Career Management - Resume Preparation

Resume Preparation

Six Easy Steps to Creating Your Resume

Six Easy Steps to Creating Your Resume There are a multitude of resume books on the market and hundreds of ways to prepare resumes. There is really not a right and wrong way – but some ways can be more effective. Keep in mind that the objective of your resume -- is for the sole purpose of “getting the interview”. Here’s a few suggestions from the Women In Sports Careers Foundation (WISC) on getting started. Good luck!

1. Define your Skills. As a starting point identify your top 10 skills and or qualities that set you apart from others. Such as, detail oriented, multi-faceted, team player, web developer, strong administrative skills, management experience, goal oriented, ability to manage budgets, etc. Review. Ask your friends and family to help you with this list. Most people will know your strongest and weakest skills. If you are having trouble identifying your skills consider some skill assessment testing or surfing through career resources to better identify your skills. Your skills should be outlined in bullet points near the top of your resume page. The prospective employer should be able to glance at your resume and tell immediately if you have the skills needed to do the job.

2. Accomplishments / Work Experiences. List your present and past accomplishments, including: All your work experiences, including volunteer activities, internships, etc. as well as your paid positions. Start with most recent first. There is no need to list everything if you have been in the work force for a number of years and had numerous positions. Focus on the significant positions and those related to the job you are applying for. Write down what you actually did to complete each accomplishment. List the skills, knowledge, and abilities that you learned and used to carry out what you did. Identify your strengths. Be specific.

3. Include your Education. Include your degree and /or college courses, noncredit classes and seminars, company-sponsored training, etc. Don’t forget involvement in professional organizations, and other accomplishments that may be pertinent, such as awards, hobbies, or languages.

4. Condense and summarize. Once your lists are complete, start to select the information that will be pertinent for your resume. State your career objective. List the skills and abilities that are required for your career objective in bullets above experience and/or accomplishments. For each of these required skills and abilities, select related accomplishments from your “draft lists” and include these brief descriptions under your accomplishments. Include only the skills that you wish to use in the future. Leave out personal data such as age, physical description, family status, or religion. Omit salary requirement unless specifically requested.

5. Brief descriptions. Now you have bullet point list of skills and abilities that are needed to reach your career objective. You also have a list of accomplishments that demonstrate your own skills and abilities. Write a one to two-line description of each accomplishment that will clearly relate to the requirements of the career objective. Use short, concise phrases that are easy to read and understand. Be consistent with your writing style. Use action verbs to describe specific accomplishments. Avoid first-person pronouns (I, me, my). Verb tense should be consistent. Avoid abbreviations unless it makes sense when listing sports organizations you are involved with and that are well known acronyms (e.g., NCAA).

6. Putting it all together. Now that you have identified the material that belongs in your resume, you are ready to write it and organize it in an effective format. Your background and goals will determine the most effective format for you. Start with your name, address, telephone number, fax, and E-Mail. The most important information should come early in the resume. Correct spelling and grammar are critical. An ideal resume is compact and concise. At the bottom of your resume you can include “References Available Upon Request”, if you are not required to submit references with your resume.