Starting your resume

Resume Script

Starting your resume

Hello my name is Sarah and I am a communication major at the University of St. Thomas 

You know that a resume is an important marketing tool.  But perhaps, you’re not quite sure how to begin writing one.  I will provide you with information to help you write a strong resume that effectively presents your credentials, experiences, and accomplishments.  .  Let’s begin!

Career counselors recognize that students have a wide variety of experiences and that you may wish to highlight all of your credentials on your resume.  Unfortunately, you may find that you do not have the room to do so.  

In almost all cases, students should be able to keep their resume to one page.  As you might imagine, employers receive a large number of resumes.  Many employers glance at resumes for a short period of time –sometimes only 15 to 20 seconds, to make a decision about screening a candidate in or out.  That being the case, it’s important that your resume be easy to read, concise, and professional.  

There are a couple of things you can do to present your resume in a clear, concise manner: 

Number 1: Leave margins.  More specifically, you may wish to create top/bottom and left/right margins that are parallel.  Blank space will help create a balanced look. 

Number 2: While you may wish to be creative with fancy fonts so that you “stand out”, that’s typically not a good idea.  Use the standard font type and size –Times New Roman or Arial and 10-14 point font. 

Number 3; Consistent use of bold typeface, italics, underline, bullets and indentations enhances the presentation of your resume and creates an easier read.

Number 4: Be sure to use skills-focused and quantitative language to communicate your responsibilities and accomplishments.    

Okay, now that we have covered the basics, we are ready to talk about each section of the resume in more detail. 

Your contact information should appear at the top of the page.  While it may seem silly that I mention this, there are some resume templates that list the contact information at the bottom of the page.  We do not recommend using that format.  It is best to list your contact information at the top of the page –it’s easy for an employer to find the information he/she may need to get in touch with you.

You should list your legal name.  While you might introduce yourself by a nickname or short version of your name in the context of an interview, on your resume, it is expected that you will provide your legal name. 

As a college student you might have a campus and home address, therefore you can list both a present and a permanent address.  Listing both pieces of information will make it easy for an employer to get in touch with you during breaks. The same can be said concerning phone numbers.   

Recognizing that many employers prefer to contact candidates via email, list your UST email address.  Occasionally, students include an alternate email –such as a yahoo or hotmail account.  If you choose to do so, make certain that the email address is a professional one.  Something like “hotlips2006@yahoo.com” is not acceptable.   

Finally, create an objective. An Objective section will help to focus your resume. Avoid too broad and too narrow Objective. A strong objective Indicates what you’ll be giving, just as

much as what you’ll be getting from the position you are seeking 

An objective can also indicate focus and ‘fit’ to a prospective employer.

A good example would be something like: A position in sports marketing in which strong written and verbal communication skills will be required.

Hello my name is Sarah and I am a current student at the University of St. Thomas. 

As you apply for internships or entry level positions, one of your key credentials is your St. Thomas education.  Because of this importance, this information should appear next on your resume after contact information and an objective. 

The Education section will include information about colleges attended, degree information, enrollment dates, and details about your academic program of study, including relevant coursework and GPA. If you have participated in the Study Abroad program, this information should also be part of the Education section.  

If you will be a future graduate and you have yet to earn a degree, a phrase noting your anticipated day of graduation should appear before the degree information. 

 

Your resume may show that you have an interest or concentration.  You may express this, for example, by writing “Area of Concentration: Finance.”  

You could also convey this information by listing your upper elective courses under the heading “Relevant Coursework.”  When listing courses, be certain not to provide a laundry list of courses. Simply choose the ones that are most relevant. 

 

A final comment about the Education section:  You may choose to include your Grade Point Average.  You may include just your Major GPA, or your overall GPA, or both. If GPA is over 3.0, include it. If not, leave it off.

Experience Section 

Hello my name is Sarah and I am a student assistant in the UST Career Development Center. 

The largest section of your resume will be the Experience section.  There are a number of ways to present information about your experience.  

You may choose to include all of your experiences –internships, part-time jobs, volunteer experiences, and co-curricular activities in one section with the heading “Experience” or you may choose to create multiple sections, such as “Related Experience” and “Leadership Experience.”  

Regardless of how many sections you create, the information about your experience should be represented using the following guidelines:

First: List your experiences in reverse chronological order beginning with the most recent first. 

Second: For each experience, provide the title of your position, the name of the organization, the location, and dates. 

Third: You may choose to include your class projects –they provide valuable business experience.

Fourth: Use action verbs to convey responsibilities and accomplishments, and whenever possible, use skill phrases that you know are relevant to the position you are applying for.

Fifth: You may have had numerous responsibilities or multiple successes, so be certain to prioritize your bullets.  This shows the employer that you recognize the different levels of responsibility.  

Use action verbs to describe each of your responsibilities and to describe your accomplishments and results of your efforts.  For example, if you did an internship with “Wells Fargo”, the first three bullets should reflect your most significant responsibilities as evidenced by the use of verbs such as: –reported, prepared, and monitored.  

As briefly mentioned before, in addition to your internships, part-time jobs, and other work related activities, you may also want to highlight your leadership roles, extra-curricular activities, volunteer experiences and involvement in college athletics  

Other Sections

My name is Sarah and I am student at St. Thomas. 

Most likely the last section on your resume is information about your technical and language skills.   There is some flexibility in terms of how you present your technical skills. Consider not listing out each Microsoft Office software product such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but rather cluster these under the heading “Microsoft Office Suite.”  

Depending on space availability and the nature of the position, you may choose to cluster software tools or to list them separately.  

If you list a language, you must specify your skill level in the language.  Keep in mind that if you list a language, its fair game that an employer dialogue with you in that language during your interview.  

One section that you will occasionally see on a resume is “Activities and Interests” where applicants will include information about their interests such as sports and travel.  In listing your interests, try to select interests that help the employer gain a better understanding of you as a person.

So far the focus has been on what to include in your resume.  This is a list of items to omit:

•      Omit Acronyms that are not common knowledge. 

•      Do not use Articles and pronouns.

•      Do not include the phrase “References Available upon Request.”  It is understood that you will be asked to provide this information at a later date in the hiring process.

•      Do not include your supervisors’ name.  This information should appear on a reference list.

•      Omit information about your salary expectations.  But note that some employers may request that you include this in a cover letter. 

•      Do not include personal information such as your political or religious affiliation.

•      Never submit a photograph.