Transcript R E S U M E W R I T I N G - Georgia Institute of Technology

Resume Writing
Agenda
•
•
•
•
What is a Resume?
Format Tips
Recommended Sections
A Note on Cover Letters
What is a Resume?
• Concise marketing tool
• Summary of education, skills,
experience, honors, activities
• Has one specific purpose: to
get you an interview
• Be honest
Format
• Co-op Handbook (Chapter 3)
• The 10 second scan
• Should be neat, clean and
attractive
• Paper of good quality
• One page unless you have
considerable experience
Format
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use normal typeface
Font size
End punctuation not required
Avoid too much special formatting
Do not use graphics
Write in consistent style
Format
• Use bullets rather than
paragraphs
• Use approximately 1 inch margins
• Make sure resume is visually
appealing
– Avoid excess white space
– Incorporate white space between
sections to facilitate skimming
Format
• Spell check
• Proofread
• Get friend, family, professor and/or
career services to critique
• Co-op advisor must review resume
before applying for jobs on P2D2
• Update each semester
Format
• DO NOT Include:
– Your Picture
– Age, Race, Religion, Marital Status
• DO Include:
– High School Info
– Hobbies and Leisure Activities
• If they demonstrate leadership, civic responsibility, etc.
– Citizenship Status
• If you have a foreign name and want to convey that
you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
Format
• Chronological
– Discussed in next slides
• Functional
– Good for individuals with diverse experiences that don't
add up to a clear-cut career path or for new grads with
limited experience
– Use Skills Clusters
– For example:
Leadership
• Selected as president-elect of Omicron Delta Kappa honorary and vice
president of Phi Eta Sigma honorary
• Acquainted new students with campus as orientation leader
• Served as president of residence hall on Residence Hall Council
• Functioned as vice president for intellectual development and assistant
recruitment chair for social sorority
• Combination
Recommended Resume
Sections
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Contact Info
Objective
Education
Skills
Experience
Honors and Activities
Contact Info
•
•
•
•
Place contact info at top
Avoid nicknames
Include local and permanent address
Make sure telephone number is
correct including area code
– Do NOT use a work number
– Professional voicemail
• Choose professional e-mail address
1. Contact Info Example
George P. Burdell
[email protected]
Campus Address
999999 Georgia Tech Station
Atlanta, GA 30332
404-999-9999
Permanent Address
1234 Peachtree Place
Macon, GA 30334
770-123-1234
2. Objective
“To obtain a co-op position related to
mechanical engineering for spring or
summer 2007”
• Tells employer type of position you’re seeking
• On a co-op resume, it’s not necessary to be specific
unless:
– Wish to target specific industry (automation, automotive,
manufacturing, etc.)
– Wish to do specific type of work (design, coding, testing, etc.)
• Avoid long, uninformative objectives:
– To utilize my education and experience in a creative setting to
positively affect the bottom line of the company.
Education
•
•
•
•
Recent education before experience
Reverse chronological order
Include expected graduation date
Overall GPA
– Possibly major GPA
• Academic honors
3. Education Example
Education
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
9/2005-present
• Candidate for Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering
(May 2010)
• Overall GPA, 3.13/4.0
• President’s Scholar: Georgia Tech’s foremost merit-based
scholarship, awarded to approximately 3% of entering
freshmen each year
Northwest Area High School, Macon, GA
• Overall GPA, 3.6/4.0
• National Honor Society
• Accelerated Learning Program
9/2001-5/2005
Skills
• Software, Programming Languages
– “familiar with”, “experience with”, “proficient in”,
“knowledge of”
• Foreign Languages
– “Fluent”, “Conversational”, “Ability to speak and write” or
list # years of study
• Hardware and Technical Skills
– Soldering, Lab Equipment, Power Supplies, Circuits
• Certifications
• *Soft Skills
– Leadership, Communication, Organization, Team-Building
– Best to demonstrate concretely in Experience and
Honors & Activities sections
4. Skills Example
Skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Experience with Java, C++ and MATLAB
• Ability to speak and write Spanish (4 years of
study)
• Experience with HTML and web design
• Knowledge of hardware/software installation and
maintenance
• Experience with engine repair and network
design
• Ability to learn new material quickly with little
supervision
Experience
• Include all experience:
– Non-technical experience is relevant because it
shows responsibility and people skills
– Include internships, volunteer experiences,
community service, summer jobs
• Start each bullet with an action word
– Coordinated, created, designed, organized, etc.
• Do not use pronoun “I”. It is understood
you are the subject of the sentence.
Experience
•
•
•
•
Reverse chronological order
Focus on accomplishments
Be specific
Use numbers and statistics:
– “Increased sales 17%”, “Raised productivity
by 23%”
• Use industry jargon
– Read trade magazines, join professional
organizations
• Highlight soft skills
– Communication skills, team work
5. Experience Example
Experience
Georgia Institute of Technology
Teaching Assistant
•
Teach two-hour lab on fluid mechanics to thirty students
•
Hold weekly office hours and grade lab reports
Atlanta, GA
9/2005-present
Southern Landscaping Company
Norfolk, VA
Landscaper
Summer 2004
•
Performed routine lawn maintenance for approximately ten residential customers per
week
•
Planted new shrubbery and flowers at various commercial sites including nursing homes,
elementary schools and community centers
•
Received ‘Landscaper of the Summer’ Award
DJ Dynamite
Hampton, VA
DJ and Owner
1/2002-5/2004
•
Conceived and created my own DJ business which had over 25% repeat clientele
•
Provided DJ services at over one hundred weddings, bar mitzvahs, and parties
Honors and Activities
• Clubs and Sports
– List office and leadership roles (captain, committee
chair, president, secretary, founder)
•
•
•
•
Volunteer Work
Hobbies including music, writing, etc.
Awards or Scholarships
Memberships in professional
organizations (IEEE, SWE, NSBE, ASME)
– Spell out acronyms
6. Honors and Activities
Example
Honors and Activities
• Member of Georgia Tech Crew Team (2005-present)
• Secretary of Mechanical Engineering Student Faculty
Committee (2005-present)
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer (Spring 2006)
• High School Student Council Member (2001-2003),
Vice President (2004)
• Guitar Lessons (2002-2004)
• Editor of The Gazette, High School Newspaper (2004)
• Church Mission Trip to El Salvador (2002)
• Tai Kwando, Earned rank of Brown Belt (2000-2002)
A Note On Cover Letters
• Cover Letter Uses:
– Explain why you’re interested in
particular company/position
– Tells employer how you’re qualified for
that position
– Highlights aspects of your experience
– Can explain things that resume can't
– Acts as window into your personality
• Samples in Co-op Handbook
and on the internet
DoPP Contact Info
Located in Savant Building
631 Cherry Street, 1st Floor
Corner of Cherry St. & Ferst Dr.
near Tech Tower
www.profpractice.gatech.edu
404-894-3320