Resume Preparation Handbook

RESUME

PREPARATION

HANDBOOK

GUIDING YOU

TO YOUR NEXT CAREER!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is a Resume and Why do I need one?

Consider What you have to Offer

Preparing Your Resume: Resume Content

Preparing Your Resume: Resume Checklist

Preparing Your Resume: Action Verbs

Preparing Your Resume: Sample Nouns

Top Ten Recruiter “Pet Peeves”

Important Tips

What Type of Resume is “Right” for you?

Sample Resumes: Chronological

V. A few words about references

I. Introduction

II. Resume Preparation

III. Tips to Consider

IV. Types Of Resume

Sample Resumes: Functional

Sample Resumes: Combination

Points to Remember:

1) Resumes are used to get your

“foot in the door” for an interview

2) Resumes act as a supplement to

the data on your application

3) Resumes serve as an outline

during the job interview

WHAT IS A RESUME AND

WHY DO I NEED ONE?

Who you are as an employee

Your employment and

professional background

Your strengths and

accomplishments

Your skills and abilities

Why the prospective employer

should call you in for an interview

A Resume Communicates:

A resume is a concise and easy-

to-read summary of your

professional experience on paper.

It serves as the “sales” tool to

help you market yourself to

potential employers.

The information you choose to list

about your background and how

you present it should confidently

convince an employer to consider

you as a prospective employee.

Every word Counts!

Who will be reviewing the resume?

For what purpose is the resume being

used? (i.e. job, internship, industry).

What are you intending to

communicate about yourself through

your resume?

Will the information included get you

an interview?

How can your resume set you apart

from the other candidates?

Creating a powerful resume is a

challenging process that takes time,

planning, and thought. Remember, it is

YOUR resume. Everyone's resume has

its own "style" based on their education,

experience, and training, etc.

QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THE

DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR RESUME

What are your skills and qualifications?

Examples: Computer skills, Bilingual, Time Management

How might your specific talents translate to the world-of-work?

Consider skills you have developed as a student that can be transferred to the

workplace.

Examples: Working with difficult situations, Working with details/numbers/ideas,

Experience with machines and tools, Leadership Ability, Communication Skills,

Ability to Follow Directions

Are you reliable, honest, approachable, and flexible?

Do you demonstrate persistence, drive, and efficiency?

Consider paid experience, internships, and volunteer work.

What specific actions did you take to accomplish your work?

What were the results of your actions?

What honors, awards, and recognition have you received from past

accomplishments?

Showcase your achievements, completed projects, noteworthy

accomplishments, outside activities, memberships, academic awards, etc

Professional Abilities

Transferable Skills

Personal Attributes

Experience

Accomplishments

CONSIDER WHAT YOU HAVE TO

OFFER...

STOP! WAIT!

To see what skills are valuable,

SCAN HERE and search your

occupation and experiences

https://bit.ly/Onetonline

Your Name

Address City, State Zip

Phone Number | Email Address

Website

The objective statement is optional. It should be brief and specific to a

particular job or career field. Tailor your objective to the job you are

hoping to be hired for.

OBJECTIVE:

Include specialization, minor, overall GPA if 3.0 or above, any

academic honors, honor societies, or club membership.

Degree and Major Exp Graduation Date

Mesa Community College, San Diego, CA

EDUCATION:

Include achievements or contributions made to an organization

relevant to your target position.

Describe your responsibilities. Start statements with active verbs.

Make your descriptions energetic and short.

Job Title Dates of Employment

Organization, City, State

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Bullet format is preferred by many employers.

Make sure you emphasize your responsibilities that translate into the

type of job you are applying for.

Focus on results, skills, leadership, initiative and teamwork. (Use

quantifying numbers whenever you can.)

Job Title Dates of Employment

Organization City, State

SKILLS:

Include foreign language skills.

Emphasize computer software programs.

Avoid listing general skills here (i.e., communication skills).

Include skills specific to your field (i.e., laboratory skills).

Present work

experience positions

in reverse

chronological order

(most recent first).

You may include

paid, volunteer and

intern positions in the

experience section.

Be sure that your

voice mail message

and email address

are professional.

Include if website

is professional.

Increase visual

impact with selective

use of bold,

underlining, and

CAPITALIZATIONS.

Do not overuse.

Make your name stands

out by increasing the font

size and/or using

capitalization.

RESUME CONTENT

PREPARING YOUR RESUME:

You should start developing your resume early and update it often.

Your resume should be tailored to each specific job you apply for in order to focus

on the employer’s needs. It should always represent who YOU are and what you

are intending to communicate about YOURSELF to your potential employer!

A resume is not a

complete work

history. The last 10

years of relevant

experience is a

general rule.

DO NOT list references

or include the phrase

“References available

upon request.”

Employers expect you

to have references

available on a separate

sheet of paper.

Other headings you may

use include: Activities,

Leadership, Athletics,

Professional Affiliations,

Community Service,

Computer Skills, Relevant

Courses, etc.

OFFICE SUPPORT

Administer

Appropriate

Distribute

Formulate

Organize

Package

Prepare

Schedule

Solve

Accomplish

Achieve

Adapt

Allocate

Appraise

Articulate

Assist

Collect

Communicate

Evaluate

Facilitate

Launch

Lead

Organize

Originate

Perform

Present

Process

Research

Reshape

Solve

Strengthen

Streamline

Upgrade

Prepare

Finance

Forecast

Fund

Generate

Handle

Increase

Maintain

Manage

Market

Merchandise

Plan

Project

Purchase

Report

Analyze

Assess

Balance

Calculate

Concentrate

Construct

Consult

Critique

Discover

Extract

Investigate

Review

Survey

Systematize

RESEARCH/

ANALYSIS

Analyze

Change

Coincide

Guide

Recommend

Review

AUDITING

COMMUNICATION

Address

Correspond

Translate

Schedule

Interview

Interpret

Write

When writing about your job description and responsibilities in the Experience

section of your resume it is essential to begin each statement with an active verb.

Here are some important tips, followed by samples of action verbs listed by job

type category.

ACTION VERBS

PREPARING YOUR RESUME:

Try not to use the same verb twice and vary the sentence structure.

Choose words of substance and power to describe your abilities and

achievements.

Current positions should be described in the present tense, while previous

positions should be described in the past tense.

DO NOT say “Responsibilities/Duties include:”

ADMIN /

MANAGEMENT

Advise

Approve

Guide

Manage

Mediate

Mentor

Moderate

Supervise

Train

FINANCIAL

MANAGEMENT

TECHNICAL

ABILITY

Coordinate

Draft

Forecast

Operate

Program

Streamline

Upgrade

HELPING/

CAREGIVING

Augment

Counsel

Demonstrate

Encourage

Foster

Reassure

Serve

CREATIVITY

Create

Design

Develop

Formulate

Launch

TEACHING

Chair

Collaborate

Coordinate

Demonstrate

Evaluate

Generate

Lecture

Listen

Institute

WORDS FOR

MANY SKILLS

SALES/

PERSUASION

Arbitrate

Consult

Establish

Implement

Maintain

Market

Promote

Use nouns, instead of verbs, to state specific job functions, skills, or responsibilities.

Consult the job description for keywords to include on your resume.

Be specific and quantifiable. Electronic applicant-tracking systems are data-driven.

Client Communications

Contract Administration

Corporate Secretary

Document Management

Executive Officer Support

Facilities Management

Government Affairs

Liaison Affairs

Meeting Planning

Office Management

Product Support

Project Management

Records Management

Regulatory Reporting

Technical Support

Time Management

Workflow Planning

Asset Management

Capacity Planning

Capital Budget

Concurrent Engineering

Cycle Time Reduction

Distribution Management

Ergonomically Efficient

Labor Efficiency

Logistics Management

Master Schedule

Multi-Site Operations

On-Time Delivery

Process Automation

Production Output

Quality Circles

Safety Training

Traffic Management

Work in Progress

Yield Improvement

SAMPLE NOUNS

HOSPITALITY

Buyer Awareness

Customer Loyalty

Distribution Management

Hardgoods

Inventory Control

Loss Prevention

Mass Merchants

Merchandising

Pricing

Retail Sales

Security Operations

Softgoods

Specialty Retailer

Stock Management

MANUFACTURING/

OPERATIONS

MANAGEMENT

You can improve your odds of obtaining an interview by using keywords from

the job description in your resume. Below, you will find a few tips regarding

the use of nouns and sample nouns you may include to increase the “hits” on

your resume.

Amenities

Banquet Operations

Budget Administration

Club Management

Customer Retention

Food & Beverage Operations

Guest Satisfaction

Hospitality Management

Inventory Planning

Labor Cost Control

Meeting Planning

Menu Planning

Occupancy

Portion Control

Purchasing

Resort Management

Service Management

Signature Property

Vendor Sourcing

VIP Relations

ADMINISTRATION

RETAIL

INTERNATIONAL

BUSINESS

Acquisition

Barter Transactions

Channel Development

Cross-Border Transactions

Diplomatic Protocol

Emerging Markets

Expatriate

Foreign Investment

Global Expansion / Marketing

Import/Export

International Financing

International Subsidiary

Joint Venture

Licensing Agreements

Local National

Market Entry

Start-Up Venture

Technology Transfer

PREPARING YOUR RESUME:

Templates: Avoid resume wizards and resume software templates. They are

difficult to edit and do not allow you to present information in the most effective format.

Length: For college students and recent college graduates, create a one-page, one-sided resume.

Two pages is okay as long as all information is relevant and related to objective.

Font: Choose one basic, easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia in 10-12

point size. The point size can vary; your name should be in a larger point size than the other text

(16-19 point size). Always use black ink!

Paper: If you're planning to print out copies of your resume, use 8½” x 11” resume-quality paper in

a light color, such as white or off-white.

Spacing: Margins of ½ to 1 inch and double-spacing between headings improves readability. Base

your spacing on the amount of content you have to include (for example, if content is limited use

larger margins).

Format: Use bullets, bold, capitalization, and underlining sparingly to call attention to the most

important information, usually aspects of education or experience.

Layout: The most common layout summarizes your experience with the following headings:

Objective, Skills, Education, and Experience (work, internship, and volunteer). Under Education and

Experience, list information in reverse chronological order.

Professionalism: Eliminate all typos and misspellings by asking other people to proofread.

Did You Know? Employers spend less than a minute evaluating your resume. Catch

their attention by tailoring your resume to meet their needs. Here are some

suggestions to help focus your edits!

RESUME CHECKLIST

Image: Decide what image you want your resume to communicate. Does it show that you are a

leader, a team player, an artist, a salesperson, or something else?

Content: Select three core qualities that define you and are of importance to the position for which

you are applying. Make sure your resume stresses the accomplishments and skills that reflect

these qualities.

Style: Start off sentences with action verbs to convey enthusiasm and achievement. Sample verbs

are listed on the next page.

Avoid: Do not list your own web site if it includes personal information. Never reveal confidential

personal data such as social security, driver’s license, or credit card numbers on a resume.

Form

Function

Proofread for incorrectly used words (their vs. there). Spell check doesn't recognize everything.

Resumes reflect the experiences of professionals and serve as examples of communication style.

Provide specific examples of how the company benefited from your performance.

When possible, accomplishments should be quantified in dollars or percentages.

Many recruiters shared with us that a resume that does not include dates sends up “red flags” about a

candidate’s background and is immediately tossed out.

Be honest about your dates of employment...Lying on resumes is another area that recruiters and hiring

managers alike despise!

It is crucial that your complete contact info be easy to read and at the top of the page. This includes your full name,

phone numbers, (home, cell, and a daytime number), and home and email addresses.

Whenever your contact info changes, make sure any and all recruiters you are working with or have in the past, are

updated.

Bullets should be aligned cleanly on the page and not indented all over the place.

Using headers and footers is one of the worst things you can do! If the document is converted it is likely that your

contact info won’t be!

No recruiter likes a resume overflowing of templates or tables.

Spelling Errors, Typos, and Poor Grammar

Too Duty Oriented – Reads like a job description or fails to explain accomplishments

Missing or Inaccurate Dates

Missing Contact Info, Inaccurate, or Unprofessional Email Addresses

Poor Formatting – boxes, templates, tables, and use of header and footers

Formatting issues to be aware of:

TOP

RECRUITER

"PET PEEVES"

The following pet peeves represent the top ten results of the

ResumeDoctor.com survey of over 2,500 recruiters in the US and Canada.

Recruiters are only reviewing the last 5-8 years of your career, 10 tops. Keep it short!

If you are a recent graduate with limited professional work experience, your resume should be only one page.

Remember, a resume is simply a marketing piece, it must be short, concise, and hit the “hot buttons” of the employer.

Use blunt, paraphrased bullet points.

Use appropriate amounts of "white space" to help guide your reader.

Recruiters do not have time to sort through hundreds of resumes that are in no way a match for the requirements they

are trying to fill.

An easy remedy, when you are unqualified but want to submit your application to a company, is to provide a simple

introductory statement: “While my qualifications do not match your requirements, please accept the attached for your

files in anticipation of future, suitable opportunities.”

You never want to include information that could be viewed in the wrong way or open up even the slightest temptation

for prejudice or misinterpretation.

Recruiters do not need to know your age, height, weight, marital status, sexual orientation, religious or political

affiliations, or even your hobbies. They are trying to fill an open job requisition, not match you for a blind date.

Long Dense Resumes – greater than 2 pages

Unqualified Candidates – candidates who apply to positions for which they are not

qualified

Personal Info Not Relevant to the Job

RESUMES:

DO'S

Always print your resume on

standard letter size, white or ivory

resume paper.

Be consistent in terms of

formatting and abbreviations.

Leave plenty of space between

paragraphs.

If you have a cell phone number,

include it! Make sure your

voicemail greeting is professional.

Proofread, and have others

proofread it too to always make

sure the resume is error-free.

Tailor your resume to the position

for which you are applying.

List your extracurricular

involvement with professional,

trade, and civic associations if

appropriate.

Send a brief, customized cover

letter with each resume.

Re-read your resume before every

interview; the interviewer probably

did too.

If you have to e-mail your resume,

don't send it on its own. Add a

'subject' and message.

Don't abbreviate or use specific

terminology unless you are sure the

reader will know what it means.

Don’t try to overdecorate, keep it

simple and professional. This

includes no folding or bending your

resume.

Never use exact dates; months and

years are sufficient (you can use

summer or holiday season as well).

You don’t need to list your high

school if you are a college graduate.

Avoid listing your height, weight, or

remarks about your physical

appearance or health.

Don't list references on your resume.

Nor should you state “References

Available on Request.” It is assumed

by employers that you will provide

references separately at the time of

application or interview.

Last but not least…

Never LIE! It could cost you the job

offer or, if you’ve already been hired,

it could cost you your job.

DONT'S

WHAT TYPE OF RESUME IS

RIGHT FOR YOU?

Functional resumes are appropriate when there is a lack of work

experience in an occupation area, a desire to change careers, or re-enter

the job market after a lengthy absence.

Information is organized according to types of experiences you have

obtained with a focus on skills and qualities that can be translated to a

variety of work situations (i.e. transferable skills).

This format highlights key traits or qualities and detailed examples of

those qualities rather than focusing on dates and time frames.

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUMES

COMBINATION RESUMES

There are three basic formats for resume preparation: Chronological, Functional,

and Combination. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Choose a

format that best reflects your skills and experience at a glance.

Chronological resumes are the easiest to prepare and read, and the

most commonly used.

Information is organized according to time with most recent education

and experience listed first.

Demonstrates a strong job-related background.

Elements from both the functional format and the chronological

format are combined into one resume.

It stresses skills and capabilities, but adds positions, employers and

dates.

Appropriate when you want to show the potential employer where and

when you have gained the skills you are highlighting.

FUNCTIONAL RESUMES

First Name Last Name

[email protected] | (555) 555-5555

San Diego CA 92111

OBJECTIVE

Detail-oriented Kitchen Manager with 5+ years of customer service experience looking to use her

interpersonal skills, leadership, and multitasking abilities to deliver exceptional service to Starbucks

guests as a Shift Supervisor.

Excellent communication

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Strong multitasking

SKILLS

Detail-oriented

Excellent point-of-sales

Effective teamwork and leadership

CERTIFICATIONS

California Food Handlers Card, Premier Food Safety Association 02/2020

Beverage and Alcohol Handling Certificate, National Bartenders School and Staffing 07/2019

Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities creating an environment

that is highly devoted to customers

Maintain compliance with company policies, procedures for food safety, sanitation, and quality

resulted with a customer retention rate of 95%

Record inventories and report any shortages by collaborating with the designated personnel

which improved customer services efficiency

EXPERIENCE

Shift Supervisor 09/2019 - Present

Chipotle Mexican Grill, San Diego CA

Handled payments during peak service hours to ensure all transactions are accounted for

Maintained an average of 45 second “Out-the-Window” at the drive-through which decreased

customer wait time

Delivered friendly customer service with a positive mindset resulting with a 90% customer

satisfaction score

Crew Member 05/2018 - 09/2019

McDonald’s, San Diego CA

Provided information about facilities and entertainment options which assisted customers with

their plans while maximizing their time

Monitored activities to ensure guest adherence to rules and safety procedures

Directed patrons to rides, seats, or attractions to maintain organized event workflow

Ride Operator 09/2016 - 07/2018

SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego CA

SAMPLE RESUME: CHRONOLOGICAL

More Resume

Examples Here

https://bit.ly/RExamples

SAMPLE RESUME: FUNCTIONAL

First Name Last Name

[email protected] | 555.555.5555

San Diego, CA 92111

linkedin.com/fist_lastname

OBJECTIVE

Dedicated campus leader and student advocate looking to use their client management skills, critical

thinking, and leadership skills to gain professional child development skills as a Youth Program

Leader with the YMCA.

EDUCATION

Associate of Science - Child Development Exp Graduation: May 2022

San Diego Mesa College, San Diego CA

Certificate of Performance - Assistant Teacher December 2020

San Diego Mesa College, San Diego CA

Excellent counseling

Strong leadership

Advanced global and intercultural fluency

SKILLS

Great client management

Advanced problem-solving

Bilingual (Spanish / English)

Created personal babysitting schedule by communicating with 15+ clients and utilizing Microsoft

Outlook and Microsoft Excel to organize appointments

Managed student relationships via phone and email to obtain program applications, resolve

inquiries, and promote campus events

Regularly engaged students in open discussions and other team building activities that increased

morale and contributed to a more energized learning environment

Facilitated weekly campus tours to groups of 15-20 High School students while escorting them to

and from workshops and answering all inquiries

Collaborated with classmates to delegate tasks and responsibilities for academic projects to

ensure that all major and minor deadlines were met

Implemented effective teaching strategies when babysitting children, ages 3 to 15, to assist with

homework and class assignments

Effectively helped seven struggling students to improve their reading ability, resulting in all seven

achieving grade-level targets within a year

Incorporated digital technology for learning activities, including software applications like Learning

Upgrade, SMARTY Ants, and iReady

Supervised nieces and nephews while settling conflict and resolving complex issues between the

children

EXPERIENCE

Client Management

Leadership

Problem Solving

WORK HISTORY

Peer Mentor July 2018 - March 2020

San Diego City College, San Diego CA

Babysitter March 2010 - Present

Self-Employed, San Diego CA

Increased commercial and residential real estate sales by 30% in 2 years through creation and

implementation of new online and in-person customer acquisition campaigns

Close an avg. of 15 commercial and residential real estate sale transactions annually

Brought in over $2,000,000 in profits to agency in historically unprofitable territory

Advise home sellers on techniques to make their properties more attractive, increasing avg. selling

price by 10%

Conduct client interviews, determining best properties to show customers based on their

requirements. Increased customer satisfaction rate of new home buyers by 20% in under 1 year

Assist clients in evaluating mortgage and other financing options, ensuring they get the best rates

and terms. Saved customers an avg. of 5% overtime on new home purchases

Implement GIS data demographic software for new site selection, saving the agency over $5,000,000

annually in unprofitable commercial and residential properties endeavors

Attend international conventions on behalf of agency, keeping up to date on best real estate practices

and networking to gain clients

Trained 3 junior real estate agents on client interview SOPs, and home listing & inspection techniques

Performed market research, comparing market trends and new and old home prices to adequately

price residential properties

Coordinated with home inspectors and lenders to ensure all terms and conditions were met before

closing

Accompanied potential buyers during visits and inspections, ensuring clients were satisfied with the

property value and condition

First Name Last Name

Atlanta, Georgia, 30301 | (555) 555 5555 | [email protected]

RESUME SUMMARY

Licensed realtor with 8+ years of residential and commercial real estate sales experience in the Atlanta

metro area. Expert in campaign management, successfully increasing agency’s new customer acquisition

rate by 30% over 2-year period. Adept in drafting contracts, client analysis, market research, and

knowledge of federal and local real estate law.

SUMMARIZATION OF SKILLS

Real Estate Sales

Customer Service

WORK EXPERIENCE

Senior Real Estate Agent Feb 2018 – Present

Lions Real Estate Firm, Atlanta, GA

Real Estate Agent Sep 2013 – Jan 2018

Fairweather Real Estate Agency, Atlanta, GA

M.S. ACCOUNTING

Georgia State University, 2018

Atlanta, GA

EDUCATION

B.S. MARKETING

Florida State University, 2013

Gainesville, FL M.S.

CERTIFIED REALTOR

Real Estate License

State of Georgia, 2013

SAMPLE RESUME: COMBINATION

Choose your references based on people who can address your performance,

skill level, and reputation in relation to the job requirements. Do NOT choose

references based on their name recognition.

Ask permission before listing anyone as a reference.

Make sure your references are comfortable speaking on your behalf.

Provide each reference with a copy of your resume and the job description.

Verify the contact information of your references before giving it to a potential

employer. It is not a good thing for an employer to call an outdated phone

number.

Don't list your references' names and contact information on your resume! It is

not necessary to state “References Available upon Request”; this is assumed.

Don't wait until the interview to look up the contact information for your

references.

The reference page header (name and contact information) should be identical

to the one appearing on your resume and cover letter.

Print your reference list on quality paper and have it ready to present at an

interview or when applying for a job.

Keep your references informed of your application status.

ALL ABOUT REFERENCES

Consider a reference check a good sign!

@SDMesacollegeTCE

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