Resumes
Did you know that a resume is a ‘living’ document?
- What does that mean?
- It means that as you experience new activities, gaining further education and developing new skills, you should be continually adding these to your resume.
- It also means that your resume should be ‘tweaked’ each time you apply for a different job – why?
- No two jobs are the same, no two job advertisements are the same.
- An employer needs to see in your resume that you have the necessary skills to do that particular job. Have you got everything covered in your resume?
Did you know that there are different styles of resumes?
- There is this Chronological style which lists (with the most recent at the top) your education and jobs / work experiences.
- There is the Functional style which focuses more on skills or job tasks you have performed in the past and which are relevant to the position you are seeking.
- There is the Combination style which combines the two above.
Traditionally secondary college students use a Chronological style. It doesn’t really matter which style you use, but it is important to highlight your skills in a resume.
Before you start…
- I have an instruction booklet available in my office which has all the information you need to put your resume together… please feel free to drop by and pick one up.
Where do you get a resume template from?
There are many resumes styles and templates to choose from and you can find lots of samples by:
- Googling “resumes” (two great sites to visit include http://www.susanireland.com/index.html or http://www.eresumes.com/ )
- Microsoft Word and Publisher have great templates you can use (if you are licenced to use this product)
- You can try mine here sampleresume it’s pretty basic and straightforward and suitable for a school student.
- The Job Guide also has a sample resume - it’s also pretty straight forward… book’s are in my office…
- There are also several styles available on the local drive at school: K:/Careers/resumes
How long does it take to put a resume together?
You should set yourself aside at least 2 to 3 hours to put together a fabulous resume. This sounds like a long time, but it is investment worth making if you want your resume to stand out from the crowd! Make sure you cover all the sections in the resume booklet (available from my office).
Proof reading….
Many of you are in a hurry to get your resume ‘out there’… but Puleeeeese… don’t send it out with heaps of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors…. make sure it is PROOF READ by 3 different people – preferably by somebody who is good at English… your English teacher would be a good place to start…
