Week 4

Writing a ResumeFaisal AlSager

Purpose of Resume

✤ To give your perspective employer a summary of your education and experience

Properties of an Effective Resume

✤ Clear

✤ Coherent

✤ Concise

✤ and convincing

Resume Writing Steps

1. Know your goal.

2. Know yourself well.

3. Write the detailed information you need (education, experience, years, STAR, awards .. etc).

4. Choose the resume structure that fits your goal and your background.

5. Reframe the information in a one-page resume.

Organization and Content

✤ 3 most widely used resumes in terms of organization:

✤ Chronological

✤ Functional

✤ Targeted

Chronological

Resume

Chronological Resumes

✤ Traditional and acceptable

✤ When should we use it? Answer: when education and experience lead to the progression to the desired career

✤ Disadvantage: Special capabilities and accomplishments get lost in the details

FunctionalResume

Functional Resumes

✤ Other categories to include: technical, professional, team building, communication, research, sales, production, administration, counseling.. etc.

✤ Advantage: it allows you highlight the experiences that show you to your best advantage

✤ When should we use it? Answer: when we highly need our extracurricular experience in the application

✤ Disadvantage: difficult for first-time readers

Targeted Resume

Targeted Resume

✤ We state clearly the job we are targeting

✤ When should we use it? Answer: when we are targeting a specific job

✤ Focus on: capabilities and achievements

✤ Advantage and disadvantage: one goal only!