Resumes

Cover letters and resumes are the way to sell yourself.

In a few carefully chosen words you can catch a potential employer’s attention and set yourself apart from the million other applicants. Therefore, cover letters and resumes need to be extremely well written, well organized and brief, but revealing.

You will be writing a cover letter and resume for a hypothetical employer. Decide on a job in which you are interested and for which you are qualified.

(RESOURCE: RESUMES FOR HS STUDENTS)
http://www.money-zine.com/Career-Development/Resume-Writing/Resumes-for-High-School-Students/



I. What is a resume?
A resume (also spelled résumé) is a brief document that summarizes your education, employment history, and experiences that are relevant to your qualifications for a particular job for which you are applying. The purpose of a resume (along with your cover letter) is to get an interview. Research has shown than it takes an average of ten (10) interviews to receive one (1) job offer, so your resume needs to be persuasive and perfect. Given this, your resume must be user-centered and persuasive.

The general purpose resume usually contains four sections:

•Contact
•Education
•Experience
•Honors, activities, and outreach

What should it look like?
A general résumé should be a brief summary of your experience, so it should be as concise as possible-no shorter than one full page and no more than three pages (some specific kinds of résumés can be longer). Résumé differ from letters and papers, and they are written in a concise style using bullet lists rather than long sentences and paragraphs. A résumé is designed to be skimmed quickly. You should look at as many résumé examples as possible before writing your own. You can check our samples to see several different formats.

TAILOR YOUR RESUME:
Though you may maintain a general résumé, you should tailor your résumés to fit the needs and expectations of each company and job position. To help tailor your résumé, collect as much information as possible on the organization and its mission/goals. Then collect information on the people who may read your résumé: human resources, decision makers, potential boss, etc. Finally, collect information on the job position and its requirements. When you know about the company, the audience, and the position, you can match your training and experience to their needs and expectations.

CONTACT INFO:
Writing the contact section of your resume
This section of your resume is definitely the easiest to write, but you do have a few options for design and content.

What is a contact information section?

Unlike other sections of your resume, this section does not have a special heading like "Contact Information." Instead it simply lists the information below at the top of the page:

•your full name
•your e-mail address
•your permanent address
•your local or campus address (if applicable)
•your phone number(s)
•your web address/URL
•your fax number, etc.

Of course, as with the rest of your resume, you'll want to double-check that all the information you include is current and accurate. Mistyping your phone number could easily cost you an interview! Also, if you list an e-mail address, be sure to check your e-mail regularly or you may miss an important message.

When you go to college: If you live on campus, you should provide your campus address. But you may also want to provide your home address.

Designing your contact information section
Employers will probably look first and last at your contact information section, so it's well worth your time to make this section easy-to-read and appealing to the eye. Whatever design choices you make, try to coordinate them with the rest of your resume. Here are some specific design options:

1.Use page design strategies to present information in a usable format. For example, to help readers find desired information, you might place your name in a larger font size, center it, boldface it, or anything to make it stand out. If you have a permanent and local address, you might want to play with columns.
2.You may want to add a graphic element such as a horizontal line to help section off your contact information. Make sure the visual does not distract from your textual information.
3.Coordinate with your cover letter. One way to make your application documents a professional package is to match your cover letter and your resume. You might do this by creating stationery or a letterhead for both documents. For instance, if you use two columns for your addresses and a double line on your resume header, you might adapt it for the top of your cover letter as well. Make sure to use the same fonts (size also) for both documents.
Questions to ask


•What are the different ways you may be contacted? How do you prefer to be reached?
About the company or organization

•What means of contacting you would be most convenient for the company or organization?



OBJECTIVE:

The objective should be short and concise, but it must also be user-centered. User-centered objectives are tailored to the specific organization and position. User-centered objectives state the organization's name and the specific position title, and they briefly outline how the applicant will help the organization achieve its goals:

Sample Objective: Help ABC Aerospace achieve its mission of designing tomorrow's technology today by joining the Navigation Software Development Team as a programmer.

Creating a user-centered objective is important because you don't want to sound like you're using the organization selfishly to further your own career:

Sample Objective: Expand my skills in programming in the software development field

Notice how the second objective does not mention the specific organization or job, and it does not discuss how the applicant plans to help the company.

EDUCATION:
In the education section, state the highest degree you have earned and provide the following details:

•Institution where the degree was granted
•Date of graduation
•Level of degree (B.A., M.A., etc.) and field (Electrical Engineering), any minors(English), and your GPA. You are not required to state your GPA, but potential employers may assume you left it off because it was low. However, if your GPA is lower than a 3.0, consider omitting it.

HONORS AND AWARDS:Be sure to include any honors or awards you have received during high school. Be very specific and indicate a brief description of each honor / award.

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES:Briefly state any club or activity in which you have participated. Indicate any offices or special positions held. Also include any special projects or events that you played a key role.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:Include a brief description of any community service events or activities.

WORK EXPERIENCE
The section on work experience is usually broken down by company or position. For each, provide the following:

•Name and address of the organization
•Dates of employment
•Position title
•Responsibilities.
You may also want to include skills learned if the job has little or nothing to do with the position for which you are applying. Try to connect your experience with your current job interest.

Optional Sections
In addition to the basic sections, you may also want to include other optional sections to provide a more accurate idea of your skills, achievements, education, etc. These can include the following:

•Computer skills
••Languages
•Certifications
•Volunteer experience
•Foreign travel
•Professional memberships



•Sample Resumes:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20080129030125_719.pdf

http://jobsearch.about.com/library/samples/blhsresume.htm

* http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1340-Cover-Letters-Resumes-R%c3%a9sum%c3%a9-Samples/?sc_extcmp=JS_1340_advice&SiteId=cbmsn41340&catid=cl

*There are 2 sample resumes at the bot. of this blog

II. Design: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/631/01/

III. Vocabulary

It is important to use precise, positive, active words to describe yourself and your activities, skills and experiences. Use the link below to find vocabulary suggestions.
Action words to use on resumes and cover letters:
http://www.aie.org/Finding-a-career/writing-your-resume/100-great-resume-words.cfm

http://www.ferrum.edu/career/guide/keywords.htm


IV. 10 things to leave off of your resume

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2175-Cover-Letters-Resumes-10-Things-to-Leave-Off-Your-R%c3%a9sum%c3%a9/?sc_extcmp=JS_2175_advice&SiteId=cbmsn42175&catid=cl

V. Link to tips:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/MSN/Category.aspx?categoryid=CL


BLANK RESUME TEMPLATES:
http://www.professional-resume-example.com/free-blank-resume-template.html



MORE
Sample Resumes
Use the resume samples to find a format which best fits your type of experiences and skills.

First Name Last Name
6 Pine Street, Arlington, VA 12333
home: 555.555.5555
cell: 566.486.2222
email: phjones@vacapp.com
Education

Arlington High School, Arlington, Virginia
2002 - 2006
Experience

Pet Sitter
2004 - Present
• Provide pet sitting services including dog walking, feeding and yard care.

Child Care
2002 - Present
• Provide child care for several families after school, weekends and during school vacations.

Achievements
• National Honor Society: 2004, 2005, 2006
• Academic Honor Roll: 2002 - 2006

Volunteer Experience
• Big Brother / Big Sisters
• Arlington Literacy Program
• Run for Life

Interests / Activities
• Member of Arlington High School Tennis Team
• Girl Scout
• Piano

Computer Skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Internet

_____________________________________________________________________
Resume Template - High School Student

First Name Last Name
6 Elm Avenue, Stockler, CA 91733
Home: 111.111.1111 Cell: 766.444.4444
petals@flowershop.com

OBJECTIVE
A weekend part time position in a retail store that sells music, books or sporting supplies.

EDUCATION

Woodrow Wilson National High School, Stockler CA
High School Diploma anticipated in May 2009 Junior, GPA 3.41
High School Awards and Honors
National Honor Society: Fall 2005, Fall 2006, Spring 2008
Middle School Academic Honor Roll: 2002, 2003
Perfect Attendance 2006

WORK EXPERIENCE

Franklin's Lawn & Garden Services, Stockler CA 2004 to Present
• Assist family business to provide lawn and yard care services for 25 neighborhood homes bi-weekly.
• Create and distribute 200 flyers about lawn services using Print-to-Pretty software in the neighborhood monthly.
• Help to stuff envelopes with invoices for monthly billing and enter payments into Quick spreadsheet software.
Chuck's Sodas & Pizza, Stockler CA Summer 2007
• Restocked condiments, napkins and maintained a clean counter.
• Provided great customer service for about 25 walk-in customers on each shift.
• Operated cash register, POS, and frequent guest card system.

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY

Big Kids Society - 10 hours monthly
Library Reading Program - 2 hours monthly
5K Walk with family - October 2004, 2005, 2006

INTERESTS & SKILLS

-Community Basketball League - Most Improved Player Award 2001
-Bass Guitar - Indoor Marching Band 2nd Place Tournament of Bands 2008
-Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Internet Research

____________________________________________________________________

High School Resume Sample:

First Name Last Name
6 Elm Avenue, Stockler, CA 91733
Home: 111.111.1111 Cell: 766.444.4444
petals@flowershop.com
OBJECTIVE
Interested in a paid summer camp working up to 15 hours per week.

EDUCATION
Pepperona Central High School, Pepperona LA
High School Diploma anticipated in May 2010
Sophomore, GPA 3.84
Electives: Art, Culture & Foods, Independent Living, Family Advocacy
Activities: Band and Stage Crew
SPECIAL SKILLS & INTERSTS
• Love to work with children
• Can create attractive posters and flyers using graphic software
• Able to follow written instructions
• Good with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Can do internet research using MS Explorer and FireFox
• Enjoy biographies of famous people and plays
• Travelling with family
• Manage family recycling assignments

VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY SERVICE

Stocklerbridge Hospital, Stockler CA Ongoing
Pediatric Ward Volunteer
• Read, watch television or play games with children
• Make sure the play area is neat and toys are put away after use
• Run errands or do assignments from staff
Stockler Recreation Department, City of Stockler Summer 2007
Volunteer Camp Counselor
• Led arts, crafts, sports, games, camping and hobby workshops for groups of 8-10 year olds
• Monitored groups of up to seven children on weekly field trips to the zoo, water parks and on walking tours
• Made sure campers were dropped off and picked up safely

GOALS
Planning to study Psychology or Music as a major in college
Join the Pep Squad in Junior year