Resume Online Workshop

Resume Writing
Online Workshop

Copyright 2012, Wellesley College Center for Work and Service

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Types of Resumes
• Chronological: lists experiences in reverse time order

• Functional: organized according to specific skill categories

• Combination: includes elements of both chronological and functional
formats

• Curriculum Vitae (C.V.): for use in academic or medical careers with a
comprehensive listing of professional history and achievements; may run
multiple pages

• Federal Resume: requires specific format


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Resume Strategy
• A resume is an effective self-assessment tool to review and highlight your accomplishments.

• Use spacing to make your resume easy to read. Cluttered resumes are easily ignored!

• You may want to list everything that you have done in a master resume file, then pick and
choose what may be relevant to the position or employer.

• For undergraduates and recent graduates: create a one-page resume. Present only
experiences and skills that showcase your candidacy.

• The audience reads from top to bottom, left to right. What would you like people to see
first? What impression do you want to create from the onset?

• Describe and quantify your experiences when possible. Focus on specific accomplishments.

• A resume is a factual summary of your experience –include current and past activities only.

• First-years and sophomores: high school experiences are still relevant.

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Required Sections
• Contact information

• Education

• Experience (or specific types of experiences, e.g., Research Experience, Work
Experience, Relevant Experience, Other Experience, etc.)

• Extracurricular activities, leadership, and/or service experience

• Skills, including language, laboratory skills and/or computer


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Three Examples of Contact Information
Jennifer M. Hardy
103 West Street
Acton, MD 20901
203-365-5522
jhardy@wellesley.edu

JENNIFER M. HARDY
jhardy@wellesley.edu
21 Wellesley College Road, Unit 2233 103 West Street
Wellesley, MA 02481 Acton, MD 20901
339-555-0102 203-365-5522

Jennifer M. Hardy
21 Wellesley College Road ● Unit 2233 ● MA 02481 ● 339-555-0102
103 West Street, Acton, MD 20901 ● 203-365-5522 ●jhardy@wellesley.edu

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Education
• College(s) attended; include study abroad, summer school(s)

• Degree(s)

• Year(s) of graduation

• Major(s), minor(s), concentration(s)

• Related coursework

• GPA and honors (optional; include if above a 3.0/4.0)

• High school (optional)

• For current students, education will usually be the first section on the resume


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Example of Education
EDUCATION

WELLESLEY COLLEGE, Wellesley, MA
Bachelor of Arts in Japanese; minor in Art History; expected May 2010.
Coursework includes: Japanese Area Studies, Asian Art and Architecture, Women Filmmakers.
GPA 3.3/4.0

Kobe University, Kobe, Japan, Sept. 2008 – May 2009
Studied abroad and participated in Japanese culture. Taught English
as a Second Language to Japanese high school students.
Coursework included: History of Japan, Japanese Literature, and Landscaping Painting of East Asia. All
courses taught in Japanese.

EXPERIENCE


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Experience
List items in reverse chronological order.

May include:
 Past internships

 Summer, on-campus, and part-time jobs

 Community service or volunteer experience

 Academic projects

 Campus activities

 Leadership


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Examples of Experience
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Research Intern. Recruited subjects for research study related to ovarian cancer. Assisted with
interviewing subjects. Complied and analyzed data. Wrote report and presented to physicians on team.
Summer 2009

Legal Assistant Spring 2009 - present
LEGAL SERVICES AND COUNSELING CENTER Boston, MA
Volunteer at a non-profit agency that provides free legal services to low-income citizens. Research
background material to prepare for cases. Obtain medical records, retrieve court documents, update
materials in law library, and prepare outreach mailings. Observe legal proceedings.

JFK School of Government, Harvard University,Cambridge, MA, Summer 2009
Women’s Leadership Initiative Intern
Wrote successful grant to support an endowed chair; managed student registration for annual
conference; met with Kennedy School applicants to answer questions about the Initiative; participated in
the Mentor Program; assisted with web development.


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Writing Experience Descriptions
• Each entry should have a position or title, organization name, date,
location, and description of your responsibilities and accomplishments,
using action verbs to highlight skill sets.

• The first sentence of the description should summarize functions you
performed and describe the organization, if the purpose of the
organization is not immediately clear to readers.

• If there are multiple positions within the same organization, e.g.
“Wellesley College,” create one heading/location, and list all positions
under it, separated by date.

• Quantify accomplishments when possible.


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Experience Descriptions – continued
• To highlight a specific skill area or area of expertise, group experiences with
similar themes in one section, e.g. “Research Experience”

• To better focus a broad range of experiences, group all relevant experiences,
paid or otherwise, in a “Relevant Experience” section.

• Experienced workers should list their experiences before the “Education”
section.

• Articulate functions you can perform rather than describe responsibilities. For
example, “entered client phone numbers and addresses” can be stated as
“maintained client contact information.”


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Other Experience
• Jobs not directly related to current career or internship objective may be listed
in “Other Experience”

• Use the same format as in the “Experience” section, or use a short listing
format if not as relevant or short on space, e.g.:
Server, Friday’s Restaurant, Boston, MA, 2007 – present

• First-years and sophomores may want to expand on these positions


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Extracurricular Activities and Leadership
• Use “Leadership” as category heading if applicable. Expand the description
if useful to show the skills and tasks involved, e.g.,
Publicity Chair, Wellesley College Asian Student Union, 2008-09
Planned and promoted lectures and social events for a 300-member student organization.
Presided over team meetings to implement over 20 events during the school year.
Or, use a shortened listing:
Student Tutor, Wellesley College Chemistry Department, Spring 2008

• Extracurricular activities:
Admissions Tour Guide
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, Fall 2008 – present
Greet and lead perspective students and parents on campus tours. Answer inquiries on
academic and student life.


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Extracurricular Activities and Leadership
– continued
• Be selective and strategic about what you list where

• If you are active in organizations related to your field of interest, list the
activity under “Relevant Experience” e.g., if you are pursuing a position in
journalism and were an editor for the Wellesley News, categorize the editor
position as “relevant”

• List committee assignments, budget responsibilities, fundraising events,
specific outcomes, etc.


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Examples of Skills
• Computer – Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Adobe Dreamweaver and
Photoshop; SPSS; and internet research (i.e. Lexis/Nexus)

• Language - bilingual in English and Spanish; proficient in German;
knowledge of Hindi

• Laboratory - titrations, analyzers and experience handling lab animals

• Other - CPR certification, aerobics instructor, concert flutist, 6 years
competitive figure skater


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Optional Sections
• Objective

• Awards and honors

• Interests or additional information

• References are not required on a resume but can be included on a separate
sheet


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Optional Sections: Objective
• If you are using an objective, it should enhance the resume, e.g. help describe
the transition if you are switching fields, highlight skill sets, or specify
positions you will consider.
• Be specific and concise about the position and industry or organization that
you seek, highlight key skill areas.
Objective: To obtain an editorial position in magazine publishing to
further enhance writing skills and journalism experience.
• Your objective should be further explained in a cover letter.


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Optional Sections – continued
More for a C.V. than a resume

• Professional associations

• Publications

• Presentations

• Research

• Licenses and certifications


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Federal Resumes
• Very different from private industry resumes, typically longer than one
page

• Has many requirements for details in your background (e.g. SSN,
announcement number for position desired, citizenship, previous pay)

• Federal resume builder and tips are online:
https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Most_Effective_Resumes

• See sample resume at:
http://www.sec.gov/jobs/jobs_sampleres.shtml


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Resume Format
• Layout: logical, easy-to-read, sufficient margins (minimum ½”), and
consistent placement of job title, organization name, job description, dates
and location
• Text: traditional fonts (Times, Arial), at least 10-point
• Style: highlight using bold, CAPS, italics, underline
• Paper: if sending hard copy, use matching bond paper for both resume
and cover letter
• Bullets vs. paragraphs: whatever you prefer!


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Sample Action Verbs
• acquire • help • observe • update

• budget • improve • plan • verify

• conduct • investigate • question • write

• develop • initiate • represent

• edit • manage • schedule

• facilitate • market • supervise

• generate • negotiate • train


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Proofing the Resume
• Proofread, proofread, proofread!
• Read it backwards
• Check your verb tense: if you are currently performing the job function, use
the present tense. Otherwise, use the past tense.
• Delete unnecessary words/sentences
• Avoid abbreviations (except degrees and states)
• Do not use personal pronouns
• Review dates and numbers for accuracy


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Resume Submission
Follow the directions on employer’s Web site. There are several forms of
submission:
• Upload the electronic file to the organization’s secure database via an
internet connection
• Email electronic resume file as an attachment
• Be sure the file contains your name and position desired (e.g.,
JenParkGalleryAsst.doc)
• To preserve font and formatting, save the file as a PDF using Adobe
Acrobat (e.g., JenParkGalleryAsst.pdf)
• Cut sections from your resume file and paste onto employer’s resume
builder on their Web site
• Send hard copy 8”x11.5” on bond paper along with your cover letter


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General Resume Worksheet
1. Know the position and industry you are seeking
2. From your list of experiences, which ones are the most relevant? What
should be included on one-page to present yourself best?
3. Organize experiences according to your resume sections (Relevant
Experience, Work Experience, Extracurricular Activities and Leadership,
etc.)
4. List skills and/or interests.
5. Prioritize according to what you want the reader to see first.
6. Your goal is to get an interview.


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How the CWS Can Help
• Extensive information on resume writing, including sample resumes,
special concerns, and a list of action verbs is on CWS Web site,
http://new.wellesley.edu/cws/career

• For Wellesley students, quick resume reviews are available during daily
drop-in sessions. Please bring a hard copy.

• Counselors can meet with students and Wellesley alumnae in an
appointment to discuss the best strategy for presenting yourselves on a
resume.


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