The Competitive Resume

Education

All educational milestone you've completed. Include your degree title, the name and address of the school, and your GPA. Each educational milestone should be listed, including the name of the school, the degree you received, the dates you attended the school, and your GPA. If you have not completed any college degrees, include high school as your most recent milestone.

Contact Information

Full name, address, email, phone number, web URL if applicable Contact information often looks best centered on the page, one inch from the top of the resume. If you have a long address, you can put contact information on the left. The email address should be something professional and appropriate to the audience.

Activities/Awards

Honours, scholastic awards, outreach experience, or volunteering awards. This information should be academic or professional and should not include unrelated hobbies.

Your resume should contain a brief summary of your employment history, education, and any experience that relates to the job for which you're applying. Job applicants need to make sure their resumes are written in a concise, persuasive, and grammatically correct way.

In this study, you'll look at the most important elements of a resume, and then determine how to make your resume stand out. Although you'll focus on basic elements of a resume, you should understand that resumes aren't "one-size-fits all." They should be revised to fit the position.

A basic yet well-constructed resume does the following:

Increases your chances of getting an interview Influences an employer's perception of you Offers an overview of your skills, education, and professional and/or volunteer activities Gives you a competitive edge over those seeking the same position Shows you are a professional thinker, willing to invest time in preparing for your future

Formatting Resume

Use a clear font such as Times, Arial, Calibri, etc. Use 10-point or 12-point font size Use only black text. One exception may be your email address, which can be blue. Leave at least a half-inch margin on all sides of the document, so if an employer prints the resume, nothing will be cut off. Label each section in bold text (except for contact information, which doesn't need a label). If there's room, make these section headings slightly bigger than the rest of the text.

Experience

Work, school committee, or volunteer experience. Include the organization name, your position, duties or responsibilities. Achievements within these positions can also be included. Both your formal work experience and your volunteer activities can be formatted in the same way. For each job that is relevant to the position, list the job title, the company name, the city of the company, and the dates worked. These should be listed in chronological order, starting with the most recent employment experience. Include a brief description of your role in bullets.

Objective

Your goals and position for which you are applying. Your objective should be one or two sentences. It should tell the reader why you're applying and briefly indicate why you're a good candidate.

Cover letter Read the job advertisement or description carefully. Make notes about relevant experience and qualifications so you can mention them in your letter. If possible, address your letter to the person in charge of the position or the person posting the job advertisement, called the hiring manager. For example, "Dear Mr. Faltzcraft." If the hiring manager is a woman, address her as "Ms." rather than "Mrs." or "Miss." If you cannot find the name of the hiring manager, address the letter as "Dear Sir or Madam," or use the person's title, as in "Dear Human Resources Manager." In four to five sentences, describe why you are applying and what makes you qualified. Sign off politely.

a brief introduction of you, why you're interested in the position, and what makes you the ideal candidate for a particular job.

Ex. of awards and activities

Academic awards and scholarships Membership in campus, national, or international organizations such as Phi Beta Kappa or the National Honors Society Leadership positions on campus or within organizations Community service/volunteer positions Work-related awards, promotions, recognition

Customer Service

Addressed customer needs supervised three employees handled cash drawers and balances all monies at end of shift

Resume Guidelines

Limit resume to one page if possible. Use a single font for all body text (something clear and basic like Times New Roman or Arial.) Use 12 pt. font for basic text. Use slightly larger text for headings. Use .5 to one-inch margins along each side of the page. Integrate key words from the job description into your resume. Keep formatting consistent. Use correct abbreviations, especially for states and proper names. Use powerful verbs/action words. Place important information at the top. Be truthful about your skills or experience. Edit! Check and recheck grammar and spelling. Have someone else read your resume to check for grammar and spelling. For hard copies, print your resume using a good quality paper in a neutral color.

Internship

Maintained and updated patient records Assisted patients with hygiene tasks, mealtimes, and dressing Led and supervised patient group activities to ensure participation and safety.

Volunteer

Participated in 6-month volunteer service with local health chapter Organized several fund raising events to support patient health care Educated patients and families about disease and health awareness.