ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601260009
SECTION: ECONOMY PAGE: 17 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAWN HURT SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
In the peak recruiting months of November through April, many large companies receive an average of 1,000 resumes per week. The average time that it takes an employer to read a standard resume is approximately 45 seconds.
These are good facts to keep in mind when you prepare your attempt to get a prospective employer's attention.
In searching for a job, the resume may be what gets you an interview. How you organize and present yourself on paper determines whether you are chosen over other applicants. The resume is your way of getting in the door.
So keep it clear and concise, experts say.
A resume summarizes your qualifications and experience in a way that you can honestly sell your skills more effectively than other applicants sell theirs. Therefore, a great deal of thought and organization should go into the process of writing your resume.
What to include?
The information in your resume needs to support your employment objective. Tammy Swan, the employment support services team leader with First Union National Bank in Roanoke, pointed out that your job objective should tell the employer what job you are seeking.
Every topic included on your resume should communicate that your experience, training, and personal qualities make you the ideal candidate for the job.
The application of particular topics or the order you use them depends on your qualifications and your employment objective. According to the Virginia Employment Commission in Roanoke, these topics need to be in your resume:
Identifying Information. This includes your name, address (permanent and temporary), and telephone number. If you do not have a telephone, indicate where a message could be left.
Objective. This is a precise statement of the position you are seeking and the type of company or organization you would like to be employed by.
Education. List, the most recent first, your degree, graduate or undergraduate college, your graduation date, and academic major and minor if you had one.
Other academic information that could be included is your cumulative or major grade point average, specialized course work, special projects or practical experience achieved through your course work, scholarships, honors, and percentage of your college expenses you paid for on your own.
Skills and abilities. Mention skills you have and how you have been able to apply a particular skill in a work setting. Computer skills go here.
Experience. This includes (in reverse chronological order) paid positions or significant volunteer work, career-related extracurricular activities and field experience. The name and location of your employer and the years of employment should also be included. Do not assume in this section that job titles describe the job you held. Describe clearly and precisely the work you did.
Activities and interests. Involvement in extracurricular activities, including sports, is viewed positively by employers. Whether to include your interests and hobbies depends on how relevant they are to your employment objective. If this information would make your resume more than one page, most employers recommend that you do not include it.
Personal data. Including such information is a matter of choice. A general rule is to include information that relates to your job qualifications. A brief personal statement such as "willing to travel" may be helpful. Again, if personal information will make your resume over one page, do not include it.
References. This section is optional. If you want to list your references, include their name, title, company or university affiliation, address and business phone number.
Be sure to contact your references before including them.
Experts generally identify three categories of material for resumes: "essential," "optional," and "should be omitted." The topics mentioned earlier mainly fall in the essential category. Only information listed under activities and interests, personal, and references fall in the optional category.
Format
A resume can follow one of two basic formats: chronological or functional.
The chronological format is excellent for people entering the job market for the first time or for those who are changing jobs within the same career field.
The functional format, which obviously organizes your experience according to specific skills or functions, is appropriate for the person who is changing careers or is re-entering the job market. It is especially effective for people with a long work history.
The layout of your resume is very important. Clarity is especially crucial, said Ann Phipps, who as assistant administrator with the law firm Gentry, Locke, and Moore in Roanoke reviews applications.
Your resume must be visually attractive, organized and easy to read. It should be very precise in its wording, Phipps said.
To enhance the appearance of your resume, use wide, even margins. Also, be consistent with spacing between major headings. For your headings, use highlighting techniques that include underlining and bold-facing. Use bullets to make information stand out on a page, Phipps said.
Your resume should only be one page, said Virgil Thompson, a supervisor at the Virginia Employment Commission in Roanoke. Remember that a resume is just an outline that can be supplemented with a cover letter.
Common mistakes
Typing errors are the biggest mistake on a resume, the experts say. Errors on a resume send a message that the applicant might do sloppy work.
Other mistakes include no telephone number, and handwritten corrections (a possible sign of laziness).
Also, resumes are often too long.
Next one is easier
The good news after writing your resume is that you will not need to write it all again when applying for another job. All that needs to be done is to reassess your topics that describe yourself to make sure they are updated.
Dawn Hurt is a senior at Radford University and wrote this article for he technical writing class.
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