EngC 1011 Section 15

Instructor: Kevin L. Callahan

E-mail: call0031@tc.umn.edu

Writing a resume is one of the most important things that you will learn in this course. If you are able to write a good resume you can obtain job interviews for employment that you want. Habitually writing poor resumes can potentially cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars during your work career by preventing you from getting better paying positions. No genre of writing that you will do requires more careful proofreading than preparing your resume and cover letter. This is because errors of spelling, punctuation, or grammar can cost you a job.

For next Thursday's class, bring in a want ad or other job advertisement for a real job that you would be interested in applying for at some time in the future. This should not be for your current job or a past job you have had. Want ads can be found in newspapers, employment websites, and at job bulletin boards such as at Fraser Hall.

Your FIRST DRAFT of a resume (1 page), cover letter (1 page), references (1 page), and scannable resume (1 page) are due next Tuesday. As usual, bring 3 copies of your first draft to class for the Editing Practice/Peer Review Workshop to spot and correct any errors and to suggest any areas that could be improved.

Your FINAL DRAFT (in a folder along with the first draft and your editor's comments) will be due on Tuesday of the following week.

Note: If you are interested in obtaining intersession or summer employment, a copy of your resume can be submitted to the online websites that accept student resumes. This may include the University's employment website at http://clalink.cla.umn.edu or a general employment website such as http://www.hotjobs.com or http://www.jobtrak.com. Since some people are not interested in employment or have valid reasons for not wanting to have any personal information on the web, posting your resume is not a requirement for completing the assignment.

Assigned: Tuesday, February 6th.

Course Points: 40 points

DUE DATES: First Draft: Tuesday, February 13th (3 copies).

Pre-Grading Draft: Thursday, February 15th.

Final Draft: Tuesday, February 20th.

1. A resume is usually a one page summary of your employment history, job skills, and educational history and includes your name, address, telephone, and e-mail address. Employers will typically ask for resumes in the job advertisement.
2. A curriculum vitae is longer and more comprehensive than a resume. Unless you have been out in the job force a long time, stay with a one-page resume. At the bottom of the page, or on a separate page, you may want to list "references" or people who can positively vouch for you.
3. A cover letter should always accompany the resume even if it is submitted electronically.
4. International resumes (e.g. resumes for European jobs) are quite different from U.S. resumes. International employers often typically expect to see information on marital status, age, height, weight, and a photo. Resumes for American jobs do not provide that because that information could be used for purposes of screening applications for illegal job discrimination e.g. age and race discrimination, etc.
5. The resume gets you the interview. The interview gets you the job.
6. Resumes usually get read for 30 to 40 seconds and then it goes into the "yes" or "no" pile for an interview. Put the best you have to offer in the top 2/3 of the resume.
7. A typo or spelling error in a resume will typically result in it being immediately thrown into the garbage or the "no" stack. No errors of grammar, spelling, or punctuation are allowed in a resume. Use a spelling checker and a grammar checker and have three people proofread it if you need to. Do not let a resume go out with a typo in it. Businesses all have a zero tolerance policy for errors in resumes. If you think about it from the employer's perspective would you really want someone in your company who was so careless that they did not even bother to proofread something as important as their own resume?
8. Focus the resume on the employer's needs, not yours. Each job you apply for should have a resume tailored for the specific job. If it is a resume that will go on the web for many employers to look at it may have to be broader. Before putting something on the resume ask yourself if it is relevant to the job you are applying for. Think broadly about what might be relevant though in your past experience. Volunteer experience may be relevant experience (but avoid calling it that). For obvious reasons never lie in a resume.
9. Research the employer and the person interviewing you on the organization's website. This may tell you what their interests and background are and tip you off to things that you could talk to them about during the interview or questions that they might ask you.
10. You will be expected to ask questions during the job interview. Prepare some ahead of time.
11. Most students should use a chronological format for their resume with the most recent employment on top i.e. your current employment and then into the past.
12. Resumes should be on conservative white or cream resume paper in 10 to 12 point font. Your name on top can be in 14 point font. The resume should be neat and "inviting" to look at without having excessive white space.
13. If you list your parent's address tell them what to tell an employer. Do not put your current employer's phone number on your resume. That would indicate that you are looking for work on someone else's time. If you list a phone number with an answering machine, think about what the outgoing message will sound like to a potential employer.
14. Preparation exercise no. 1: Before writing the resume, review the job advertisement or want ad and think about what the employer is looking for, e.g. special skills that you might have. Think about what things they might want to know about you and might ask you in a job interview.
15. Preparation exercise no.2: To flesh out your experience and "job skills" put the name of each job in your past on a separate sheet of paper and list the tasks you performed and the duties you performed. Below that write a description using an action verb. This is called a "skill statement." For example, if you were a restaurant host you might have "Resolved approximately 60 customer concerns per week." In the long run, compiling a list of your jobs and keeping track of your duties and dates of employment will make it easier to write future resumes.
16. If your grade point average is above 3.0 you may want to list that. Computer skills and writing skills are also in demand for many jobs.
17. The U of M's Office for Special Learning Opportunities (OSLO) gives free workshops and provides assistance to University students seeking employment. They also have peer advisors to assist with resume preparation and job interviewing skills.