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 Graduation
2008 |
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After high school (or
college) the next big paper graduates must write - and write
well - is their resume. This one page documentation of
who you are and why someone should hire you can be more
daunting than a thesis or a final paper.
Services are available to
help young and mature
wanna-be employees find
just the right words and
format to express,
modestly, how great
they are. Most
schools and government
employment agencies have
free help with resume
writing.
Here
are a few tips to get you
started.
For the
Recent Grad, Tips for Taking the Mystery Out of Good Resumé
Writing
 (ARA) - Is there anything that strikes
more fear in the heart of the recent graduate than putting
together a job resumé? Maybe a job interview, but first things
first -- you need to have a resumé.
So, what is a resumé really? "In a
nutshell, it's you on paper," says Jenny Mleko, director of
career services for The Illinois Institute of Art --
Schaumburg. "Your resumé is a marketing tool designed to
create interest. It highlights a history of achievements and
details your work history. "
According to Mleko, recruiters tend to
only look at your resumé for about 20 seconds, so it is
extremely important to have a resumé that catches someone's
attention. For the recent grad, Mleko recommends including a
career objective which should be broad as far as what the
candidate is looking for, but can also be tailored to a
company or position. She also encourages grads to include
their technical or traditional skills, and coursework that is
related to an industry or job they hope to enter.
 Amy H. Lee, director of career services
at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, believes that in addition
to including a clear job objective, a chronological listing of
employment, freelance work or internships, "presentation is
key to any good resumé." Lee says resumés should be brief,
concise, and easy to read. Since many grads of The Art
Institutes enter creative fields such as graphic design,
web-design, marketing or advertising, Lee says their resumés
need to be visually appealing and well-designed.
"I like to see resumés that use an eye
catching type face that stands out from the norm of Arial and
Times New Roman," says Lee, but she draws the line using
"unclear graphics or illustrations, cartoonish fonts, or
cutesy visuals."
Photos, personal information like height
or weight should never be included in a job resumé. In
addition, Bates urges grads to omit a personal section -- a
listing of hobbies, social activities or clubs -- unless they
contribute to a job objective or are particularly relevant to
the company a grad is applying to.
Julie Smith, current general education
department chair and former director of career services at
Brown Mackie College -- Kansas City, adds that any job
descriptions included in a resumé should contain action verbs
that draw attention to accomplishments and problem-solving
abilities. "Your resumé will pack a greater punch if you
employ powerful verbs that demonstrate an action," Smith says.
 Other keys to an
effective resumé for the recent grad include:
* Avoid usage of "I" or "My" in
statements; for example, "Designed a new logo for company,"
instead of "I designed a new logo."
* Do not include references on your
resumé; they should be on a separate sheet.
* Always start your work experience with
your most recent position; be clear about the name of the
company and dates of employment.
* Have friends or colleagues review your
resumé.
* Don't lie.
Once your resumé is finished, the next
step is getting the interview. For that step, Jenny Mleko says
that while sites like Monster, CareerBuilder, Hot Jobs and
Coroflot are good resources. "There are thousands of other
people using these same sites and employers are flooded with
resumés." Instead, she suggests, gather a list of potential
employers by either doing a job search, or opening up the
phonebook, and start making cold calls. "You'll have a much
better chance of having your resumé noticed if you take that
extra step," she advises.
Learn more about
The Art Institutes or
Brown Mackie College schools.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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