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• 1. Self Assessment
• 2. Research
• 3. Decision-Making
• 4. Networks & Contacts
  • 4.1 Work Search
    • 4.1.1 Traditional Methods of Finding Openings
    • 4.1.2 Internet Sites Listing Job Advertisements
    • 4.1.3 Creative Methods for Finding Work
    • 4.1.4 Researching Employers
    • 4.1.5 Networking, Developing Leads and Making Contacts
    • 4.1.6 Networking Contacts
    • 4.1.7 Networking Diagrams
    • 4.1.8 Create a Job Seeker's Calling Card
  • 4.2 Resumes
    • 4.2.1 Preparing to Write Your Resume
    • 4.2.2 Major Sections of a Resume
    • 4.2.3 Types of Resumes
    • 4.2.4 Functional Resume
    • 4.2.5 Additional Resume Tips
    • 4.2.6 Action Verbs that Describe Skills
    • 4.2.7 Preparing an Electronic Version of Your Resume
    • 4.2.8 Resume Templates
    • 4.2.9 Resources on Resume Writing
  • 4.3 Letters
    • 4.3.1 Cover and Broadcast Letters
    • 4.3.2 Comparison of Cover and Broadcast Letters
    • 4.3.3 A Process to Develop Letters
    • 4.3.4 Creating Thank You Letters
    • 4.3.5 Sample Letter Format
    • 4.3.6 Resources on Letter Writing
  • 4.4 Interviews
    • 4.4.1 The Core of the Interview Process
    • 4.4.2 Selling Your Benefits
    • 4.4.3 Understanding Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication
    • 4.4.4 Approaches to Interviewing
    • 4.4.5 The Employer's Evaluation
    • 4.4.6 Tips for Effective Interviewing
    • 4.4.7 Your Rights in the Interview
    • 4.4.8 Resources on Interviewing
• 5. Work
• 6. Life/Work Planning

Step 4.2.2: The Major Sections of a Resume

There is a standard order you can follow to write your resume; however, you can adjust the order. For example, if you have a work experience related to your job objective, this section should go before your education. If your work experience is weak and your education is more closely related to your objective, you can place your education before your work experience.

Personal Information

This refers to information such as: Name, Address, Telephone numbers, E-mail, Web page. No other personal information is required. Do not include your date of birth or marital status.

• If you will be leaving a local address while your resume is in circulation, note when (e.g., until April 18, 20xx)

• Decide what headings you will use if you need to state two addresses (e.g., one "local" or "present" and the other "home" or "permanent" if applying in that community or "alternate" for applications at a distance)

• If you will not be personally answering your phone during business hours, make sure you have a message retrieval system or list a number where an employer can reach you

• If you include a Web page, make sure it is in professional, business-like condition. Your site can include your resume, examples of your work (e.g., code, drawings, etc.)

• If you have no Canadian work experience and it may appear that you are not eligible to work in Canada, if applicable, note your Citizenship as Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant at the bottom of this section

• After graduation, foreign students may have access to other opportunities to work in Canada on a temporary basis; decide whether you would like to include a notation about short-term employment on your resume (e.g., "Available for one-year contract"); check the standard requirements for the country you have an interest in

Work Objective or Career Goal

The term "Career Goal" refers to a desired position that has a longer-term association, while "Job Objective" can refer to an interim or more temporary type of role (e.g., Forensic Chemist for a career goal and Laboratory Technician for a job objective). This section is optional for those writing a resume for co-op, summer or part-time employment.

State your goal or objective in terms of what you can do for an employer, not what you want an employer to do for you; avoid expressions such as "...where I can use my knowledge and skills to expand my expertise in......

Phrase the statement in terms of the job you want now, by job title (e.g., Computer Programmer, Social Worker, Technical Writer) or area (e.g., Communications, Public Relations, Health Education)

Prepare two or more resumes to tailor qualifications if you are seeking different types of jobs.

The Objective Statement -

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Summary of Qualifications / Skills Summary

This section will provide a concise overview of your qualifications as they relate to your objective. This is where you want the employer to become interested in the competitive advantage you bring. Include four to six points outlining your most relevant strengths for the type of work you are seeking. Describe your competitive advantage...the value you offer. Consider:

• A summary of the experience you have related to your job objective (e.g., One year experience in graphic design)

• A description of your working knowledge of the various components of the position (e.g., budgeting, report writing, program planning)

• An outline of the various skills you possess to do the work effectively (e.g., problem-solving, communication, time management)

• Any academic background you have that complements your practical experience (e.g., machine design, resource assessment, marketing)

• Your personal characteristics and attitudes that are requisite for the position you are seeking (e.g., reliable, able to work under pressure, creative, attentive to detail, flexible, enthusiastic)

• Your work experiences, volunteer and/or extracurricular activities in terms of duration, scope, accomplishments, etc.; if you lack relevant experience, emphasize such skills as interpersonal, organizational, supervisory, etc.

• Formal or professional training/education

• Fluency in a language other than English

• Relevant areas of expertise such as computer proficiency, scientific instrumentation, etc.

Skill Summary -

 

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Supporting Your Skills Summary -

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Education

How you describe your education depends upon where you are in terms of your current program and graduation status. Consider the following options:

• For students in postsecondary education: state Candidate for, Degree, Plan (major) / minor / option / specialization (if desired), University, Location and Year beginning program (e.g., Candidate for Bachelor of Mathematics, Honours Computer Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Sept. 20xx - present)

• Secondary school listing: it usually is not necessary to include your secondary school after your first year of a postsecondary program unless it is a prestigious institution or the entry will add valuable information when the reader considers you for an interview (include CEGEP if applicable); list Diploma, High School, Location and Year diploma was received (e.g., Ontario Secondary School Diploma, ABC High school, Any-town, Ontario, 20xx) and you may wish to include specialization if applicable

• For alumni: state Degree, Plan (major), University, Location and Year degree obtained (e.g., Bachelor of Arts, History, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, May, 20xx); drop reference to the month by the end of the same year

• If you changed your program of studies while at university, you may wish to indicate as follows:

• Candidate for Bachelor of Science, Honours Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, 20xx - Present

• Environmental Studies, Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, 20xx-20xx

• Check the name of the degree you get (e.g., Bachelor of Applied Science for most engineering students; Bachelor of Mathematics for computer science students), and list it unabbreviated

• Multiple entries: when referring to additional studies at other schools or to more than one program at Waterloo (e.g., Bachelor, Master), arrange entries in reverse chronological order (i.e., most recent first)

Relevant Courses

You may choose to create this section as a sub-heading or bullet of the Education section.

• Choose three to six courses related to your Objective

• If the name of the course does not adequately convey the information you wish, elaborate to show the relevance

• Prioritize the list, or arrange by themes, to avoid a random assortment of names

• Place in columns for easy reading

• Do not include the course number

Project/Thesis

You may choose to create this section as a sub-heading or bullet of the Education section.

• Any relevant project, report, thesis, etc. that you have prepared can be referred to by its title in italics (if the title is sufficiently clear enough to give the reader a feeling for scope), or by using a group of words to show its significance or relevance to the employer

Laboratory Skills, Computer Skills, Scientific Instrumentation, Certification

If you have sufficient experience and wish to highlight it, you may choose to create one or more separate sections; alternatively, you could include this experience as a sub-heading or bullet in the Skills Summary section.

• Present an overview of qualifications relating to your objective

• If dates are added, list these in reverse chronological order

Work Experience

How describe your work experience depends upon the type of resume you have chosen. There are three basic types of resumes: chronological, modified chronological and functional. These styles of presenting your work experience are listed in the next section.  

Tailoring Work Experience -

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Awards and Scholarships

• State name of award, name of institution award received from and date

• Include important awards from both university and high school in reverse chronological order

• Explain the meaning of the recognition if the reader would not understand its significance

• Be selective; include no more than five to six points

Professional Memberships

• List those with relevance to the jobs to which you are applying

Publications

• List in bibliographic format only those publications that would interest the reader; if your list is lengthy, include only those relevant to your objective by stating the heading as "Selected Publications"

• Include the work which has been published, has been submitted for publication, and is in progress

• Include also the papers you presented as a guest speaker

Languages

• Include those for which you are fluent or have a working knowledge (other than English)

• Specify if you can speak and/or write the language

Volunteer Experience

• Volunteer work can be included in different ways, depending on the message you want to convey:

• If you wish to highlight or emphasize these activities, create a separate heading (e.g., Volunteer Activities, Volunteer Experience or Community Service)

• In this section you can either list the organizations, or you can add to the listing more detail about your contributions, beginning each point with an action verb

• You can include your Volunteer Experience before Work Experience in your resume if it would be to your advantage

• If your volunteer activities are as important as your paid work experience, add your information to your Work Experience section, with a volunteer notation (e.g., Assistant to Director - volunteer)

• If your volunteer activities are less related to the work you are seeking, add them to the Activities and Interests section

Activities and Interests

• In listings for activities, state role (e.g., Member, President), name of organization, dates, organize in reverse chronological order and state if any positions were elected or appointed

• General interests do not require dates

References

Whereas references are very important, the notation "References Available Upon Request" is no longer considered necessary.

Listing a reference’s name and contact information is generally not desirable. You want to be able to meet with the prospective employer to sell yourself rather than trusting that one of your references would do the job better than you could. Also, you do not want your references to be bothered with phone calls until you have reached the interview stage. Always ask the person you would like to use as a reference for permission to do so, and check out what that individual will say about you if contacted by a prospective employer. Do they see your strengths and weaknesses as you see them? It is important to discuss what that person’s response might be to potentially embarrassing questions. If time has lapsed between being given permission to use someone’s name and the possibility of their being phoned, update them as to the possible contact.

Choose someone who has seen your work in as similar a situation as possible to the job for which you are applying; you do not necessarily need to use your immediate supervisor

Give your references a copy of the relevant resume(s) for the type(s) of work you are applying to

Have the name, address, and telephone number of two or three references typed on a sheet of paper, which you can hand to an employer when asked for your references

Create a Portfolio The portfolio is an expanded resume. It is usually a folder containing the basic resume and samples of your work related to the objective. It is a good idea to be storing work samples now. For example, a marketing specialist will use a portfolio that contains a resume, flyers, brochures and ads created in previous work. Marketing students with limited experience could include copies of term papers, proposals completed for classes and homework assignments related to the objective. Portfolios are relevant for many types of professionals such as: graphic design, technical writing and teaching. If an employer requires a portfolio, or if you think that one would enhance your presentation, then add the words "Portfolio Available Upon Request" at the bottom of your resume.

 

Portfolio Example -

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To continue with Step 4.2.3, click here.