How to Write Your First Résumé

So you're looking for a job. Putting your résumé together is an important first step in the job-seeking process. Even before you start searching through want ads, you'll want to get your documents in order. Doing up your résumé first will make the process easier; you'll have thought about your goals and stream-lined your job search, and when you do find jobs you want to apply for, the application process will be so much faster!

What Is a Résumé?

The résumé is you on paper. Its purpose is to get the employer to grant you a job interview; therefore, the résumé needs to be written, organized and formatted in a way that will make the prospective employer want to read it. Attractive, concise and clear are the key words when putting your résumé together.

The Header

Each page of your résumé should have a header containing your name and contact information to make it as easy as possible for the employer to reach you.

• Often the header is offset by a box or border to make it stand out.
  
  
• The header does not contain page numbers as the résumé is designed to be spread out and looked at by the employer. (You don't need to put the word "résumé" on the top of any of the pages of your résumé either; anyone who looks at it will know what it is without this label.)

Category Headings

These lead the reader through the document and should be bolded or italicized to make them more visible. As a person with limited job experience, the categories that appear on your résumé will be different than those of a person who's already worked for ten or twenty years. The category headings that follow have been chosen as the most appropriate for students; you'll need to eliminate some of these and add others as your career develops.

Career Objective

The first heading under the contact information box on the first page is the Career Objective; state what you want to eventually achieve in your career. Having a Career Objective on your résumé:

• shows the employer that you're a person with goals who's given some thought to who you are and where you're going, and
  
  
• helps you keep your job search focused. If you plan on a career in Information Technology, for instance, there's not much point in trying to get work as a waitperson.

Skills

Think carefully about the jobs you've had, both paid and unpaid, and make a list of specific skills you can offer. Even if you've never had a paying job before, you still have skills the employer may be interested in. For instance, if you've babysat, you have experience caring for children and can say you're responsible. Don't forget to include:

• club or volunteer work that you've done at school. If you've helped organize an event, helped out in the office or computer lab, or been involved in fundraising, you've picked up some valuable work skills that you need to let the employer know about;
  
  
• special attributes that set you apart from other people competing for the job, such as having a license, having designed your own web page, or having CPR or safety training.

When you've listed every possible skill you can think of, review your list and get rid of any that are too vague or general. A list of eight to twelve specific skills is more impressive than a list of thirty vague ones.

Education

For this category, list the relevant schools you've attended, the dates of attendance, relevant courses and grades.

• If you're in high school, your current high school is the only institution you need to name. Employers don't care about the details of your elementary and junior school education. They do care that you're still in school, working toward graduation.
  
  
• List any particular courses that might make you a more valuable employee, with your current or projected grades in those courses. For example, courses in computing or business or courses specific to particular industries, such as Tourism, Hospitality Services, and Community Recreation are highly interesting to employers.

Awards and/or Scholarships

If you have won any of these, this category should follow the Education section of your résumé. Don't be shy about listing awards you won in elementary or junior school; winning awards for having perfect attendance or being on the honor roll tell the employer that you're involved with your school and community; they want people who are going to be able to contribute to their organization and work well with others. Also list:

• any certificates or awards given to you because of extracurricular or community work. If an organization such as Meals on Wheels has given you a certificate of appreciation for your volunteer labours, put it down.
  
  
• If you don't have any awards or certificates to list, leave this category out. When the employer is looking at your résumé, you want her or him to be focused on what you do have, not what you don't.

Experience

This section lists the name of the company, employer, dates of employment, and a description of the job performed for each job you've held in reverse chronological order. Don't panic if you've never had a paid job before;

• include job-shadowing, intern positions, volunteer work and/or helping out in your family's business.
  
  
• Don't forget to include self-created employment such as mowing lawns, shovelling snow or selling raffle tickets. All of your work experience counts.

References

You'll need to get permission from three adults who have some knowledge about your work skills and can vouch for your character to serve as references. It's important to ask their permission before you list their names and contact information, because you want your references to speak well of you, not wonder aloud who you are or be irritated that someone's calling them to ask about you.

• Be sure to ask your references how they prefer to be contacted. Some people don't like to be called at work or prefer email contact only, information that you'll want to pass along to employers.
  
  
• Relatives cannot be references, even if you've worked for them.
  
  
• If you're having problems finding three non-related adults to be references, remember that school personnel, such as teachers, counsellors and administrators, know a great deal about you and are considered to be excellent references.

Personal Interests/Summary

This section is your last chance to provide the prospective employer with any other information that may persuade her or him to interview you. Unlike the other sections of the résumé, this section should be written in paragraph form.

• Generally, employers are impressed by extracurricular activities; if you play any sports or belong to any clubs put the details in this category.
  
  
• Your hobbies should also be mentioned. Employers use your personal interests as a snapshot of your lifestyle; they want to gauge how you'll fit into their company.
  
  
• Lastly, add a sentence or two summarizing your strengths as an employee. Do you get along really well with others or are you an unusually creative or organized person? Point it out here, even if you've already said it elsewhere.

Finishing Touches

• Check the spelling and grammar throughout your résumé carefully; errors make you look sloppy and illiterate, two traits employers are definitely not looking for.
  
  
• Review the résumé's formatting, making sure it's readable and consistent. For example, if you've chosen to bold all your headings, make sure they're all bolded.
  
  
• Preview your résumé before you print it. You want your résumé to be as attractive as possible, so do some rearranging if the information looks cramped or is hard to read.
  
  
• Don't bother with colors; black text is best for photocopying, and you'll want to make a lot of copies of your résumé so you can present your qualifications to as many potential employers as possible.
  
  
• When you're satisfied your résumé is at its best, print it on high-quality white paper, and place it (unstapled) in a plastic cover, ready to win you the interview for the job you want.

Here's an example of what your résumé will look like, following the guidelines laid out in the article:

Career Objective: to gain computer-related sales experience

Skills

• sales experience
  
  
• experience using a computerized till
  
  
• experience answering phones and providing customer service
  
  
• basic knowledge of word processing, databases and spreadsheets (Office 97) and knowledge of Windows 98 and Simply Accounting
  
  
• experience providing software support

Education

Currently in Grade 10 at Grover Cleveland High School, taking an academic program

Current grade in Basic Computing for Business; A Current grade in Computer Graphics; B Current grade in Introduction to Accounting; B

Awards and Scholarships

• Honor Roll: Grover Cleveland High School, 1998 (2 terms)
• Perfect Attendance Award: Olympia Middle School, 1997

Experience

Lab Assistant (part-time volunteer)		1997-present
Supervisor:Gwen Montgomery;
Duties: supervise a networked computer lab of thirty machines running Windows 98; assist students by providing tutoring and troubleshooting with software such as Office 97 and Simply Accounting.
Judi's Women's Wear (part-time)		July and August 1998
Supervisor: Judi Bellarosa;
Duties: Sold women's apparel, answered phones, provided customer service.

References

Besides playing volleyball and mountain biking, I really enjoy designing web pages and surfing the internet. I plan on a career in Information Technology, so I want to learn as much about computers as I can. Combining my interest in computers with my strong selling skills may lead me to a career in ecommerce eventually. I'm really good at working with people and enjoy helping customers choose the products and services they want.

Further Information
More information about résumé writing can be found at your local library and at the following web sites:

http://www.jobweb.org/catapult/guenov/restips.html
Guide to Resume Writing

http://www.quintcareers.com/resres.html
Quintessential Careers: Resume Writing

http://www.bridgew.edu/depts/carplan/resume.htm
Resume Writing

http://cardinal.umeais.maine.edu/~career/restips.html
Resume Writing Tips

http://www.careerbuilder.com/gh_res_htg.html
CareerBuilder's "How to" Guide: Resumes