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PREPARE & DEVELOP JOB SEARCH

Build Your Resume

Resume Style | Print vs. Electronic | WRITE | Format & Review

Your Name Since this is a formal document, include your first name, middle initial, and last name. If you go by your middle name, you may include your first initial, middle name and last name.

Your Address Use your permanent (home) address. Do not abbreviate words like "Street", "Avenue" or "Road". Do abbreviate your state by using its two-letter postal code, in capitals.

Your Contact Information Include your phone number directly below your address. If you have an email address, add it below your phone number. Be sure to use an email address that is appropriate to a business environment.

Professional Objective Use of a professional objective has evolved over the years. There are differing viewpoints as to whether or not an objective will help or hurt your chances in the job market. Regardless of which philosophy you subscribe to, your professional objective refers to now, not five years from now, and should reflect a specific position and industry segment. An objective is optional, you may want to avoid utilizing an objective on your resume, and address one in your cover letter. It is extremely important to remember, when writing your objective, or any other part of your resume, the use of "I" is not appropriate. It is understood that the resume is about you.

Examples

• To obtain a sales manager's position in a full-service hotel
• To obtain a district manager's position with a multi-unit, casual themed restaurant company
• To obtain a financial analyst position in a large financial firm
• To obtain a web manager's position in a leading technology firm

Highlights of Qualifications This can be used to direct the reader of the resume to specific attributes about you and your skills. Highlights of Qualifications are not to be confused with bullet statements which refer directly to the responsibilities and tasks related to your work experience. Highlights of Qualifications should be designed to supplement the education and work experience sections of your resume. You should use three to seven statements depending on the style of resume chosen, remembering that brevity and punch are the magic words here. Zero in on how you want the reader to perceive you. comlete list

Examples

• Outstanding communication and presentation skills
• Sincere commitment to guests' satisfaction
• Equally effective working either autonomously or as a team member
• Able to organize and coordinate all aspects of complex projects

Education The education section of your resume should be listed chronologically, from your most recent experience to your first. This rule holds true for any style resume. You should not include your high school education unless you attended a vocational high school or the institution has significant meaning for the geographic location you are targeting your resume for.

The format for this section includes

• Name of the school attended and the city and state in which the school is located
• Type of degree, name of program or major, and year of graduation. If you are currently working on a degree, the term "Candidate" is used in conjunction with the year
• Concentrations should be listed directly below the degree if any are to be conferred
• Honors, Grade Point Average (GPA) (optional). You may choose to create an additional section for honors and awards. If you choose to state your GPA, it should be at least a 3.0 or higher. Your GPA should be listed on a 4.0 scale (3.9/4.0), meaning you have a 3.9 GPA out of a possible 4.0. /li>

Work Experience The work experience or experience section of your resume should be listed from your most recent experience to your first work experience. This rule holds true for any style resume.

The format for this section includes

• The dates you were employed; month and year you started employment and the month and year you ended employment
• The company you were employed by and the city and state in which the company is located
• The job title of the position you held
• Bullet statements which detail your primary job duties and responsibilities
• Note: Bullet statements for a functional resume are listed under the "Relevant Experience & Accomplishments" category; which may include statements that pertain to experiences gained as a result of work, life, and classroom experience. The Relevant Experience & Accomplishments" section is placed just above the "Work History" section on a functional resume.

You can present dates in any format you wish, but you must stay consistent throughout your resume. Acceptable examples of dates are: May 2000 or May '00, or 5/00.

Optional Categories There are additional sections you can create for your resume. The purpose of these sections is to highlight any additional skills, awards, honors, certifications or special activities that you may want to mention in your resume. When you write this section, follow this format:
Name of Organization
Your role, name of award or certification
Verify with date in month/year

Examples

Skills & Certifications:
MCDBA, Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
PCC, Personal Certified Chef
CCE, Certified Culinary Educator
CEP, Certified Event Planner
CFP, Certified Financial Planner

Honors and Awards:
James Beard Award
Webdeveloper.com "Best Multimedia Innovation"
"Best of Miami" Guest Loyalty Program
National Retail Federation, Retail Technology Award
Rising Star Award

There are many other categories that may apply to you such as: Additional Training, Volunteer Work, Affiliate, Clubs and Organizations and Additional Educational Experience. Some important tips to follow when creating optional categories:

• Do not go crazy creating a bunch of new categories. First, see if the experience you are trying to document fits into an already existing category on your resume
• Only create a new category if you have at least two experiences to list pertaining to that area
• Include no more than five experiences in a category, choose by order of importance or date of activity (most recent first)
• Be sure to include all dates with your experiences in a consistent date format

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