Resume Development

Saskatchewan Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration

Career and Employment Services

What is a Resume?• An effective tool to pave the way for an interview

• A clear and appealing picture of yourself

• A comprehensive summary of your education, work experience, past achievements and goals

• An expression of your personality, interests, work habits, and attitudes

• An opportunity to show your creativity

Tips on Resume Writing• Resumes should be typed• Use point form, not paragraphs• Avoid “I” or “My duties included…” these words and phrases are

redundant• Be neat; check spelling, grammar, and punctuation• Presentation of the resume is important, have plenty of white

space, not cluttered, this will give a professional impression• Keep it simple, clear and brief; no more than 3 pages without

cover letter

Resumes should have:

Meaningful Language:

• Appropriate, accurate, consistent

• Professional

• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms

• Use positive action words

Steps to a Great Resume Gathering Information

• Personal Information• Objective• Skills and Abilities• Education/Training History• Work/Experience History• Achievements• Volunteer Experience• Hobbies/Recreation Activities• References

Personal Information

• Name, address, telephone number, cell number, and email address

• These are always on the top of the first page of the resume and easy to read

Establishing a Job Objective• Target it to the kind of work you want • A “generic” objective for any job will not prove

effective• If the objective is too brief or has no focus, do

not have one

Skills and Abilities or Summary of Qualifications• Choose your top skills that best support you and

make you the unique individual you are. This could include:- Education: training or certification in that field- Key skills, talents or special knowledge related to this job- Number of years or months experience in that targeted job field

• Follow it up with your strongest attributes

Education/Training History

• You can include things like:

Apprenticeships

Relevant workshops or seminars

Certificates and/or Degrees

Work/Experience History

• List your most recent job first, then your earlier jobs.

• Give dates, job titles and the employer

• Include any unpaid work that fills a gap or show you have the skills for that job

Achievements

• This is where you can display your awards, honors, and other achievements to exhibit more of yourself

Volunteer Experience

• Employers are interested in those who contribute to the community

• List present and recent past volunteer experience

Hobbies/Recreational Activities

• Interests/hobbies also can be an indicator of your personality

References• Ask your references before using their name• 3 references is usually enough• Include their name, title, company, company

address, and phone number• References upon request DOES NOT WORK

Choosing Resume Styles

• There are many different resume styles and each person must choose the best way to present the information to the employer. There is no absolute right or wrong format or style. There are 3 styles that are used the most.

Chronological Resume• Work experience and education is arranged in order

by dates (most recent first)+ Places emphasis on job titles and employment

history+ Emphasizes a steady employment history- Exposes job hopping, lengthy stay in one job without

a promotion, emphasizes work that may need to be minimized, and appears boring to read, if a number of similar jobs were held

Functional Resume• Work experience is described by emphasizing the skills involved.

Descriptive details are grouped under relevant heading of expertise

+ Focuses on selected areas of accomplishment and experience+ Camouflages a spotty employment record+ Stresses areas of experience and interests+ Allows you to down play areas you wish not to emphasize+Immediately highlights strengths and why you should be

considered- Doesn’t highlight former employers or dates well

Combination Resume• Chronological and Functional formats are combined+ Past employment history along with your

responsibilities & accomplishments are emphasized+ Highlights your transferable skills+ Consistent work history with demonstrated growth+ You have nothing you want to de-emphasize

Things not to include in a resume• Age, race, sex, religion, political affiliation, names and ages of

children, spouse’s occupation, any other personal information that is not relevant to your job qualifications.

• Do not include salary requirement or salary history on your job resume. Salary should be used as a negotiation tool. Salary discussions usually take place during the end of the job interview.

Finalizing Your Resume• Spell Check

• Formatting and layout

• Save it on your computer, CD, or memory stick

• Get a second opinion

• Proofread

Targeting Your Resume• Develop a core resume

• Tailor it to every position you are applying for

• Become knowledgeable about the job/industry you want (job descriptions, labour market, and talk to people in that line of work)