Getting a job means marketing a unique product – yourself. You are selling a package of education, attitude, ambition, dedication, and potential that will be developed both on the job and through additional training. You must present yourself clearly and impressively to people who can make or influnce a hiring decision. This involves developing a resume, which demands an understanding of the importance that appearance plays in making a good impression.
A good resume is the bait that hooks an employer’s attention. It should be confined to 1 page and designed so a reader can scan it quickly and easily. It should give your name, address, and telephone number, and summarize information about your education, work experience, and any extracurricular activities, hobbies, or interests that relavant to your desire career.
The work experience section is especially important. You must show that your responsibilities were meaningful and that you had to exercise maturity, independent, judgement, and initiative. Action words such as “developed,” “processed,” “designed,” “supervised,” “submitted,” and “administered” give the impression of meaningful activity and responsibility.
Before writing your resume, you should make a rough draft listing all the information you want to present, then rewrite and polish it until it is concise and descriptive. You may want to have somone in the counseling center or guidance office or a business or English professor look over your final version.
Several mechanics of resume preparation desreve your attention.
- A resume should always be typwritten or typeset.
- Grammer, spelling, and punctuation must be flawless.
- Always give a prospective employer an original or a high-quality offset copy, never a carbon copy or mimeographed copy.
A sample of Resume:
RUSME
NAME: Paul J. Owens PHONE: (904) 672-4359
ADDRESS: 2317 Crest Stree, Tallahassee, Florida 23692
CAREER GOAL: Retail Sales Management
EDUCATION: B.S., Marketing, Florida State University, August, 201×, G.P.A. 3.40 out of 4.0 possibl. A.A., Business Administration, St. Petersburg Junior College, June, 200×
WORK
EXPERIENCE: June, 201× to present: Barrows Department Store, Tallahassee, Florida. Retail salesperson responsible for cash and credit sales, inventory control, merchandise marking, and producing various internal reports used by store and regional manage- August, 201× to June, 201×: Sampson’s Auto Supply, Tallahassee, Florida. Customer clerk and warehouse worker. Recorded cash and credit sales, processed telephone and catalog orders, gathered items for shipment, received and processed incoming merchandise.
EXTRA-
CURICULLAR
ACTIVITIES: President and Treasurer, Delta Chi fraternity; Secretary, F.S.U. Collegiate Chapter of the American Marketing Association; member Campus Youth for Christ; President’s list; intramural racquetball, baseball, and soccer.
HOBBIES
INTERESTS: Water skiing, racquetball, tennis.
REFERENCES: Furnished upon request.
SIGNATURE
Prospective employers draw many conclusions about applicants from the condition of their resumes. A sloppy appearance (smudges, smeared corrections, or overstrikes) implies that the applicant is slipshod, messy, unkempt, and careless. Numerous spelling or grammatical errors imply carelessness or stupidity. Haphazard spacing or an inconsistent format indicates that the person has no concern the consistency or detail. A resume speaks for you when you may not be present to speak yourself. Be sure it says what you want it to say.