Career Advising at EOU

Who Gets The Job is not always the one who can do the job best BUT who knows best how to get the job! Hence, each detail of this process should have your meticulous attention since people are often screened OUT on the basis of a poor letter and resume.

People Don't Read Resumes, they skim them. So think of your resume more as a piece of advertising than a comprehensive data sheet. Use margins and good spacing, which make it easily skimmed.

Don't Use A Lot Of Dates Or Numbers. That makes it hard to skim. Place dates at the END of a paragraph when describing experiences. Sure, they're important to you, but they slow down the reader.

Use Action Verbs. Don't use the verb "to be." Instead of "I did...I was...I am,..." use verbs like "initiated, created, developed, supervised, managed, instructed, counseled, negotiated, maintained,..." etc.

Emphasize Skills, especially those which transfer from one situation to another. The fact that you coordinated a student organization leads one to suspect that you could coordinate other things as well.  Claim the highest skill level you may legitimately claim.  There is a difference between helping and assisting.  Did you "help out on the playground" or "supervise the playground?"

Avoid Using Negative Words. Don't apologize for lack of experience or weaknesses. This is not the place to hang out your dirty laundry. Be positive, capitalize on strengths, and leave out the negative or neutral words. If your health is "excellent," then don't say "not bad." Avoid negative prefixes or suffixes.

Resumes Should Be One Or Two Pages. Never more. Anything longer is an autobiography, not a resume. Don't overwhelm employers with information.

Expound On Your Relevant Experiences. Condense jobs or experiences that are not directly related. This means that you SLANT your resume to the type of job you are seeking. Hence, you will need more than one resume if you're applying for different types of jobs.

Example: If you are applying for a Child Care Counselor job, devote more space to your experience as a camp counselor. But if you're applying for a job as a Manager Trainee, condense the camp job and emphasize your organizational and supervisory abilities.

Expect A Phone Call. If they are interested, most employers call to set up an interview. Seldom will they write. Hence, make sure they have your phone number.  If you reqularly check e-mail, put your e-mail address on your resume.

(Copyright CPC Annual. Reprinted with permission.)

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