This presentation is the second in a series of presentations on getting a job in today's marketplace. It contains specific hints and tips on building a winning resume.

1. CREATING A WINNING
RESUME
LET’S GET BACK TO WORK

2. WHY RESUMES MATTER
YOUR RESUME SAYS A LOT MORE ABOUT YOU THAN YOU
THINK.
IT IS THE FIRST IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION OF YOUR
EXPERIENCE.
IT IS THE FIRST “HURDLE” YOU HAVE TO GET OVER WITH
ANY NEW COMPANY.
IT IS THE KEY TO GETTING AN INTERVIEW.
BOTH WHAT IS SAID AND HOW IT IS SAID ARE
IMPORTANT.

3. WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
IS THERE A FIT WITH THE OPEN POSITION.
DOES THE RESUME SHOW YOUR CHARACTERISTICS IN A WAY THAT MAKES
IT CLEAR THAT YOU ARE A FIT TO THE POSITION YOU ARE APPLYING FOR?
ATTENTION TO DETAIL.
IS THE RESUME CLEAR? ARE THEIR OBVIOUS ERRORS? I KNOW YOU ARE
NOT APPLYING FOR A POSITION WHERE WRITING IS IMPORTANT, BUT
HERE’S A NEWS FLASH:
IN AN INCREASINGLY ELECTRONIC WORLD, WRITING IS IMPORTANT IN ANY
POSITION.
ARE YOU A WACKO?
THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS YOU CAN ACCIDENTLY LOOK LIKE A WACKO ...
SO PAY ATTENTION FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES!

4. ELEMENTS OF A RESUME
NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER.
OBJECTIVE: A VERY BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU WANT
TO DO.
WORK HISTORY: MOST RECENT POSITION AND THEN BACK
TO EDUCATION OR AT LEAST THE LAST FOUR YEARS. (NOT
MORE THAN ENOUGH TO FILL TWO PAGES).
EDUCATION
IF TECHNICAL OR SKILLED WORKER, ANY CERTIFICATIONS OR
SPECIFIC SKILLS SHOULD BE LISTED IN GROUPS ON A
SEPARATE PAGE THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE RESUME.

5. THE ELEMENTS: BROKEN DOWN
USE AS SIMPLE A RESUME STYLE AS YOU CAN FIND. (NO PAISLEY
BACKGROUNDS, ORNATE TYPEFACES, UNDERLYING GRAPHICS OR ANYTHING
ELSE.)
ALL WORD PROCESSOR SOFTWARE PACKAGES HAVE RESUME TEMPLATES.
PICK ONE AND USE IT.
IT IS A “RESUME” NOT A “CURRICULUM VITAE”- “CV” (UNLESS YOU WENT TO
OXFORD)
TWO PAGES IS FINE. THREE PAGES IS MAXIMUM
SPELLING, CLEAR ABBREVIATIONS WHEN USED. EITHER FULL SENTENCES OR
NOT. IT IS BEST NOT TO MIX STYLES. CORRECT PUNCTUATION. ITS IT’S, THEN,
THAN, ETC.
IT SOUNDS ARDUOUS BUT THESE ELEMENTS SHOW YOUR ATTENTION TO
DETAIL.

6. YOUR OBJECTIVE
A ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING
FOR.
“I AM SEEKING A POSITION WHERE I CAN USE MY
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS AND TRAINING AS A WRITER TO
HELP A COMPANY IMPROVE ITS MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS.”
DON’T MAKE THIS READ LIKE A DATING AD.
“IMMENSELY SKILLED MARKETING PROFESSIONAL WITH
AMAZING GRAPHIC DESIGN ABILITIES AND AMASSED ONLINE
MARKETING EXPERIENCE SEEKS COMPANY WITH A WHOLE
SHAPED LIKE THE KEY THAT IS ME.” (EXTRACTED FROM A
REAL RESUME)

7. WORK HISTORY
MOST RECENT FIRST.
ABC WIDGET COMPANY, BELFORD, MASSACHUSETTS 2001-2005
MANUFACTURES WIDGETS USED IN CORVETTE SEATS.
TEAM LEAD: MANAGED TEAM OF 7 IN INTRICATE AIR PUMP ASSEMBLY PROCESS.
REDUCED RETURN/REDO RATE BY 20% OVER 8 MONTHS BY MOTIVATING TEAM TO TAKE
QUALITY INITIATIVES SERIOUSLY.
PUMP ASSEMBLY TECHNICIAN: ASSEMBLED 55 PIECE PUMPS USING COMPANY
MANDATED BEST PRACTICES. IDENTIFIED AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN EFFICIENCY
AND ERROR CONTROL.
STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY, LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE STORE SUMMER 2000
GREETED GUESTS AND MANAGED CASH AND CREDIT TRANSACTIONS.
BARISTA:
TRACKED INVENTORY, RESTOCKED AND ORDERED SUPPLIES WHEN NECESSARY.
DEVELOPED FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIPS WITH FREQUENT CUSTOMERS.

8. NOTES ON WORK HISTORY
START EVERY SENTENCE WITH A MEANINGFUL VERB. “MANAGED,” “IMPROVED,” “INCREASED,”
“REFINED.”
MAKE SURE TO SHOW RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN A CLEAR WAY.
AVOID PUFFERY.
IF YOU TRANSITIONED JOBS WITHIN THE SAME COMPANY MAKE SURE THAT’S CLEAR.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN WITH FIVE DIFFERENT COMPANIES IN FIVE YEARS YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN
THAT. (EMPLOYERS WILL SEE LOTS OF TRANSITIONS AS A RED FLAG).
COMPANIES CLOSING IS A GOOD EXPLANATION.
“I JUST REALLY WASN’T HAPPY THERE” ISN’T (UNLESS IT’S JUST ONCE)
IF YOU’VE BEEN WORKING LONGER, IT IS FINE TO CUT OFF JOBS LISTING AT SOME REASONABLE
TIMEFRAME. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE EITHER OVERLY BRIEF OR END UP WITH A 20 PAGE
RESUME.
NEVER, EVER LIE.

9. EDUCATION
IF YOUNGER:
CRESCENTA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATE 2005
GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AA 2007
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES, BA HISTORY 2009
IF OLDER JUST LIST COLLEGE, DEGREE AND YEAR.
AND NEVER LIE. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE VERIFIED
ELECTRONICALLY.
THERE ARE NO SECOND CHANCES SO IF YOU DON’T REMEMBER THE
YEAR FOR SURE OR THE DEGREE TYPE - BA/BS - MAKE SURE TO CHECK
WITH YOUR UNIVERSITY.

10. CERTIFICATIONS
CERTIFICATIONS CAN AND SHOULD BE LISTED ABOVE
EDUCATION.
INCLUDE ANY AND ALL RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS AND
CLASSES FOR ANY POSITION. IE - DON’T INCLUDE A
LIBRARIAN CERTIFICATION IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A
JOB AS AN ILLUSTRATOR.
THEY SHOULD BE LISTED IN AS BRIEF A FORM AS
POSSIBLE AND WITHOUT DESCRIPTION. (IF SOMEONE
WANTS TO KNOW THEY’LL ASK).

11. A WINNING RESUME
A WINNING RESUME TELLS A STORY.
EACH POSITION SHOULD SHOW A LOGICAL PROGRESSION.
IF YOU’RE YOUNGER, THINKING ABOUT THIS IN ADVANCE CAN
MAKE YOUR JOB HUNT EASIER.
IF YOU’RE OLDER, GO BACK AND RETHINK THE RESUME IN A FORM
THAT SHOWS THAT YOUR WORK HAS BEEN A PROGRESSION.
YOUR CLEAR, BRIEF, HIGHLY ORGANIZED AND NOT TOO FLOWERY
DESCRIPTIONS PAINT A PICTURE OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL.
AND THAT’S GOOD!

12. QUESTIONS ON RESUMES
THAT WIN