Writing a Resume
Your resume is likely to be the most important single document in your job search. You should provide each of your references with a copy of your resume so that they may better understand your experiences and goals and can, therefore, better draft effective letters. You may also give copies to colleagues, former employers, friends and anyone else who can alert you to unadvertised job openings. Most importantly, your resume will provide employers with their first impression of you as a candidate and will shape their initial decisions about your candidacy. Specifically, employers will rely heavily on your resume when deciding whether or not to offer you an initial interview.
How do I Start?
Two pivotal steps should precede the actual writing of your resume (even if the deadline is tomorrow!).
First, give considerable thought to what type of work you want to do and create a “short list” of career fields you wish to pursue. Resumes should be drafted with some career field(s) in mind and typically include a clear objective indicating the type of position you seek. This will make for a much stronger personal statement. If you have several different objectives, we recommend that you prepare a separate resume for each objective.
Second, prepare a summary of your experiences.
a) Write down all of your significant experiences - paid, volunteer, and co-curricular - on separate sheets of paper.
b) For each significant experience, describe your specific duties and responsibilities. Be sure to identify those duties which involve supervision of others, use of independent judgment, or responsibility for people, money, materials or programs. Describe actions taken and concrete results achieved. Identify any interpersonal or technical skills used. Provide examples of tasks or projects including quantitative information (e.g., size of budget managed, number of committee members supervised) if you believe that this data will strengthen your resume. Also, include any significant accomplishments, achievements, or awards.
c) Cluster these sheets according to functional categories related to your career direction. (e.g., research experience, teaching experience, sales experience, leadership experience, experience with children, etc.).
Making Your First Draft
There is no single proper format for a resume. While it is important to include certain elements, there is much flexibility in the kind of layout and organization you use. Sample resumes of recent Holy Cross graduates are on file in the Career Planning Center along with several sample-filled books on resume writing. Choose a format that will allow you to emphasize your strengths and include the following basic types of information:
Heading: List your full name with both present and permanent address, phone numbers and your E-mail address.
Objective: (Also called Career Objective or Professional Objective) This concise statement of the type of work you seek may include the type and level of position, the industry, the type and size of organization, a geographic preference, and the types of skills you wish to use. If you choose to leave the objective off the resume, you must include a cover letter detailing your goals.
Education: Include the full name of your college, its city and state, your degree and major, and your graduation date. If your G.P.A. is 3.0 or better it should also be included along with an indication of the College’s grading scale (e.g., 3.14/4.0). Any study abroad experience can also be listed under this heading. Also include academic honors or awards earned at Holy Cross in this section.
Including high school information is generally unnecessary unless: 1) you attended a school with a very strong alumni/alumnae network which might be of assistance to you in your career search, or 2) you graduated from an unusually selective school that required special test scores, skills or aptitude in order to be admitted. There are other legitimate situation reasons for including high school information, and we encourage you to discuss these with a career counselor or teaching professional.
Experience: If possible, organize your experiences into categories which are relevant to your career objectives (e.g. Publishing Experience, Coaching Experience, Experience with Adolescents, etc.). You may also use more general categories such as Employment, Co-Curricular Experience, Internship, Leadership Experience. Regardless of the format, always include your title, the organization, its location, and the dates of your involvement for each experience.
Activities: You may wish to include this section and note any relevant organizations in which you held membership but not necessarily a leadership role. If you are a member of a varsity sports team, consider using “Intercollegiate Athletics” as a separate category.
Special Skills: Including this section allows you to note your computer skills, fluency or proficiency in a foreign language, your knowledge of specific scientific research techniques, or any other relevant skills.
Honors and Awards: Include the granting organization and the title or name of the award.
Additional Considerations
Length: For the vast majority of graduating seniors a resume should not exceed one page. However, there are some situations, organizations or career fields that generally allow for longer resumes. If you are considering lengthening your resume, discuss this with a career planning professional.
Neatness: Your resume must be letter perfect. No typos. No grammatical errors. No misspellings. Do not rely entirely on a “spell check” function to catch all errors. Work for a pleasing uncluttered appearance with even margins and a sense of visual balance. The final copy should be printed on white or off-white bond paper.
Language: Do not write in the first person. For instance, instead of saying “I worked with adolescents” say, “Coordinated educational and social programs for 25 adolescents.” (Refer to the Sample Action Words handout for assistance in choosing the right verb.)
Biographical Data: Date of birth, race, ethnic origin, marital status, religion, or disability should not be included.
Truthfulness: Increasingly, employers make a practice of checking the authenticity of claims made on resumes. Include only accurate information on your resume.
Portfolio: You may wish to enclose supporting documents along with your resume should the employer request them. Copies of articles you have written, a writing sample, or photographs of your paintings or sculpture may be requested during your job search. Do not provide these materials if they have not been requested.
Resume Critiques: Once you have prepared a typed draft of your resume visit the Counseling Center and Career Planning Office during drop-in hours to have a staff member critique your work. Don’t be hesitant and don’t be discouraged: ordinarily, students complete 3-4 drafts of a resume before it is ready to send to a potential employer.