome Address, Abu Dhabi

Your mobile and home numberEmail Address and/or Personal Web Address

UAE NationalDate available

FATIMA ABDULLAP.O. Box 4783, Abu Dhabi 050-1234567or 02-1234567

fatima@hotmail.com

UAE National

Available August 01, 2005

A note on email addresses:

sweetlady@hotmail.com

loveforme@yahoo.com

cutelittlekitten@hotmail.com

What is wrong with these addresses???

More on email addresses:

Make sure you have a professional sounding email address

Make sure you check it often and that it is not FULL

Make sure you check junk mail in case an important email has been filed there by accident

Writing your resume: Career Objective Statement

The Career Objective Statement is a meaningful statement describing your employment goal.

It can be specific, such as when applying to a particular job, or more general, such as when you are applying to a company where you are willing to fill a position for which they feel you are suitable.

Specific: To secure an Administrative Assistant position within Zayed University where I can contribute my excellent communication and computer skills.

General: To obtain an entry level position within your company where I can contribute my skills and experience.

Why write a Career Objective Statement?

To clearly state your job target for the employer.

To show that there is a match between the kind of work you are seeking and the position being offered.

The myth that one resume will do for all positions is just that, a myth. You can change your job objective each time you print a resume to more closely align with the position for which you are applying.

Writing your resume: Career Objective Statement

Tips for Writing the Objective

Audience Benefits: How you benefit the employer

Don’t be vague Keep it concise and targeted

Use the desired job title or target

Writing your resume: Educational History

The first major section of your resume should be Educational History.

Include in reverse chronological order, i.e. starting with most recent.

Include High School.

Include other educational certificates, e.g. summer programs, specialized studies, etc.

Writing your resume: Educational History

EDUCATION

Dates Degree, Major, and Concentration (if appropriate)Institution, LocationOptional: Cumulative GPA/GPA in major (list if

3.5 or higher)Optional: Academic honors and awards (may

include later in separate section)   Optional: Relevant coursework and/or

capstone project

Writing your resume: Educational History

EDUCATION

2004 Bachelor of Science in Business Sciences, concentration Accounting

Zayed University, Abu Dhabi GPA 3.8/4.0Sheikha Fatima Award w Senior Project: “Financial Database for Abu Dhabi Police”

2000 High School Certificate, Science StreamThe American International School, Abu DhabiAverage 92%

Writing your resume: Experience

List your employment experiences in reverse chronological order

Section can be titled Work History, Career History, Career-Related Employment, Employment, Employment History, or similar.

List experiences as follows: Job title, employer, location and the dates. The order of the job title and the employer depends on how you want to present yourself.

If you have a lot of work experience, only include that which is relevant to the job you applying for.

Writing your resume: Experience

May include full-time, part-time, summer, volunteer work, and internships.Use descriptive active verb statements to describe the skills you have developed and demonstrated. An action verb statement describes your accomplishments and responsibilities and should show something that you are proud of. Cite your specific responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. Be thorough in your descriptions without exaggerating.

These statements will follow most entries included in your resume. The use of well-chosen action verb statements is a proven, highly effective resume writing technique. Incorporating action verbs with the description of your experiences emphasizes the strengths and skills you possess.

Writing your resume: Descriptive Action verb statements

A simple way to begin your building of action verb statements is to first write your experiences in complete sentences beginning with the pronoun "I". For example:

“I responded to student questions about the IS Department. I designed brochures describing the IS department using PhotoShop. I changed our filing system to make it easier to find things in a hurry.”

Now, drop the capital "I" and begin your statement with an action verb. Make sure your statements are to the point.

Responded to students’ questions about the IS Department Designed brochures using PhotoShop which were distributed

during community events Reorganized filing system resulting in quick access to all

departmental information

Writing your resume: Writing Descriptive Action Verb Statements

Tutored English Readiness students in remedial readingConducted interviews with graduate students for student newspaperFacilitated group sessions in math and created individual lesson plans for studentsCollected and interpreted survey data; Documented results and conclusionsOrganized donations for poor families during RamadanPlanned the bake sale table and raised 1000 Dirhams for the Red Crescent Society during National DayDesigned a homepage for the IS Department which had 200 hits over a six month period

Writing your resume: Examples of Descriptive Action Verb Statements

Writing your resume: Work Experience

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Dates Job TitleCompanyLocation

Bulleted descriptive action verb statements

2003-2004 Research Assistant, College of Information Systems

Zayed UniversityAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Drafted student opinion survey

Analyzed data using SPSS

The following is a sample list of action verbs commonly used in writing resumes. Use a thesaurus to help you think of additional verbs. Use present tense when describing current work; otherwise use past tense.

Writing your resume: Action Verbs

Writing your resume: Action verbs

General Words

Assisted

Supervised

Presented

Answered

Taught

Promoted

Organized

Applied

Words for Information and Numbers

IncreasedInfluencedChartedVerifiedConsultedCatalogued ResearchedMarketedLaunchedMonitored

Words for Research

AppliedAuditedComparedCollectedCompliedForecastedFormulatedSurveyedInnovatedProcessedCritiqued

Writing your resume: Action verbs

Words for Administration/Management

Authorized Pioneered PresidedDisseminatedGuidedLedDelegated MentoredStreamlinedValidatedManaged

Words for Communication

AddressedBuiltClarifiedComposedTrainedTaughtDevelopedAuthoredPresentedInitiatedFacilitated

Words for Office Support

Administered Arranged Assisted Balanced Completed DocumentedServedScheduledPrepared SolvedOperated

Writing your resume: Action verbs

Words for Financial Management

Tripled

Upgraded

Funded

Economized

Audited

Appraised

Secured

Computed

Allocated

Sourced

Exceeded

Writing your resume: Action verbs

Writing your resume: Extra-Curricular Activities

Include all student-related or other activities that you have participated in. Pay particular attention to those that allowed you to develop or increase your skills. Use bullets to describe activity if appropriate. For example:

Member, Basketball team Member, Debate SocietyVolunteer, Red Crescent Society

Writing your resume: Extra-Curricular Activities

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Dates ActivityLocation

Action verb statement

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

2003-2004 Volunteer, Red Crescent SocietyAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Helped raise over 2000 Dirhams for charity

Writing your resume: Skills, Awards,

Honors, and Certificates Title this section appropriately, depending on what you plan to include.

Computer: Even if it is only word processing skills, list familiarity with computer systems, applications and programs. If you don't have it, they assume you don't know it. Language: State degree of proficiency in writing and speaking.List academic, leadership and athletic honors. If you only have academic awards you can list them under your GPA in the Education section.Other: Any other specific skills you have developed as a student or in your personal life. These will depend on your major and unique circumstances, e.g. Musical ability, Public Speaking Training, Leadership Training, etc.

Writing your resume: About references

You can include a list of references on your resume, or simply state “References available upon request” centered at the end of your resume. In this case, you should have your reference list ready on a separate sheet of paper.

Only include reference names of people who have agreed to do so, and who will say nice things about you! (not relatives)

Be sure to provide correct contact information, especially email, for your reference names.

References available upon request

Common questions: Do I need an objective statement on my resume?

It is a good idea to include an objective on your resume so that a potential employer is clear about what you are looking for from the beginning. Employers often say that they prefer resumes with objectives and they want them to be fairly specific. Not only do they not have time to try to figure out which of their many positions you might fit into; they also prefer to know what you are really interested in.

Must I include my GPA on my resume? As a student or recent graduate your academic achievement will be one of your most important assets. Generally it is appropriate to include your GPA on your resume if it is 3.5 or above.

What is the difference between a resume and a CV?A CV is 10-15 pages long and is commonly used when applying for academic or research positions. A resume is 1-2 pages and more general in nature.

Writing your resume: Tips

Use present tense for current responsibilities; past tense for prior activitiesSpell out the names of organizations and clubs and don’t use contractionsWrite action verb statements to highlight your successes Resumes should never be written in the first person, such as "I supervised and trained 2 employees“Preferred front size is 10-12 point; Your name should appear larger (14-16 point) and headings should be in bold, but not as large as your name.Begin your resume with your name. The heading should not be “Resume” or “CV”Create a header that appears on every page in the top right corner, and includes your name and “Resume” or “CV” along with the page number.Print your resume on heavier, natural tone paper, white or off-white is bestUse standard fonts: Helvetica, Times, Arial

Make effective use of spacing, margins, bolding on your pageEmphasize points with bullets, UPPER CASE, bold, Italics, and underlining.Use a printer that has good quality print

Writing your resume: More tipsBegin with a clear objective tailored to the specific job for which you are applying.Quantify your experience whenever possible, citing figures that demonstrate progress due directly to your work.Organize education and employment in reverse chronological order.List accomplishments whenever possible rather than just describing duties.Use a consistent formatProofread to ensure that there are no spelling errors Use point form as much as possible, avoid getting too wordy Keep your resume to under two pages Include a brief explanation of an organization in your description if its name is obscure.

Have Fun Writing Your Resume