Resume StrategiesThe Realities

By: Career and Professional Development,Moody Hall 134 (512)448-8632

think.stedwards.edu/career

Job Market – Visual Perspective

100’s/1,000’s received Resumes electronicallyscanned

Narrowed down to 1-3 Invited to interview

Resume - Important Points

• It’s a marketing document; you’re selling yourself • There’s not one right way to create it;

there are exceptions to every rule• Content should be relevant and emphasize

accomplishments• No such thing as a generic resume;

best resume is tailored to specific goal or job• You have to know what you want to do first• It’s a time consuming process

Basic Rules

• Develop the content before focusing on the “look”• Don’t use fill-in-the-blank templates; you need flexibility • Font/Margins: 11 font/Garamond ( or 12/Times New

Roman or 10/Arial); margins set to 1” or .75”) √ Be consistent throughout document

• Resumes for a recent college graduate = one page• High school activities not included (except when

you’re a freshman)• Quantify whenever possible

√ “Raised over $500 in donations for charity event.”• Proofread, proofread, proofread!

Main Resume Categories

• Your Name, followed by: address, city/state/zip, phone #, e-mail address √ Where can you be reached?

• Objective (“Seeking…..”) √ Employers differ on this

• Profile or Summary of Qualifications (Skills, such as languages, etc.) √ Capture their attention; tailor to job description

• Education √ Degrees, major, school, dates Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing Expected May

2012 St. Edward’s University, Austin, TX

• Experience (bulleted or mini-paragraph) √ Reverse chronological order √ Company name, job title, from-to dates √ Description using action verb phrases

Other Resume Categories

Create separate category/section if you have sufficientinformation; otherwise double up with another section• Honors, awards• Languages• Clubs, organizations• Leadership roles (and training)• Volunteer service• Certifications and licensures• Computer/technical skills• Class projects• Professional organizations• Research, papers written, presentations delivered

Action Verbs for Resumes

• Action verbs should be used abundantly throughoutyour resume to stress achievements

• Find them through a Google search√ Example: www.writeexpress.com

• “Responsibilities included…” or “Duties included…”are a weak way to describe achievements

• Action verbs help make a strong impression √ Supervised five students at business conference √ Coordinated plans for promotional event, resulting in…..

Incorporating Key Words

• Every industry/job has key words specific to the field• Career Counselor: advise, counsel, train, resume,

interview, internship, etc….. √ What are key words in Finance industry? Marketing?

• Key words can be verbs, nouns, adjectives √ Organized, bilingual, public speaker, spreadsheets…….etc.

• Job description has key words √ Tailor to job description, but don’t just copy; you have to have the skill,knowledge, trait

• Assume resume will be electronically scanned for key words

More Resume Tips

• Location in a resume is very important; employers readtop to bottom and left to right

• Place most important information at the top of the page• Don’t make employer have to search for important information• Don’t expect employers to read verbatim; they speedread/scan

your resumes; help them by using: bold font, indention, underlining, well titled categories……

Layout and Appearance

• Appearance is part personal preference and part strategy tocapture the reader’s attention

• Find samples online (Google images is a good source)• Hard copies: use resume paper; since most people use white

paper, make yours stand out by using ivory or other color• Most business resumes are conservative, but tailor to your

audience; in creative fields (Advertising, etc.) you can addclip art, graphics, etc.

• To make your resume look unique, you can use a touch of color

Effective Resumes Lead to Interview

If you want to get that interview, before startingthe resume:• Research company website thoroughly• Look up key words you don’t understand• Learn the terminology in the target industry• Look up sample resumes of people in the field• Create rough drafts and have them critiqued• The research alone can take days to conduct; don’t

wait until the last minute to create your resume

Cover Letter Guidelines

Personalized for company; more time consuming than resume.• Outer shell: copy/paste heading from resume; include date,

inside address, closing, signature, and notation about “Enclosure: Resume”

• Body: √ 3-4 paragraphs (one page) √ Intro.= who are you and why are you writing √ Closing = thank you’s, courtesy, request

interview, final sales pitch √ Middle= why this company, why this field, details

abouta major achievement, why you are a perfectmatch for the job; tell a story; be conversational

In Conclusion

Create a resume that stands out in the crowd.