Posted By: Sheri (New Board: ForeignJobs) on 'ForeignJobs' Title: Developing your own resume/CV Date: Tue Sep 7 15:01:50 1999 Part 5. ELEMENTS OF THE RESUME A. Common Elements Identifying Information It is through the information in this section that the employer is able to contact you for a personal interview. Your full name should be listed at the top of the resume. Your present and permanent addresses, along with both telephone numbers (with area codes), should be in a prominent position. Make it easy for the prospective employer to contact you. Employment Objective This section can also be labeled career objective, professional objective, objective, or job objective. It is a statement which expresses your employment goal in one or two succinct phrases. Your statement should be brief and carefully worded to open as many doors as possible. It should answer the question, "What do I want to do?" Through a clearly stated objective, you are communicating to the employer that you have given considerable thought to your future. The objective may be written from the viewpoint of a specific position or a general field. Be certain to omit pronouns such as "I" or "me" and phrase your objective assertively. Avoid phrases such as "with opportunity for advancement" and "which will allow me to work with people." SAMPLES: Wish to utilize my computer science and mathematical background as a programmer or a systems analyst. To acquire a position in the social service field with an emphasis on aiding the elderly. To obtain an entry-level position in financial management which will lead to upper-level management. To enter the marketing profession and ultimately progress to a marketing research position. To utilize my skills and experience to work in the area of audit or cost accounting. To undertake a challenging position on a creative advertising team with particular interest in designing layouts. Working in corporate accounting or internal audit for an industrial firm with management opportunities. Seeking summer employment in a progressive business organization. Opportunity for later permanent employment desired, implementing computer science skills. EDUCATION This area encompasses your college work. Use the full name of the institution, location, degree(s), [seniors give month and year of graduation but graduates give year]. Indicate major(s) and any area(s) of special emphasis. State your grade point average overall and also include your GPA in your major as it is usually even higher. Some guidelines you will want to keep in mind... 1. Either begin with the institution you are now attending or the degree held. 2. Abbrreviating your degree is acceptable as long as the abbreviation is readily understood by your readers. 3. If you are sending out your resume before your actual date of graduation, there is no need to say "expected date of graduation." Simply list the date next to your degree. 4. If you attended more than one instituion, list them in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Don't list where you took a correspondence course. Ask the registrar to list that information on your transcript. 5. Include your GPA, if a 3.0 or better, but present it to your best advantage. List your cumulative GPA or your major GPA, whichever is higher. Label it accordingly. 6. You might also want to include minor course work emphasis, areas of concentration, honors and scholarships. EXPERIENCE Begin with your job title on the first line. On the same or next line, list the place of employment, location (optional), and dates. If your place of employment is more impressive than your job title, list it first. Choose one format and keep it consistent throughout the Experience category. Next, you must write a description of each work experience you have included in your resume. Do not leave too much to your reader's imagination. Use concise phrases headed with action verbs to describe your job duties and the skills you developed or refined. Quantify your accomplishments and responsibilities if possible. Pay particular attention to such subjects as the number of people you supervised, the number of dollars you handled and the increases in productivity which resulted from your efforts. * Remember that an outline format is easiest to read. * Eliminate unnecessary little words & excess verbiage. * Be consistent in use of punctuation. COLLEGE ACTIVITIES These can be listed with skills identified that apply to your career aspirations. An activity which demanded heavy responsibility should be listed. Include activities that will present you as a well-rounded person. Examples: Student Senate Football Varsity Letterman New Day Singer Co-Captain Intramural Basketball Chairman of Dance Marathon Parnassus Volunteer Math Tutor Campus Hostess Homecoming Committee Resident Assistant Decorations Chair International Language Club Residence Hall Council Secretary Newpaper Reporter Bloodmobile Publicity Chair Lab Assistant PERSONAL Recent federal legislation limits pre-employment inquires concerning personal data, e.g., age, sex, marital status, etc. We do not advise including personal information such as birth date, marital status and number of dependents. You may want to include whether you are willing to relocate, willing to travel, no geographic preferrence, preference for midwest, if you feel it is relevant to the job or if you feel it is positive and supportive. This category can contian any of the optional elements, such as Interests, Community Activities, Honors/Awards, if you don't want to list them in a separate category. REFERENCES Ask individuals who can vouch for your abilities and skills. Be sure to select them carefully prior to your employment campaign. You should select at least three people who know you and with whom you work well (a professor, an advisor, a former employer). Be certain to get permission to ues them as references before releasing their names. It is also a good idea to let those individuals know which prospective employers you will be contacting. Instead of "References Available on Request", recent employer panels have indicated that a majority prefer to see reference names nad telephone numbers listed. List at the bottom or on a separate sheet ofpaper. Be sure to give the individual's full name, position, business address and telephone number. List both home and office numbers for professors. Have a separate list this information ready to give them if it doesn't fit on your first page. 1. Give your references a copy of your resume to serve as a memory jogger. 2. If you have or get married, inform your references of the name change. 3. be sure you list up-to-date addresses and phone numbers for your references. 4. Thorough companies DO check references! 5. When you do get a job, send a thank you to your references. You never know when you might need their help again. SHERI'S WEB INTERNATIONAL ** Email address: sheri@sherisweb.com Web Address: http://www.sherisweb.com