Purpose of a resume

The resume is a tool with one specific

purpose: to win an interview

A resume is an advertisement, nothing

more, nothing less
 Curriculum Vitae
A curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as CV,
is a longer (two or more pages),
More detailed synopsis than a resume
It includes a summary of your educational and
academic background
Also includes experience in research experience,
publications, presentations, awards, honors,
affiliations, and other details
 Functional Resumes
Functional resumes are best used to mention:
Specific skills and accomplishments
Experience or academic qualifications &
competency
Skills should be listed in order of their importance
It is better if looking for a complete career change
Ideal for students who have no previous work
experience and are applying for their first job
 Functional Resumes
Avoid the functional resume when you are;
applying for traditional jobs, especially positions within
government entities or private institutions.
A functional résumé's categories are based on :
Personal Details
Career Objective
Professional Experience
Work Experience(optional)
Professional Affiliations
Education
 CHRONOLOGICAL
Most commonly used resume format
Straightforward, and easily traces a candidate's
career path and progression in a given field
Experience and accomplishments are listed in
reverse chronological order
Makes it difficult to hide employment gaps
Most preferred format of employers and recruiters
 Objective
Objectives are the simplest, quickest way to
target a specific position
Some say that objectives waste valuable
space and limit you to just one position
when you might be qualified for others
 10 seconds to Impress
Make sure the aspects of your career that
qualify for this job are on top
Keep a simple design - Visual appeal
Bold style 3 or 4 key phrases in your
resume to highlight your strengths
Your resume should fit on one page.
Keep it simple .
 Objective
Simple, specific and brief -- no more than two or
three lines.
Should highlight what you can offer a prospective
employer (specific skill or experience)
A recruiter is more interested in what you can give
the company than what you hope to get from it.
Objective: To obtain an entry-level account
management position in financial services utilizing
my strong analytical and interpersonal skills.
Tips for writing a resume
Use your resume to obtain an
interview, not a job
Use bulleted sentences
Use #’s, $’s and %’s( Managed a department of 10 with
a budget of $1,000,000. Increased sales by 25% in a 15-state territory )

Lead with your strengths

Play Match Game
Tips for writing a resume
Use buzzwords (." For accounting types, use
"reconciled accounts." )
Accent the positive
Your resume should also include your dates of
employment.
The absence of dates makes recruiters scrutinize
your employment history even more closely
Show what you know
 Tips for writing a resume
Construct your resume to read easily
Keep the number of fonts you use to a minimum --
two at the most
Use a font that is easy to read
Do not overuse capitalization, italics, underlines,
or other emphasizing features
Second- and third-generation photocopies must be
avoided
Print on one side of the paper only
 Spelling Mistakes
Don't use words with which you aren't
familiar
Use a dictionary as you write
Perform a spell check on your finished
resume
Carefully read every word in your resume
Have a friend or two proof read your
resume for you
 Punctuation Mistakes
Full stop at the end of all full sentences
Be consistent in your use of punctuation
Always put full stop and commas where
required
Avoid using exclamation points
 Grammatical Mistakes
Do not switch tenses within your resume.
The duties you currently perform should be
in present tense (i.e., write reports)
Duties you may have performed at past jobs
should be in past tense (i.e., wrote reports).
Capitalize all proper nouns
 Grammatical Mistakes
Be on the lookout for the following easily
confused words:
accept (to receive), except (to exclude)
all right (correct), alright (this is not a word)
affect (to bring about change), effect (result)
personal (private), personnel (staff members)
 WORDS COUNT
Use of language is extremely important
Avoid large paragraphs (five or six lines).
Use action verbs. Verbs such as "developed",
"managed", and "designed"
Don't use declarative sentences like "I developed
the ..." or "I assisted in ...", leave out the "I"
". Avoid passive constructions, such as "was
responsible for managing". Just say, "managed":
 Background checks
You have to have done what you claim on
your resume
Background checks can include:
reference checks
criminal background checks
past employment verification
education verification
 Words Every Resume
Should Include

'Teamwork‘

'Flexibility‘

'Detail-Oriented‘

'Self-Motivated'
 Words That Weaken Your
Resume
'Assist,' 'Contribute' and 'Support'
'Successfully'
'Responsible For'
Avoid buzzwords that have become cliché
and words that are unnecessarily
sophisticated. "Synergy" and "liaise" are
examples of buzzwords that have been
overused and abused.
Action Phrases
Analyzed problems and developed solutions
Excellent interpersonal and people management skills
Able to exercise good judgment and sound reasoning
Good interpersonal skills
Able to concentrate and pay attention to detail
Can work well on own initiative
A good communicator
Experienced, self motivated and energetic
A good planner