Resumes-Marketing Yourself |
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RESUMES FOR COLLEGES AND SCHOLARSHIPS A resume is “you” on paper. Think of yourself as a product—how will you sell and market yourself? How can you present or “package” yourself in a way that makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd competing for the same scholarship or college spot. Your resume must create a favorable impression on the reader. Your resume is a one-page snapshot of yourself, your training, and your experience. Make sure that it is neat, free of errors, and easy to read. Often a recruiter or scholarship committee member will be sorting through dozens of resumes, so don’t give him or her reasons to pass yours over. Think about how you want to portray yourself when writing your resume. Are you a person of diversity or of focus? Do you want to draw more attention to the type of work you’ve done, or to the particular organizations you’ve been involved with? Were your job titles important, or do they imply a lower level of responsibility than the work you actually performed? Answering questions like these can influence both what you write and how you format the information on the page. Use interesting, descriptive, and active words. If you volunteered as a copywriter, instead of saying, ”Was advertising writer,” say, “Wrote creative advertising copy for a direct-mail campaign.” Better yet, describe what benefit the organization derived from your efforts: “Wrote creative advertising copy which generated an above-average response rate for a direct mail campaign.” Make your resume look good. Use one type face only, and jazz it up with consistent use of italics or bold face. For a page to be pleasing to the eye, it must include white space: don’t pack your resume to the gills with text. A graphic item such as a solid black line can be helpful, but keep it simple. Special hint: Check the visual appeal of your resume by shrinking it down to 50% or 30%. The text will be so small that you will be able to focus solely on the layout. Can your resume pass the 10-second scan? Keep it clean, Keep it simple, Pour on the sizzle. Colleges and donors receive dozens to thousands of resumes each year. Because not all resumes are read in detail, it is critical to make your resume stand out. Often times resumes may get a quick, ten-second glance. If a resume is too long, too wordy, too cluttered looking or too disorganized, it gets passed over. The resumes that get read are one to two pages long. They are easy to scan. They are inviting to look at. They have sizzle- they show that the person applying is qualified and will deliver results.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR RESUMES: · Document should be short and to the point – two page in maximum. · Is your resume complete, concise, correct, and easy to read and understand? · Is your resume presented neatly? (Good placement with equal margins, helpful guidewords underlined or typed in bold, etc.?) · It is also effortless to read. Each section is visually distinct. There is lots of white space around and between the sections. · Do list activities under each of the above categories in chronological order beginning with the most recent dates. · Do be consistent with capitalization, underlining, fonts, etc. · Do use spell check and proofread critically to ensure that there are no spelling, punctuation or grammar errors. · The entire document should be done in the same font. Use larger sizes for headings and emphasis. · Use bold, italics to draw attention to a few key items. · Print resume on plain paper (a shade of off-white is recommended). · Include information that highlights your strengths for the particular job. · Do not use the pronoun “I”. Use action verbs to emphasize accomplishments.
SAMPLE RESUME
RESUME
Sam Student P.O. Box 777777 Steamboat Springs, CO. 80477 (970) 879-0000 sstudent@sssd.k12.co.us
EDUCATION: Graduate Steamboat Springs High School, June 2007 G.P.A. 3.6
PROFESSIONAL JOB EXPERIENCE: · Front Desk Agent- Steamboat Grand Hotel –May 2006-Sept 2007 (part-time) Provided customer service in all areas of check-in and check-out, along with computer data input for main reservation service Supervisor – Joe Boss (970) 871-5555 · ·Lawn care and snow removal –Mike Home-June 2005-Sept 2006 (part-time) Maintained large home lot with all lawn care and snow removal in self-directed situation for absent homeowner Owner – Nancy Nothere (303) 822-2222
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND AWARDS: Leadership: · Facilitator – Steamboat High School Dress Code Committee 2005-2007 · Co-president Future Business Leaders of America – 2005-2006 · Team Captain Steamboat Springs High School Soccer team – 2005-2007 Membership: · Future Business Leaders of America 2004-2006 · Steamboat Springs High School Curriculum Committee 2005-2006 · Holy Name Catholic Church Youth Group 2005-2007 Awards · Outstanding History student 2005-2006 · Academic Letter 2003-2006
SPECIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES · Computer Literate in all areas of Microsoft Word · First Aid Certified in CPR · Fluent speaker and reader in Spanish
REFERENCES Paul Principal Steve Neighbor Principal Business Owner Steamboat Springs High School All that is Good Store P.O. Box 775555 P.O. Box 774444 Steamboat Springs. Co. 80477 Steamboat Springs. Co 80477 (970) 879-9999 (970) 879-0000
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