Writing an Effective
Resume
RWS Prepared by: Sir Tophey
Writing an Effective Resume
•Why you are writing
•Organization
•Presentation
A Resume Gets You An Interview
•Find out which applicants are suitable
•Choose a small number of candidates to interview
•Same issue for proposals and grant applications
Stand Out From the Crowd
•Include interesting and unique
information
•Attempt best effort to make a first
impression
•No chance to explain if you do not
get an interview
Writing an Effective Resume
•Why you are writing
•Organization
•Presentation
Summary of Sections
•Name
•Address, telephone number, e-mail address
•Objective
•Education
•Experience
•Achievements and awards
•Skills
•Professional affiliations
Optional
•Publications or projects
Start With Contact Information
•Name (bold, not underlined)
•Address
•Telephone number
•Email address
Objective
•One or two sentences
•Type of position (part time, full time, summer internship)
•What position would you like to find?
•Emphasize how you will use your skills, not what you
want to gain
Use the Objective to Stand Out
• Do not be needy:
Objective: To obtain a position that will allow me to advance my potential
while seeking new challenges.
• Show what you will contribute:
Objective: An entry-level position in mechanical engineering where
strong leadership ability and good communication skills are needed.
Objective: Vice-president of aerospace engineering in an agency where
extensive knowledge of thermodynamics and heat transfer are needed.
Education in Reverse Chronological Order
•Include schools attended beyond high school
•List major and minor(s), supply interesting details
•For UP-Diliman, put the expected date in parentheses:
UP-Diliman School of Engineering
B.S. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
(Anticipated graduation: May 2017)
•Include special or interesting aspects of your program
Experience in Reverse Chronological Order
• Dates of employment (2013-2016)
• Name and location of the company (Ortigas Center, Pasig City)
• Add specific detail that shows your organization, cooperation, responsibility with
action
• Calling this section Experience allows you to include jobs for which you were
not paid. Include:
• Military service
• Internships
• Volunteer positions
Achievements and Awards
• Dean’s list
• Scholarships
• Grants
• Prizes
• Nominations
• Professional societies
• Significant accomplishments
• Committees and leadership roles
Use the Skills Section
•Software programs and proficiency (Word, PowerPoint,
Excel, FrontPage, AutoCAD…)
•Programming languages (include Visual Basic, HTML,
PHP,…)
•Abilities (based on experience)
•Languages and language ability
Writing an Effective Resume
•Why you are writing
•Organization
•Presentation
Create an Effective Layout
•Try to interest your reader visually
•A clean, professional format with a little style
•Extra white space makes it easy to read –set margins
Use Tables to Line Everything Up
Limit Font to Two Choices
•For text: a serif font like Times
•For headings: Arial or Helvetica are good choices to
add visual interest
•Don’t choose non-standard fonts like Comic Sans or
Lucida Handwriting
•Font size should be 11 or 12 point
Write Concisely and Vigorously
•A focused, targeted resume is best:
• Avoid the temptation to go more than one page
• Delete obvious information in order to highlight your unique qualities
•Find specific, dynamic verbs:
• Use present (or past) imperatives
• Include each verb only once
• Consult online lists of “resume action words”
Make Lists Parallel
Was responsible for staff of ten Managed staff of ten
Present reports to consultants Presented reports to consultants
New reporting system was developed Developed new reporting system
Leader of monthly staff meetings Led monthly staff meeting
Coordinate monthly review Coordinated monthly review
Use Brief Style, Like Presentations
•Omit articles (a/an, the)
•Use more lists than sentences
•Arrange information in columns
Final Thoughts…
•Choose the correct tense and use it consistently
•Do not ask for a particular salary
•Be accurate and honest
•Print it out! Do not attempt to proofread on screen
THANK YOU!!!
Make your own
resume.
