ASSIGNMENT 1 TUESDAY July 14, 2009
1) What is resume?
Resume is a document that outlines your qualifications, including but not limited to: Profile, Objective, Skills, Education, and Professional Experiences so an employer can see an overview of how you can contribute to their company. In short, your resume provides employers with what you can offer them if they hire you.
2) Resume versus curriculum vitae
The primary differences between a resume and curriculum vitae (CV) are the length, what is included and what each is used for. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. While a resume is brief and concise - no more than a page or two, Curriculum Vitae is a longer (at least two page) and more detailed synopsis.
A Curriculum Vitae includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers may expect to receive curriculum vitae.
In the United States, a curriculum vita is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.
3) Subheading in resume(what to include)
In a competitive market, graduates need a good CV or Resume to succeed in securing a job. Your CV or Resume is an advert for you, an opportunity to sell yourself to potential employers. Your CV or Resume is the first step in the recruitment process so it has to be right – our CV guide tells you everything you need to know about creating a successful graduate CV.
Personal Details
Career Aim/Personal Statement
Education and Qualifications
Work Experience
Specialist Experience
Activities/Interests/Positions of Responsibility
Additional Information
References/Referees
Start with your most recent education – your degree or postgraduate qualification. University qualifications will be of more interest to an employer than what you did at school so devote more space to this. Include the dates, name of university/s, degree title e.g. BA (Hons) Philosophy, and the grade you are expecting or have achieved.
It is advisable that you include any modules you studied that are relevant to the job application in addition to your thesis/dissertation research or project work. Time spent abroad or work placements attended as part of your degree course should be mentioned.
For school education, include dates, name of school/college and A-Levels or equivalent qualifications studied with grades. Unless specified, it is not normally necessary to list every subject studied at GCSE or equivalent level. The number of passes achieved is enough but state the grade you got for Mathematics and English.
Work Experience
The Work Experience section of your CV or Resume is where recruiters will focus most of their attention. You must include the dates of your employment, the job title you held and the name of the employer. For international applications, cite the country in which you were employed.
Employers are realistic about the fact that students and recent graduates have mostly done part-time and summer jobs that may not relate to the career you want to pursue. However, employers will still expect you to be able to show the responsibilities and skills you got out of your work experience.
More CV Advice
What NOT to write on your CV
Make your CV look professional
Tips for a successful CV
Postive language on your CV
The most common way of presenting work experience is to do it in reverse chronological order (most recent first). However, if you have very relevant experience in the career field you are applying to e.g. an internship with a company, you may wish to include this first under a separate heading such as “Relevant Work Experience” and list less relevant jobs under “Other Work Experience”. This will immediately show an employer that you have taken the initiative to gain knowledge of the sector and have experience of that work environment.
Don't despair if this isn't the case for you. Thousands of graduates don't have that head start but still get the position they want because they capitalised on the experience they did have. Remember, employers are looking for the skills you have used and developed, and more specifically they are identifying links between your experience and skills and the requirements of the job. Here are some tips to help you:
Target your CV to the specific job advert - Read over the terminology used and the skills mentioned in the advert and where appropriate, use these words in your CV.
Back up your claims - Avoid writing bland content; if you have "good communication skills" demonstrate how you have used them effectively to get something done.
Identify the contribution you made - Rather than just stating a list of duties you had, think about ways of demonstrating success in a particular role. Mention your achievements at work and any concrete results you achieved (in measurable terms if possible). For example, rather than writing, "designed company's web site," you could say, "designed company's web site, which increased company's overall product sale by 50 percent."
More Tips on Writing CVs or Resumes
When describing your job responsibilities, avoid sounding monotonous in your CV or Resume and use a variety of action verbs and skills.
Action verbs and language of CVs and Resumes
List any specialist experience and or qualifications that are relevant to the job role under specially designed sections. For example, researchers may provide the sections 'Research' or 'Research Interests,' and those having worked abroad may choose to include a section titled 'Research Experience Abroad'. Professors may include 'Teaching Experience,' 'Foreign Lecturing,' or 'Lectures and Presentations'; likewise, physicians may include sections such as 'Community Service,' 'Licensure,' or 'Qualification Examinations'.
Activities/Interests/Postitions of Responsibility
CV Templates
CV Example - 1 page Resume
CV Example - Skills CV
CV Example - Table format
CV Example - Graduate CV
These are all relevant sections to include because they demonstrate that you are motivated to pursue other activities and are a well-rounded individual. Positions of responsibility and achievements can be extra-curricular, for example, significant involvement in the Student Union, organising events in a social or sporting club, spearheading charity fundraising at school or university etc. Stating your interests doesn't mean just writing a list. Try to indicate your level of involvement and what you gain from the activity.
SkillsSkills in this section include anything vocational that has not appeared elsewhere on your CV, for example, IT skills and driver’s license. For IT skills, list the software packages and applications you use and your level of competency for each. Any certificates you have such as First Aid or Health and Safety for example, should be listed in this section.
ConferencesIf it is relevant to the job you are applying for, then you may want to mention any conferences, workshops or seminars you have attended. Give the name of the conference, date, place and organizers.
If you don't have space on your CV, a simple"References available on request" is acceptable. If you do have space, it is very common to give the details of two referees: one academic and one employer. Give their names, position, address, phone numbers and email addresses. Always ask for their permission first and remember to keep them informed of your career aspirations and achievements to date.
4) types of resume
There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, a functional, combination, or a targeted resume.
Chronological Resume
A chronological resume starts by listing your work history, with the most recent position listed first. Your jobs are listed in reverse chronological order with your current, or most recent job, first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you have worked at them.
This type of resume works well for job seekers with a strong, solid work history.
Functional Resume
A functional resume focuses on your skills and experience, rather than on your chronological work history. It is used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their employment history.
Combination Resume
A combination resume lists your skills and experience first. Your employment history is listed next. With this type of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and also provide the chronlogical work history that employers prefer.
Targeted Resume
A targeted resume is a resume that is customized so that it specifically highlights the experience and skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for. It definitely takes more work to write a targeted resume than to just click to apply with your existing resume. However, it's well worth the effort, especially when applying for jobs that are a perfect match for your qualifications and experience.
Mini Resume
A mini resume contains a brief summary of your career highlights qualifications. It can be used for networking purposes or shared upon request from a prospective employer or reference writer who may want an overview of your accomplishments, rather than a full length resume.
Mini Resume
5) How long ?
One or two page summary of your skills, experience and education
Reference:
http://www.resume-resource.com/format.html
http://www.internationalgraduate.net/resume.htm
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/curriculumvitae/f/cvresume.htm
http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/144/6-reasons-you-won-t-get-hired-without-a-cover-letter.cfm
http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/curriculumvitae/a/curriculumvitae.htm http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumes/p/resumetypes.htm
bapak panjang nye..... rajin la ko!
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