Key Elements of a Resume
Resumes tell the employer about your experiences, skills and work history. Use your resume to highlight items that indicate you are a good worker, are qualified for the position and bring desirable skills to the job. If you are a student and have little or no previous job experiences, enhance information about your school and community activities.
Personal Information
Name Current and Permanent address (may be omitted from a resume posted on the web)
Telephone number
E-mail address
Objective
In one short sentence summarize your goal for your job search.
The goal statement should be related to the specific position for which you are applying. It is also effective to highlight your skills in the goal statement.
Examples:
Seeking a position as a social worker providing service to the aged.
Seeking a position that utilizes my skills in counseling, research, and proposal writing.
Education
High school name
City and State
Date of graduation
Course Highlights (courses directly related to the job or your career field and special abilities)
Certificates
Work and Related Experience
Summer jobs, Internships, Volunteer work
(Include position title, company/organization, city/state, dates and a brief list of the job duties)
Awards and Honors
Academic, musical, athletic and or other recognition. (Include name of the award/honor, who awarded it, and when it was awarded.)
Activities/Hobbies
Include your role in the position, the organization and dates.
Example:
Captain, Shorewood High School, Volley Ball Team, 1999 2001
Skills
Soft skills: (being responsible, loyal, hardworking, energetic, outgoing.)
Hard skills: (research and writing, Microsoft word 98, Microsoft Publisher 2000, Public speaking.)
References (3-5 people)
Teacher/Professor
Work supervisor (current or past)
Character reference (Pastor, Headmaster, youth group leader or someone who knows you well)
Include the name, relationship to you, organization, contact phone numbers.
Other Considerations
Limit your resume to one or two pages.
Do not include birth date, health status or social security number.
Limit the use of personal pronouns such as "I”. Begin sentences with action verbs.
Be honest but avoid writing anything negative in your resume.
Make your resume error free. Have someone proof read it for you.
Use a simple, easy to read font style, 10-14 point.
Use high quality paper.
For your resume to be scannable it should use Sans Serif type, little formats, no Italics, and no underlining. When developing an e-mailable resume, contact the company for specific guidelines if they are not provided in the application materials.