Providing a Good Copy of a Resume
By Sandra White
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| Your resume format can be worked upon to give it a better chance of being read over that of a competitor. |
Perhaps you've seen them; resumes several pages long, with rambling masses of words tumbled together. The people who write these resumes no doubt want to make a good impression on their prospective employers, but when it comes to a resume, "less is more.” What does that mean?
On a single page, you need to put, in brief but concise format, exactly what that employer needs to know so that he or she wants to take a closer look at you, give you an interview, and, hopefully, hire you.
A Single Page?
Now, I can just hear you saying, "A single page?” Yes, that's right. If you are a new grad looking for a job, you can get every single thing you need that employer to see on one page of your copy of a resume. The interview is where you really shine. What a resume does for you is get your foot in the door so that you get the interview. And if your work history is relatively short, you don't need more than one page to sum up what you need to say to your prospective employer so that you get in there and get that interview.
When You Need More Than One Page
That said, there are instances where you're going to need more than one page on your copy of a resume. However, that first page should still be a synopsis of your ENTIRE educational and work history, succinctly spelled out in brief so that the employer will want to flip to the next page and read a more in depth summarization.
What Should a Copy of a Resume Contain?
Here's one way to organize your copy of a resume:
Name and contact information: It should contain your contact information at the very top. That includes your name, physical address, cell phone and/or landline phone number, and email address. It's a good idea to put your name in caps at the top so that it stands out.
Educational experience: Next, your copy of a resume should contain your educational experience, including college degrees or certifications, etc.
Work history or experience: The next section should contain your work history. Again, list jobs you've held, etc., as briefly as possible, with direct, active language that's engaging and interesting to read. Use verbs like "implemented, provided, taught," and so on. These are action verbs that are sure to catch your prospective employer's attention. Briefly discuss the duties performed and the contributions you made after each.
Skills: It's often a good idea to break out your skills separately and list them, very, very briefly in bullet format just so that your prospective employer can see what you can do at a glance. Of course, you'll discuss these skills within your work history descriptions, too, but this is a way for your prospective employer to see what you can do very easily.
References
Actually, it's usually best to leave references off your resume, but you can include a phrase like, "References available upon request" at the bottom of your resume so that your prospective employer knows they can request them. Do make sure you provide appropriate, professional references if the employer asks for them.
A Sample Resume
Here's one example of a resume you might want to consider. Notice how everything is listed briefly and concisely, in bullet format, so that it's easy to read. It's also written in an engaging and interesting style; it uses action verbs to hold the reader's attention. You can find more sample resumes at ResumeApple.com.
BRIGHAM O.
1 Anywhere St.
Anywhere, NY 00000
(555) 555-1234
brighamo@email.com
LICENSURES AND AFFILIATIONS
- New York Administrator’s License
- New York Association of School Executives; Academy of Management; Academy of International Business; American Society for Public Administration
Secondary Education Leadership
- Provided instructional leadership for secondary education faculty, including coordinating new curriculum and related changes and developing small learning communities.
- Worked with district teachers and instructional coaches to support improvement in instruction, as well as stakeholder groups in all areas of school operations.
- Implementation of District instructional ideals and practices.
- Faculty evaluation, staffing, budgeting, scheduling, discipline, standardized testing, school safety and 504 activities, and liaising with district police, fire, and social services.
- Taught graduate courses in International Business, Public Policy and Business, Small Business, Small Business/Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management, Managerial Planning/Control, Strategic Management/Business Policy, and Principles of Management, as well as undergraduate courses in Organization Leadership and Management Fundamentals.
Manhattan Gate High School, New York, NY 200X—Present
Assistant Principal
New York University, New York, NY 198X—199X
Associate Professor
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 198X—198X
Graduate Teaching Assistant
PRESENTATIONS
- European External Trade Organization Seminar. 199X Northeast Society for Continental Trade Research Workshop.
- October 199X. New York University
- New England International Business Forum. International Business Division of the A.S.A. in Boston, MA. July 199X.
- U.S. Department of Commerce Export Trade Assistance Program. American Society for Export Trade, June 199X.
- Financing in International Business. International Business Conference sponsored by the University of Richmond.
- May 199X. Richmond, VA.
- Faculty Development in International Business. International Business Conference sponsored by the University of
- Pennsylvania. April 199X. Philadelphia, PA.
- Continuing Education in Business Law. New York University. New York, NY. 199X.
- Administrator Award of Excellence. 200X New York Public Schools.
- Who’s Who in Among America’s Teachers, 7th edition, 200X.
- Professor of the Year, 199X-199X. New York University.
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY 198X
Master of Science in Education
New York University, New York, NY 198X
Master of Business Administration Minor in Public Administration
Columbia University, New York, NY 197X
Bachelor of Arts in English; Minor: German
