Resume Writing

Step One-Self Inventory
Review your personal information and experience. Start with a blank piece of paper, not a template, and list each item that has relevance. Go for volume here and focus on details and specifics. You will condense this information later.

Contact Information
Your name, current and temporary addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail address.

Objective
State the position you are seeking. You can also add the skills and abilities you have that match that position.
Examples:
An Assistant Programmer position with Veemax Consulting.
A Sales Representative position with Phantine Chemicals, using advanced laboratory skills.

Education
Begin with Old Dominion University and list your degree/s, major/s, and minor/s. State the date you will graduate. For each school you've attended list city, state in which they are located. Include academic honors, awards, scholarships, projects, or publications. Generally, list your GPA if 3.0 or above. You can also list your GPA in your major if it is better than your cumulative. Military training can be listed here. Create a list of the relevant courses that complement your career objective.

Work Experience
Describe paid and non-paid experiences. Include your title, employer name, location, and dates of employment. Focus on the functions you performed, your contributions/achievements, and the skills you used/gained. Use numbers, figures, and descriptions of the environment. You need to give the reader a mental picture of experience.

College, Community and Personal Involvement
State name of organization and the role you played. Describe the organization for readers who may not be familiar with Old Dominion University or the Tidewater area. Don't just list organizations, instead state contributions, offices held, and demonstrated skills. Include dates of membership.

Special Skills
Languages you speak/write, computer, laboratory, and other special skills/licenses.

Interests and Activities
List hobbies and other endeavors which support your career objective.

References
Do not belong on your on your resume. List name, title, business address, phone number, fax, and e-mail address of reference on a separate sheet, with the same header as your resume.

Step Two- Choose a Format
The format you choose should reflect your own personal situation. Consider your qualifications, career objective, experience, and the kind of employer you are seeking before you select a style. The most common formats are:

Chronological: Jobs and education are listed in reverse chronological order-the most recent experience first. This format is best for those who have some experience directly related to their objective.

Functional Skills: Highlights qualifications, skills and related accomplishments with little emphasis on dates. This format is not recommended as employers usually prefer past employment information.

Combination: Similar to functional resume, but with employment history listed in a separate section. This style is best for people who have little related experience but lots of transferable skills, new graduates, career changers who have gaps in their work history, and those who have had many similar jobs. It allows the writer list their experience and skills in order of relevance rather than by date or functional title.

Describe your experience in terms of the functions you performed and what you accomplished. Use action verbs to strengthen descriptions. Employers are interested in how successful you were in the past because it predicts future performance.

Step Three- Write your first draft

Make It Clear
Do not use personal pronouns like "I" and "my." Do not use full sentences. Instead, use short bulleted phrases in past tense for past experience, present tense for present activity. Avoid "responsible for" and "duties included." Place the most relevant information first and avoid abbreviations. Your experience can be divided into "related" and "other" in order to highlight related experience first.

Describe your experience in terms of the functions you performed and what you accomplished. Use action verbs to strengthen descriptions. Employers are interested in how successful you were in the past because it predicts future performance. >

Objective Statement
Your objective statement can be general or specific. It should be work-centered, not self centered, and should emphasize what you can bring to the position. All information on your resume should relate to the objective.

Step Four - Critique your first draft
Use the resume checklist to self critique and ask several individuals who are familiar with the type of employment you are seeking to look it over. Always ask someone at the Career Management Center for a resume review before distribution.

Step Five- Final draft
Check that your resume is mistake free, has consistent emphasis (bold, underline, italics) and is well laid out on the page. Print your resume on 24 lb. cotton bond paper. Use pure white, cream, ecru, or beige paper. Never photocopy your resume, always print your resume using a laser or high-quality inkjet printer.