| Begin
with Self-Evaluation |
- Think
about your experiences, including internships, part-time/summer
jobs, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and
course projects to identify what you have to offer potential
employers. (more...)
- Assess
what you have accomplished in each position and the
skills you have developed.
"Transferable
skills" are skills you have acquired that you bring
with you as you begin each new experience, and transfer
to a wide variety of employment settings. Common examples
include interpersonal, communication, leadership and organizational
skills. On the following list, check all
the skills you have learned or demonstrated through your
employment, campus activities, or academic projects. This
will help you choose which skills to include in your resume.
| Interpersonal |
|
Relating
well with customers and co- workers |
|
Listening
to others' opinions and concerns |
|
Responding
to concerns |
|
Resolving
disputes or conflicts |
|
Assisting
others |
|
Motivating
individuals and/or groups |
|
Team
player/team building |
| Communication |
|
Explaining |
|
Public
Speaking |
|
Translating |
|
Persuading/Selling |
|
Articulating |
|
Presenting |
|
Advising |
|
Instructing |
|
Training |
|
Writing/Editing |
| |
|
|
|
| Leadership |
|
Managing |
|
Planning |
|
Supervising |
|
Delegating |
|
Evaluating |
|
Team
building |
|
Motivating
others |
|
Making
decisions |
|
Problem
solving |
|
Initiating
new approaches |
| Organizational |
|
Planning |
|
Follow-through |
|
Meeting
deadlines |
|
Multi-tasking |
|
Time
management |
|
Setting
and attaining goals |
| |
| Research
Your Target Market |
- Research
your target market using the Internet
and the resources and links on the Career Services
website.
- Review
several job descriptions for your field of interest
to determine the knowledge, skills and abilities employers
are looking for.
- Compare
your qualifications to the requirements of employers.
Employers will be interested in transferable skills
such as customer relations, team building, problem solving,
communication and leadership skills. Targeted research
will help you uncover specific needs and the keywords
to get your resume noticed
|
Keywords
are nouns, phrases, industry buzz words or acronyms
used within a particular field, job description
or list of employer requirements. Employers using
resume databases may conduct a search based on specific
keywords. If your resume includes the appropriate
keywords, it is more likely to be selected.
- For
a list of key words relevant to your target market
consult, Electronic Resume Revolution or Resumes
for Dummies (4th edition) by Joyce Lain Kennedy
or use an Internet search engine to generate a
list
|
Review
the samples on the next few pages for examples of each
of the formats below.
- Chronological
- This is the recommended format for college students
and recent graduates with limited work experience in
their field. Educational and work experiences are presented
in reverse chronological order.
- Functional
- This format is most often used by experienced professionals,
career changers and those with employment gaps. It emphasizes
marketable skill sets and areas of expertise, while
de-emphasizing chronology.
- Combination
- This hybrid format merges the chronological and functional
by highlighting marketable skill sets and providing
a brief employment history. It can be used by students,
recent graduates, experienced professionals, career
changers and those with gaps in employment.
(continued)
|
