Writing and Composing a Resume

Skill-Set: Real World Information Technology Business Skill

Category: Communication

Identifying Information
The first section of a resume is your name, address, phone number, fax and/or e-mail address. You need not write "resume" at the top, since as soon as your reader sees it, it becomes obvious what they are looking at. It is customary to put name, home address and home phone number in this section. It may also be helpful to put your work phone and perhaps fax and e-mail as well (if it is okay that you be contacted at your present job).
Most correspondence today comes via regular mail or phone but you never know what the future holds! Keep in mind that if you provide email or fax, you may just receive information that way. So only put it down if you don't mind hearing from a prospective employer via that mode.

The Objective!
The objective is a purely optional part of the resume.
Is an objective for you? Here are some things to consider:
If you know exactly what kind of work setting you want to work in, then you might want to communicate that in your objective.
If you choose to include an objective, here are some guidelines which can help you. An objective can contain up to four parts. An objective does not have to contain all four parts; just include as many parts as you know.

First is the "level" of the position. Examples of position levels would be "internship", "co-op", "part-time", "fulltime", "entry level", "experienced", "supervisory" and "executive". If you know what level of position you are seeking, select one of the above terms, or create one of your own. For some folks, position level is not an important piece of an objective, and can be left off.

Part two is the skills you hope to use in that position. Refer to the list of action verbs to help you identify what skills you like and/or have experience using. For example, you may be seeking "A position in consulting, software design, development and support". For some individuals, the skills are the only piece of the objective they know. An objective including only the skills you want to use is respectable because it still conveys information which the employer will want.

Part three is the position function, also sometimes called position title. If you are responding to a job posting, the position function can often be found in the employer's text. Examples of functions are "chemist", "administrative assistant", "process engineer", "accountant", "project manager", "consultant" and "grant writer". For those with broad skill sets, many position titles may apply. Find out what a specific employer calls this function within their organization during your informational interview or from an acquaintance who works in that field. You may also choose to invent a title that is broad enough to encompass your unique vision.

Finally, part four is the field or industry, in which you hope to work. Examples of fields or industries include "telecommunications", "higher education", "banking", "pharmaceuticals", "social services", "event planning" and "resort/travel industry". Your particular position may well be found in a variety of fields or industries. For example, accountants work in all of the above industries. If your career vision is not field or industry specific, you may wish to omit this part of the objective. Integrating all four parts into a cohesive whole is easy. The following objective contains all four parts. See if you can identify them. "A full-time engineering position in the computer industry, utilizing my ability to work as a team member and contribute to marketing, support, design and testing of products and services." Employer's expect that an applicant will customize his/her objective to each employer and each position for which a resume is submitted. The days of creating one resume and duplicating it 50 times are over. You can expect to have multiple versions of your resume with customized objectives. The text of your resume may also need to be modified, in both structure and content, to support the various objectives.
 

Summary of Qualifications
Summary statements are a relatively recent phenomenon in resume writing. They often replace The Objective, though in some circumstances, both can be used. The Summary statement allows you to state your skills, values, interests, and other pieces of information that is most relevant to the position to which you are applying. If you knew that a hiring authority would only read one section of your resume, this would be it!

The Summary statement is usually at the top of your resume, the first thing after your Identifying Information. You may use a paragraph or bullet format, but bulleting is usually easier to read. Avoid using words like I, me, or my.

Sometimes its easier to create these statements AFTER you work on the main part of your resume. You will also create or re-word your summary statement for each job position you pursue. Most of all, after reading this statement, the potential employer will be able to see that you have the basic competencies needed for their job!

Education
This section is designed to show an employer that you have the necessary educational credentials to do the job. It includes your credit-based traditional degrees and certificates as well as non-credit professional learning. It can show your academic breadth and intellectual accomplishments. It can even imply something about your industriousness and desire to improve yourself. Continuous learning is a must in order to be competitive in today's job world and this section can show what you have done to stay up-to-date in your current field, and also how you continue to learn. This section can be of key importance if you are making a career change where your new academic credential is related to the new career you are seeking.

In your "Education" section, you will want to be sure to include higher education degrees and certificates, academic awards or scholarships, relevant courses and professional credentials. Sometimes, it may also benefit you to include your grade point average and/or rank in class.

Work Experience
You've probably read this a dozen times by now, but human resource professionals know that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. This means that your work experience section should tell the employer what you've accomplished in past work experiences...which will suggest what you can accomplish for them in the next job! Basically, this is an extremely important section of your resume.
 

Activities/Experience
First thing you need to know it that the Activities/Interest section of the resume is optional. Here's why you might decide to include it as you assemble your resume:

[Resume Example]  [Communication Examples]  [Communication Home]