Resumes For First Timers

Resumes For First Timers
By Brian G Chadra

One of the hardest things for a new graduate to adequately write is a resume. This document is supposed to tell a potential employer how good you are in just one page. How is he supposed to discover this without actually talking to you? That's the key here, to appear so appealing on the printed page that you are one of the lucky ones called in for an interview.

OK, so how do you start? Well, let's look at the basic resume layout and get you going. A resume contains 5 sections: header, job objective, education, experience and miscellaneous. In the header, list your name, address, cell and home phone numbers and professional email address (don't use something like dogbone@boremail.com). If you don't have one, there are numerous providers available to get one just for this.

Next comes the job objective, this is a one or two line statement that indicates what you are looking for. At this point in time, probably lead with "seeking entry level position..." and finish with particulars from the actual job advertisement. The intent here is to show some eagerness to work for the company while telling them you are willing to work your way up.

Follow this section with education. Since you probably don't have much experience, hone in on your classes and the best skills that you learned while in school. Emphasize any co-ops or internships or work study experiences that you had. Some employers will also take education in lieu of experience. The federal government is one such employer who takes this heavily under consideration.

Next, list any work experience that you have had. Include full or part time and even volunteer work. All of these have valuable skills that are important to any company. Don't leave anything out. Finally, the last section, include any hobbies or past times that you enjoy. This shows a well rounded individual, and sometimes can strike a note of interest with the hiring manager who may enjoy the same things.

Make sure to spell check and get a few friends to read and critique before getting it printed out. That's it, you have done it! Now go get that job. Good luck.

Until next time

Best regards,

Brian