W hat is a resume and why do I need one? A resume is an honest, easy to read, impressive summary of your "occupat

1. What is a resume and why do I need one? A resume is an honest, easy to read, impressive summary of your "occupational self" on paper! It tells: ...who you are as an employee. ...what your employment history has been. ...what your strengths and accomplishments are. ...what skills and abilities you have. ...why the prospective employer should call you in for an interview. The resume is the tool that you should use as your best opportunity to be an advocate for yourself.

2. Creating Your Resume • Getting Started • Prepare • Your resume is a marketing tool. It describes what you have to offer the employer. To start the resume development process, begin by listing your skills and strengths. Take out a notepad or go to your computer, and write answers to these questions: • What am I really good at? • What are my talents and strengths? • How can I contribute to an organization?

3. Next, list each of your jobs, • Giving the starting and ending dates. • Describe what you did on the job. • What were your responsibilities and duties? • What projects were you involved in? • What did you do especially well? • What did you contribute to the organization? • If you feel you did a good job, how do you know? • How can you prove you did your work well?

4. Sections of the Résumé 1. Name, Address, Phone and Email • Select an attractive format for your name, address, phone number and email. • Bold and capitalize your name, using a slightly larger point size than the address. Sandra Edwards 2215 S. Tipton Tyler, TX 75701 903-262-1640 Sandra.Edwards@tylerisd.org

5. 2. Objective • An objective statement tells the reader what job you seek. It provides focus for the information that follows. Don’t expect employers to figure out what position you want; they don’t have the time. • I am seeking a middle school business teaching position.

6. 3. Qualifications or Highlights • List your skills and personal attributes (i.e. organized, accurate). Use a box format or bullets to draw attention to this section. • I am a very organized person. • I am very prompt. • I have an eye for details. • I have work in a business for 12 years. • I enjoy working with students

7. 4. Education • Show certificates and degrees you have received. Include the graduation date if it’s within the past five years. When your graduation date is in the future, list the degree and college, followed by parenthesis showing the date, i.e. (expected June 2002). Include your grade point when it’s 3.5 or above. If you have no related job experience, list class projects as a way to show your skills and knowledge. • Associate of Arts- Tyler Jr. College, Tyler, TX • Bachelor of Business Administration- University of Texas at Tyler- Tyler, TX

8. 5. Work Experience (including Internships) • List your job history, including internships. Include the position title, name of organization and dates of employment. As a general guideline, provide a maximum of seven to ten years of experience, unless earlier work is highly relevant to your current search. Your work history can be arranged in chronological order or by skills and functions.

9. Moore MST Middle School Tyler, TX 2008 to present • Middle Math, Keyboarding, and Career Teacher • Responsible for Six grade math, seventh grade keyboarding and eight grade Career Investigation classes. • Grace Community EEC Tyler, TX 2005 to 2007 • Pre-kindergarten Teacher • Worked with students in after school care. Responsible included writing lessons to supplement the students education from Grace Community School pre-kindergarten classes. • JC Penney Co. • Tyler, TX, Ponca City, OK, Norman, OK 1982 to 1994 • Retail sales Manager • Buyer for children's wear, menswear, home furnishing, jewelry, women's accessories. Also responsible for markdowns, profit, and personnel.

10. 6. Awards, Licenses, Associations, Community Involvement (optional) • These are optional sections. Awards can be included in the Accomplishments section, but if you have an extensive list, a separate section will draw more attention to them. Show your community service if it demonstrates skills related to the job you want

11. The First Draft Following these guidelines, prepare a first draft. Don’t worry too much about wording at this point, just get the ideas down on paper in resume format. Revising and re-writing come later. Revise and Rewrite Let your first draft sit for a few hours or preferably overnight before returning to edit. Make changes to improve the content. Ask several people to review the draft and suggest improvements. Consider making an appointment with Career Action Staff for a resume critique.

12. Accomplishment Statements Employers hire you because of the contributions you can make and problems you can solve. The most effective method for demonstrating your talents and capabilities is showing concrete examples of what you have already achieved. An “accomplishment” is something you did in your professional, academic or personal life that you feel you did well. Statements demonstrating your accomplishments form the core of an effective résumé and make it stand out. If you have no related work or internship experience, use class projects to demonstrate your capabilities and accomplishments

13. Writing a Cover Letter • Whenever you send a resume to a prospective employer, you also should include a cover letter. • The cover letter should accomplish three things: • explain the purpose of sending your resume, • get the employer interested in your resume, and • target the resume to a specific position or career field. Effective cover letters are clear, to the point, and brief.

14. The cover letter should achieve its purpose in three to four paragraphs consisting of • greeting • opening • body • closing

15. Greeting: • Address the letter to a specific person. Never use "To Whom It May Concern:" or "Dear Sir or Madam:". • You can often find out the name and title of who will be hiring or interviewing for a position by making a simple phone call to the company or business. • However, it is sometimes impossible to do this or the ad may state "no calls, please.“ • In these situations, either use the "RE:" approach or address it to the position as in: "Dear Director of Manufacturing:" or "Dear Human Resource Manager:".

16. Opening: • Begin your letter by directly stating why you are writing the employer. If you are applying for a specific opening, indicate the position you would like to apply for and how you learned of the opening. • Example:I would like to apply for the mechanic position advertised in the September 28th edition of The Kansas City Star. • If you are writing to inquire about job openings, simply state why you are writing and give the employer an idea of the type of position in which you are interested. • Example:I am interested in prospective mechanic openings with A & C Auto. • An effective opening would also get the employer's interest by touching on your qualifications or skills.

17. Body: Don't repeat all of the information in your resume. Direct the employer's attention to the skills, characteristics, and experience that make you right for the job. Point out what you can contribute to the company or business. You should also mention that your resume is attached for further review. Example:As indicated in my enclosed resume, I have 20 years of experience maintaining and repairing a variety of equipment and have recently completed a vocational course in engine repair. In addition, as a community leader, I am experienced in serving the public and working as a team. I believe my skills and experience would enable me to be an immediate asset to your organization.

18. Closing: Indicate that you would like to meet with the employer. Take the initiative and let the employer know how and when you will contact him or her to set up an appointment. Use phrases like "get together" or "meet with you" instead of "interview" in the closing. Example:I would like to meet with you to discuss my qualifications. I will call you next week to find out when we might get together. Thank you for your attention and consideration.

19. Final points about cover letters: • Keep your letter short, clear, and business like. Flashy or "gimmicky" letters do not impress most employers. • Type the cover letter using paper that matches your resume. Check carefully for typographical errors, punctuation, and spelling errors. • Keep a copy of the letter for your records.

20. Put the cover letter, the resume, and the reference page all together. Place them in a large letter-size envelope--do not fold or staple them and type the label. Mail with first-class postage to the same person and address as is on the cover letter. Even if you hand deliver the resume, utilize a cover letter for additional "impress-ability." • Be sure to follow-up as indicated in your letter. If you said "I'll call your office next week," call the office next week!