Career Advising at EOU

The following items will appear on most resumes:

Identifying Information

This should include your name, present address and telephone number (including zip code and area code), as well as a permanent address, telephone number, and e-mail address where you can also be contacted. This is especially important if you will be moving from your present address within a short time.

Job Objective Statement vs. Profile Statement

The first few lines of your resume count.  Just like an advertisement, the resume needs to hook the interest of the reader.  Resumes are scanned and one has about 30 seconds to make a positive impression or you risk ending up in the OUT pile.

It has long been thought that an objective statement is a necessary component of a resume.  The objective statement is a brief, clear statement that outlines the type of employment one is seeking.  It includes a position title, perhaps the name of the company to which one is applying or, at the very least, the type of industry.  A well-written objective statement gives the prospective employer the sense that one has purpose and direction.  A poorly written objective wastes space. 

A profile or summary statement has a different focus.  Instead of the objective statement "This is what I want" perspective, the profile says, "This is what I have to offer you."  A profile/summary statement would detail three to five key strengths, experiences and interests that one has to offer the employer.  It answers the questions, "What can this candidate do for me?"  This brief, well-written statement can be called:  Profile, Summary, Strengths, Skills, or Highlights.  If one chooses the profile statement, the cover letter accompanying one'e resume must specify the position of interest, including job title and/or job number.   

A comparison:

• Job Objective: Desire technical editing position with supervisory responsibilities in an engineering firm.
• Profile: Highly skilled technical writer with three years publishing experience.  Knowledgeable in current web design technology.  Experienced communicator and team player.

Educational Background

Beginning with your most recent college degree, work backwards. Be certain to include your degree, major(s), minor(s), date of graduation, and name of the school.

A question frequently asked is, "Should I put my grade point information on my resume?" This is a difficult question to answer. The national grade point average for graduation college seniors has been reported to be approximately 2.7 overall. Therefore, if your grade point average is 2.7 or better (overall and also in your major), include this information, regardless of your career goals. If, on the other hand, your major grade point average is 2.7 or better while your overall grade point average is less than 2.7, you may want to identify only your major grade point average. 

Grades are very important in some career fields and less so in others. If your career goals are leading you into areas where grades are less important than your experiences, activities, and leadership ability, you may not want to list your grade point average.

If you have worked during college, or even before, to earn money toward the expenses of your college education, be certain to indicate the percentage of the college expenses you earned. That information should go in this section.

Employment Experience

Beginning with the most recent experience, work backwards. Any kind of summer employment during the school year, volunteer work, internships, etc. should be identified here.  Use action verbs in describing your duties and responsibilities. Be certain to indicate when an increase in responsibility occurred.

Military Service

If you have served in the military, identify the branch and the span of time spent in the service and give a brief statement of your assignment. Doing this may prevent a gap of time from appearing on your resume.

Extracurricular Activities

A prospective employer wants to hire a total person and, therefore, will be interested in your activities outside the classroom. Identify the organization(s) to which you belong and the role you play in each (such as serving on committees, holding offices, etc.). Highlight any activities which are closely related to your career goals and/or the needs of the employer.

Interests

You may want to identify some of your personal interests IF they are pertinent to your career goals and/or the needs of the employer. On the other hand, do not include this information if it takes up space needed for more relevant information.  If it is not relevant to the position, either make it relevant or leave it out.

Personal Data

Whether or not information such as age, height, weight, marital status, health, etc. should be included should be determined by you.
The question is, "Will inclusion of the information enhance or detract from my application?" Employers usually do not request this information because of possible legal implications. If you elect to include this information, place it near the end of your resume.

References

Opinion is divided regarding the mention of references in resumes. For additional guidance see our Career Advising staff.  However you decide to treat this item, make sure you have permission from individuals before using them as references.  If there is room at the bottom of the page, the sentence "References Available Upon Request" can be a nice filler.  Essentially it is a statement of the obvious.  People seeking employment have others willing to write letters or speak on their behalf and will supply that information when requested to do so.  The sentence also sends a signal to the reader - "This is the end of the resume."

If one is requested to supply reference and contact information, it should not be included in the resume document.  Instead it should be on a separate sheet and presented in a complimentary style to one's resume.

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