TOEFL and TEFL test preparation, student insurance, student loans, travel, and student resources

Writing Your Resume

There are as many ways to present your resume as there are to present yourself; finding the one that suits your experience is the challenge. Let's look at one form of resume, suited mainly towards technical students and professionals with a few years' experience. Keep in mind that this form isn't ideal for everyone; if you don't feel it's useful, write your own or have it professionally done.

Remember that the job hunting process is essentially a sales process, and the product you are selling is you. As with all sales, you need to answer a fundamental question for your customer/new employer:

"What's in it for me?"

Let's go into the details of the resume now, but keep this focus in mind as you work through the hiring process.

Start by developing a list of accomplishments that you've contributed to your previous employers. Be as specific as you can be.

• Bad: Worked at the help desk.
• Good: Worked at the help desk and streamlined productivity.
• Best: Streamlined productivity at the help desk by building CRM system; reduced call response times from 1 hour to 15 minutes

The more specific, quantifiable benefits you can nail down, the better your resume will present. Numbers let employers understand specifically your accomplishments - use them!

Second, develop a skills list relevant to your field and the jobs you are searching for.

Third, develop a chronology of your work experience. Be certain to address any gaps in employment. Don't be afraid to include work experience that was part time or volunteer, as long as it is relevant to your field and the jobs you are pursuing.

Fourth, assemble a portfolio of your work. This should include writing samples, examples of your previous work (especially if you're a programmer or artist), and any types of work specifically relevant to your field, or unique documents you've created.

Fifth, make sure you have an e-mail address and Web site w/domain name set up so that employers can research you in more depth. Remember that you are essentially "selling" yourself, so having your own "brand" makes you more memorable than other job seekers.

>>Get your own web site and domain name here.

Now, put it all together in a straightforward format:

Sample Resume

Name
Address
Phone Number
E-mail address
Web site URL

Resume for [role/type of job you want]

Multi-line bulleted skills list goes here:

Dreamweaver * FrontPage 2002 * Microsoft Windows NT Server * Microsoft Office XP

Education & Certifications

Add your credentials here. If you don't have any, omit this section or move it to the end.

Professional Experience

Title, Company Name, Year
Geographical Location

• Bulleted list of duties and accomplishments
• Repeat as needed

Portfolio

Place the URL to your portfolio here.

Again, this is a suggested format. It may not work for you. The key points remain the same regardless of your experience and background - you are answering the "What's in it for me?" question all the time.