Global labor trends show that millions and millions of people every
year are unemployed, and should they seek jobs, they would face rigorous
screening processes. This is due to changes in the operations,
structures, and spending of many companies caused by unpredictable
economic circumstances and technological developments replacing a huge
part of the human force. Adding to the worry of any job applicant is the
tight competition with other job seekers.
One crucial way to beat those odds is to stand out. To be noticed in a
crowd of names and faces is to make your first impression
unforgettable, and this first impression is in the form of a piece of
paper which celebrates the history of your milestones and feats: your resume.
The Six-second Look: Why Does A Resume Need to be Catchy and Effective?
A study by
TheLadders, a job-matching service and employment site in New York,
reveals how recruiters actually look into piles of curriculum vitae (CV)
and resume. These are the company’s findings:
“…recruiters spend about 6 seconds before they make the initial “fit/no fit” decision. That means prioritizing information is essential.”
“…recruiters tend to follow a consistent visual path when reviewing
both resumes and online profiles, so an organized layout is crucial.”
“…professionally written resumes have a clear visual hierarchy and
present relevant information where recruiters expect it, these documents
quickly guide recruiters to a yes/no decision.”
Hence, a well-polished resume with enough information that matches the specific job requirements is likely to get noticed.
Today, this guide will take you to the nitty-gritty of writing an
effective resume. This is not a magic wand that will transport you to
the office of your dream job, but this will detail the essentials that
will help refine your first impression to your potential employer and
possibly your confidence to share what you have been achieving all
along:
The difference between a resume and a CV
The CV
The Resume
Types of Resume
Different Parts of a Resume
Tips on Writing a Resume
The Difference Between A Resume and A CV
A resume is a formal document that showcases the basic yet crucial
information about a person’s education and professional experience.
These details are expected to be relevant to the requirements of a
particular position one is applying for. According to The Bates College
in Maine, a resume is typically for job seekers in the field of
business, industry, governmental, and non-profit jobs. Its purpose is to
help you land an interview.
On the other hand, the San Francisco State University
stresses that a CV is longer and more detailed. In fact, a Ph.D.
student may come up with a two-to-three page CV while those with
extensive professional experience might produce seven to eight pages.
Moreover, a CV is often for graduate school and academic positions, such
as faculty positions, internships and even grant, scholarship, and
fellowship applications. Also, there are professionals sending CVs to
companies abroad since they have no idea what Human Resources are
looking for in such documents yet.
In essence, a CV can be compared to a huge
database of a person’s achievements. The University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill shares that a standard CV has the following
elements:
Name / Contact Information: your contact
information or contact information of your current office or place of
employment (unless your job application is not confidential)
Areas of Interest: different fields, expertise, or academic interests
Education: a detailed list of degrees earned or in
progress, institutions, and years of graduation. The titles of
dissertation or thesis can be placed under this category.
Grants, Honors and Awards: grants received, honors for previous work, or awards given for teaching service.
Publications and Presentations: published
manuscripts, articles, abstracts, technical papers, and books and
presentations given at conventions and conferences. This category can be
split into two depending on the length of the information.
Employment and Experience: lists of teaching experiences, laboratory/ field/volunteer work, leadership roles, or other relevant experiences.
Scholarly or Professional Memberships: professional organizations of which you are a member or officer
References: persons
who can recommend you and properly describe your work attitude and
competence, with their position, institution and contact information.
Others are Professional Certification (certification, licensure, endorsements, and special training), Academic Service (advising, university involvement, outreach, and university assignments) and Professional Activities (conference participation, conference presentation, invited lectures, and conference leadership).
You may check these links for sample CVs:
Image source
Meanwhile, the resume is for those who have just begun or approaching the middle of the journey of their career.
According to the Cal Alumni Association of the University of
Califoria-Berkeley, a resume is a summary that is meant for a specific
job. It is a nest of the highlights of one’s career and education that
mirror what a specific role is looking for. Hence, it has to be crisp
yet substantial enough for your potential employer or recruiter. You
have to advertise, in a professional way, your achievement, skills, and
experience to an institution that is looking for the kind of talent you
have and help you grow what you currently have.
Because of varying jobs, role expectations, requirements, culture, and nature of work, not all resumes are the same.
Types of Resume
There are three types of resume according to Wilma Fellman, author of Finding A Career that Works for You, as seen on myadhd.com: 1) Chronological Resume. This type of resume displays work
experiences in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent)
and itemizes the duties of each job “rather than the specific
abilities, skills, and accomplishments you possess to perform the job
well.
Advantages
Highlights a record of steady employment
Expected by many employers
Easiest to prepare
Highlights companies you have worked for that have a good reputation
Disadvantages
Often does not focus on skills
Emphasizes job hopping
Emphasizes large gaps in your work history”
Check a sample chronological resume here. 2) Functional Resume. This details one’s skills and
achievements as opposed to dates, positions, and duties that can be seen
in a chronological type of resume. If the previous category focuses on
the past milestones, a functional resume highlights what one can do for
the potential employer. This is actually ideal for those who do not have
enough work experience yet or have large gaps in their employment
background. But this requires extensive examination of one’s skills that
can benefit the prospective company.
Advantages
Emphasizes skills and accomplishments
De-emphasizes spotty job history or frequent job changes
Focuses on what you can do (future) rather than on only what you have done (past)
Disadvantages
Is not familiar to employers, who may feel something is missing
Provides no opportunity to highlight certain employers
Offers no clear work history”
Check a sample functional resume here. 3) Combination Resume.
Fellman believes that this type of resume is a bit difficult to write,
especially that it combines both the characteristics of the
chronological resume and functional resume. Essentially, this type of
document covers a brief employment history presented chronologically, and identifies skills and competencies, such as job titles and dates.
Advantages
Provides what employers are used to seeing—a work history as well as skills and accomplishments.
Provides employers with dates in your work history so they can
determine how long you have stayed at different jobs, and if there have
been any significant gaps in employment.
Disadvantages
A little more difficult to prepare.
Check a sample combination resume here. Here are other links containing comprehensive examples of resume:
Image source1) The Heading. This comprises the personal information that are pertinent to your job application. This includes:
Full name (it should stand out from the rest of the paper)
Permanent/temporary address
A professional email address
Website URL (if it contains professional information or showcases your portfolio
2) Objective Statement / Summary. This briefly announces the
kind of work you want to pursue, the type of company you want to work
for, and why you can perform it well (relevant skills, knowledge, or
experience). Often, the more specific your objective is, the more
realistic and convincing it would sound.
Objective
To obtain an International Trade Coordinator position with the World Trade Center, San Diego using
organizational ability, knowledge of foreign cultures, languages and research skills
3) Education. This is a crucial part especially for new
graduates and those who are just starting their career. According to the
Geneva College in Pennsylvania, this section should contain:
Your current college
Date of expected completion
Other institutions you’ve attended
The degree (Associate, Bachelor, Master)
Your major
Minors or concentrations, if you have them
GPA if higher than 3.0
Other categories that may be relevant are: major courses you’ve
taken; research presentations; large projects or papers; simulations. 4) Skills and Qualifications. These should be marketable and
fitting to the job requirements one is applying for. One should list
relevant skills, such as those in computer operations, language
proficiency, interpersonal communication, work attitude, and others that
appear beneficial to the desired company or role.
Example (Global’s resume):
Skills & Qualifications
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Fluent in spoken and written Spanish
Extensive international travel, including, France, Spain, Germany and Mexico
Broad background and knowledge of world affairs and cultures
Ability to respond quickly to changing circumstances
Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, internet and email
5) Experience. This segment serves as a proof of one’s
capability to handle a similar job or to expand skills according to the
needs or requirement of the position. This also showcases one’s
adeptness and practical knowledge of the field. Among the details to
write here are part- and full-time work, paid and unpaid internships,
volunteer positions, and leadership positions. According to the Purdue
University, each item should be presented with the following:
Name and address of company or organization
Employment dates
Position title
Responsibilities (remember to list the number of employees you supervised if you have management experience)
Awards and promotions (employers are very interested in your
achievements and success. Awards and promotions show an employer that
you have been recognized for your hard work)
Check Global’s Experience section:
President, UCSD International Affairs Group, San Diego, CA (9/20xx – present)
Organize monthly speaker series increasing student awareness of international affairs topics
Coordinate community service and social activities leading to strong membership retention
Recruit employers to speak at events resulting in networking opportunities for students
Communicate with more than 20 members via weekly e-mails and timely website updates
Discussion Leader, Language Conversation Tables, Mexico City, Mexico (7/20xx – 6/20xx)
Facilitated table discussions with diverse international student group on a weekly basis
Interacted with residents, heightening understanding and appreciation of other cultures
Participated in local community visits to discuss U.S.-Mexico cultural connections
Server, Chili’s Restaurant, National City, CA (4/20xx – 11/20xx)
Communicated with a variety of customers on menu orders, sometimes speaking in Spanish
Served more than 75 customers per shift using multi-tasking and teamwork skills with staff
6) Honors / Awards / Activities. This part would add
credibility to the applicant as it displays one’s awards, recognition,
honor (dean’s list, leadership awards, certifications, or positions in
an organization). See this other example from USCD:
HONORS/ACTIVITIES Image source
• TESC Representative, Society of Women Engineers at UCSD, July 20xx-Present
• Active Member, Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Honor Society, Sept 20xx – Present
• Provost’s Honors, Fall xx, Spring xx, Spring xx
• Excellence Award in Writing – JEO National Journalism Convention, June 20xx
7) References. This category shows a list of people that
recruiters or employers can contact to gain more insights about you as
an applicant. The Geneva College specifies what employers should see in
this section:
Title the page References and center it between the left and right
margins. Then provide entries for each person, including their:
Name (include Dr. if it applies, or Mr./Ms. if their gender is not obvious)
Job title
Place of employment
Address
Email address
Phone number
Tips on Writing A Resume
On physical paper
A plain white paper, according to the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown (UPJ), remains
to be “the most businesslike.” However, colored paper can be acceptable
depending on the nature of work. Award-winning resume expert Laura
Smith-Proulx shares in her article that there are resume color rules, such as using a particular color to highlight a part of a resume. In a Forbes article,
experts recommend clear and neat resumes but applicants who are eyeing a
position in creative fields such as digital strategy can use their
resume to “shine” but they need to keep the information substantial.
On formatting
UPJ explains that among the layout elements that applicants must
consider when writing a resume are: dividing lines, white space, good
spacing, headings, and margins. “By being “eye catching”, your resume
may separate itself from others.” UPJ also stresses that there is no
perfect way to organize a resume, but all resumes have things in common:
no spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. You can practice the formatting using the resume worksheets of the Maine Community College System here.
On word choice
An article
from The New York Times shares studies proving that words affect the
brain, particularly the sensory cortex. Hence, it is important to note
that the use of brief yet powerful words make the job descriptions,
skills and experience more unforgettable and affecting. Here are helpful
links containing words you can use for your resume:
Image source
Here are guiding principles on writing a resume that you can keep in
mind as you gather details, develop its structure, and style it
according to your desired job, company, or field:
Conduct some research about your industry, company, or prospective
employers. Know their mission-vision, culture, achievements, objectives,
operations, structure, and external relations. This set of data will
give you a clue about the credentials you will prioritize in your
resume.
Be more specific with your achievements. Instead of saying “managed
inventory books,” write “computed and recorded inventory valuation on a
monthly basis.” This way, your future boss, who may be too busy to
clarify details like this, can assess your qualifications easily.
Keep on updating your resume. It is a record of your milestones,
your favorite history. This may also mean going beyond the paper: being
updated with the trends of your industry, connecting with people and
organizations in your field, and attending conventions and seminars.
This way, you can be sure that what you put in paper is keeping up with
the changes.
Be honest. The resume can only help you get a foot in the door of
your dream job, because the words, numbers, and details you put there
should speak louder in person as you face the interview, perform the
job, and work with your boss and the people around you.
Please share this with others if you feel it's helpful.
(858) 534-3750 / student@ucsd.edu
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