Resume+Workshop

=All 11th and 12th graders must create a resume. =

= =

What is a resume?
 A resume is one page that contains a summary of your job experience, education and other notable activities. 

Why do you need a resume?
 Even if you have a connection that will help you get a job, you will still need a strong resume that won't embarrass you.Imagine getting an interview without even formally applying for a job. Great! Then you go to the interview--let's say your father got you the interview with his golfing buddy--and he asks you for your resume. You don't have one. Uh Oh. Or you have one, but you spelled something wrong in it. Hmmm. Now, you have embarrassed yourself, your father and the guy you interviewed with. Imagine this: You see a job advertised in the newspaper or online. It is a good job that pays well and you like that type of work. You send in your resume, and they never call you, because the font size was so small that the person who sorts the applications threw it out. Oh No. This doesn't have to happen.

See if you can find all three errors in this webpage.

Four Things To Remember
1. Appearance matters. Typos and spelling errors do not go over well with prospective employers. But content matters more. The information in your resume needs to be well organized, easy to read and results-oriented.  2. One size does not fit all. You should customize each resume to what you think the person who is doing the hiring will want/need.  3. Show the employer how he/she will benefit. Provide result-oriented examples that prove you are consistently: a hard worker, honest and skilled in the area.  4. Be clear and concise. Remember, employers sort through piles of resumes and typically spend about 30 seconds on each one. Make your record clear, concise and easy to read.

Sections
Every resume has various sections that guide the person who reads it to the information that is most important to him of her.

Objective* Work Experience*  Education*  Certification  Licensing  Special Skills and Trainings* <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 99%;"> Memberships <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 99%;"> Extracurricular Activities <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 99%;"> Volunteer Experience <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 99%;"> Awards and Honors <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 99%;"> Foreign Languages


 * required sections

Here are sample resumes you can download.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Checklist for your resume:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate capitalization, punctuation and spelling? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate and consistent style, font and size? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate and consistent spacing? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Were your specific but brief? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you have an objective that looks like this “To obtain a cooperative education placement in the graphic arts field.” Or “To obtain a position in the graphic arts field.”? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you have sections for: education, experience, extra-curricular activities, awards, licenses, interests, community service, volunteer work additional training and references? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you make a references section that says, “References: Available upon request.”? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you lie? DO __NOT__ LIE ON YOUR RESUME! • Did you use the active voice? • Did you include dates? • Do you have at least eight vocational skills?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Things you should **//__not__//** put on your resume:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • juvenile sounding email addresses or websites. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • RD., ST., can, LN., Sept., Ma., Osha, driver's license, Tech., Certificate of Occupational Proficiency, a lot, and so on. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Your resume should not be more than one page, but it should be nearly a full page. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Do not underline. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • If you do not have something to include in a section, eliminate the section. For example, if you have never received an award while in high school, do not have a section for awards. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Your school is called Shawsheen Technical High School, not “The” Shawsheen Technical High School. Don’t put a “The” in front of the name!

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Links that will help you make a resume.
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|curriculumunits.com] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> [|OWL's resume workshop] [|The college board's resume site] Monster.com [|www.monster.com] Yahoo! HotJobs, [|www.hotjobs.yahoo.com] JobSniper, [|www.jobsniper.com] CareerBuilder, [|www.careerbuilder.com] MSN Careers, [|www.careers.msn.com] JobWeb, [|www.jobweb.com] [|resumeedge]

**Writing the objective:** Objectives are not always necessary, but we will write them so you understand how they should look. Your objective should be brief, informative and grammatically correct. Here are some examples: CAN YOU FIND THE GRAMMATICAL ERROR IN THIS ONE: To obtain an employment position that will allow me to utilize my varied computer, accounting, communication, and office skills. THIS IS BETTER: To obtain a position where I will utilize my computer, accounting, and communication skills.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">What is a cover letter?
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> A cover letter is a one page business-style letter that introduces your resume. It explains what job you are applying for, how you know about the job and why you want to work at that company.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why do you need a cover letter?
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Imagine that you want to apply for a job. You either know the person and the company you are applying to or you don't. In both situations you will need a resume. And you will usually send this resume through the mail or drop it off at an employer's office with a secretary or assistant. Sometimes you will post it on the web or send it as an attachment to an email.Your cover letter tells the person who receives it how to deal with it, who to give it to and why it is there. Your resume sent alone can confuse the people who run the office where you want to work. So, send your resume with a cover letter.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Four Things To Remember
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 104%;">1. Typos and spelling errors do not go over well with prospective employers with cover letter any more than they do with resumes. The information in your cover letter needs to be well organized and easy to read. Your sentences need to make sense and flow together well. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 104%;"> 2. One size does not fit all. You should customize each cover letter just as you do your resume. Every position will have a separate letter. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 104%;"> 3. Show the employer how he/she will benefit from hiring you. Provide result-oriented examples that prove you are consistently: a hard worker, honest and skilled in the area. Explain the things that don't fit in your resume in your cover letter. If you have perfect attendance in all four years in high school, but did not put that in your resume, put it in your letter. If you have always admired the work the company you are applying to does, say so, and be specific. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 104%;"> 4. Be clear and concise. Remember, employers sort through piles of resumes and cover letters and typically spend about 30 seconds on each one. And don't repeat yourself. If you said it in your resume, don't say it in your cover letter.

Sections
1. Heading This is your name, address, phone number and email address. Center it at the top of the page.

2. Inside address This is the official address of the company where you are applying.

3. Salutation This is the name of the person to which you are writing. Men are referred to as Mr. and women are referred to as Ms.. Sometimes you will have a doctor or a person with official rank. In that case, use Dr., Col. or Maj.. Try to avoid using To Whom It May Concern.

4. Body Paragraph 1 In this paragraph you need to introduce yourself and why you are sending your resume If you are answering an ad in the newspaper or online, you need to state the paper, website and the specific job position, because some companies run multiple ads in several newspapers. If you are referred by a friend or another employee at the company, you will mention the name. This way the person who reads the cover letter will understand what you want and why you are writing the letter. Paragraph 2 This is a place for you to explain in depth those qualifications that make you qualified to work at that company. But, don’t repeat what you put in the resume. You aught to direct the content of this paragraph towards specific competencies you have that make you a good choice. Peek the interests of the employer, so he or she will want to call you in for an interview. Paragraph 3 Keep this one short. Thank the person for his or her time, and then tell them you look forward to hearing from them. Leave a phone number and an email address that you check daily.

5. Closing You will use the word "Sincerely," before you sign. Don't forget to use the comma and the capital S. You will then sign your name in i nk, followed by your name printed in the same font and size as the rest of your letter. Use blue or black ink.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Checklist for your cover letter:**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate capitalization, punctuation and spelling? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate and consistent style, font and size? The same style and font as your resume? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you use appropriate and consistent spacing? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Were you specific but brief? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> • Did you lie? DO __NOT__ LIE. • Did you use the active voice? • Did you include the date? •Does your language flow from one sentence to the next?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This sample cover letter is a real cover letter that a student of mine wrote. I just changed the name. He now works for the Wilmington Fire Department, doing what he has always wanted to do. This cover letter is a good example of one you would write for an informational interview. An informational interview is when you are expressing interest in a job that has not been advertised and may not even exist.

This one is a standard CL. It may fit your needs better, but it is not as eloquent. And here is an example of a cover letter for a coop job.

You can find more help here:[|http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/549/01/]