Career Success Guide

Job Search Documents - Resume Writing

Plan & Prepare

• Schedule an appointment with a Career Coach to assist you. • Review resume writing resources found on the Career Services StoutCloud or the Writing Center. • Make a list of all your work, education, student organizations, athletics, volunteer activities, honors, awards, hobbies, military experience, etc. Identify the responsibilities, accomplishments, and skills developed as appropriate for each of these activities. • Determine the position(s) you will target. • Identify the skills, knowledge, and qualities needed for the position(s). From your work, education, and extracurricular history, identify the skills, knowledge, and qualities that are transferable to the position(s) you are targeting. • Make your resume easy to read. It should be symmetrical, balanced, and uncrowded. Use appropriate white space between sections. Keep writing in sections to short bulleted statements. Be uniform and consistent. For example, if a period is at the end of one job description statement, a period should be at the end of all description statements; if a job title is in boldface, all job titles should be in boldface. • Use action words such as “supervised,” “managed,” or “directed” instead of passive phrases like “responsible for” or “duties included” (see “Action Verbs” in this guide for more guidance). • Use keywords that an employer may search for if they scan your resume electronically. For instance, “SQL Database Programmer”is generally easier to find in a resume than“designed and implemented departmental database” or “Manager for Windows engineers, Microsoft Corp” instead of “Responsible for a team of ‘cutting edge’ computer engineers.” See job descriptions on O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for keywords for your occupation. • Use emphasis in your Word document version, such as italics, capital letters, bullets, boldface, and underlining for visual appeal and emphasis. • Review the sample resumes in this guide or on our StoutCloud Site. • Determine which format (chronological, functional, or combination) best suits you and your career path. • Limit resume to one page if you’re a current student or recent college grad. Talk to your Career Coach for exceptions. • Absolutely no errors. No typographical errors. No spelling errors. No grammar, syntax, or punctuation errors (pay particular attention to use the correct past and present tense). No errors of fact.

RESUME WRITING The purpose of a resume is to win you an interview. It does this by summarizing your education, work experience, and other qualifications to show the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in the position.

Consider developing three versions of your resume:

A Print Version - designed with bulleted lists, italicized text, and other highlights, ready to print, mail, or hand to potential contacts and interviewers.

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A Plain Text Version - a plain text file ready to copy and paste into online forms, post in online resume databases, and submit to employers using “Applicant Tracking”software.

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An E-mail Version - attached as a PDF. Sometimes Word documents do not export into original formatting, so locking formatting in place via a PDF document is recommended. Create original resumes in Word, but when complete, save and send in PDF.

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