Develop Your Resume Looking Forward
Showcase Your Skills and Experience
When developing a resume it is important to first think about what type of position
you want to apply for. Your resume is meant to help you land your "future" job and
not just a historical document of your past. It is important to remember that most
hiring managers spend just 20-30 seconds on a resume and scan it for potential skills
and experience of what they are looking for, so take your time to make sure key aspects
are easily recognized. Additionally, at the top of your resume should be a brief profile
description of you. A Profile is a short paragraph (see samples below) that indicates
where you are today, your skill set and capabilities, relevant work experience and
what you are looking for in a way that helps the company. It is laden with keywords
that are relevant to the position you are looking for, keep this in mind.
Next, be sure to use past-tense adjectives to demonstrate your accomplishments (e.g.
created, developed, designed, implemented, etc.). Make sure your previous job titles
are bolded and not the company names (unless you worked at great brands). For each
position worked, list the 4-5 most powerful one-line bullets that show some sort of
results. Often times these bullet points include numerical and monetary values, and
percentages (e.g. increased sales 10%, coordinated 250 person event, implemented cost
reductions of 20%, conquested new account sales of $10,000 and so on).
Please review the three resume examples listed below for resume writing ideas. Keep
in mind, unique skills are not Microsoft office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, etc.). They
are design skills, language skills, social media skills, special certifications, and
software you are familiar with, etc. The resume templates can be downloaded for your
personal use.
Think about the resume "brand" you are crafting as if it were your marketing flyer, what do you want people to believe, to feel about you? Also, once your resume is crafted, be sure to have friends and faculty look it over closely to provide input.
Resume Template 1
Resume Template 2
Resume Template 3