Writing Your Resume

• Resume and Covering Letter
• Action Verbs for Persuasive Resumes
• What information should be included?
  • Personal Information
  • Education
  • Work and Volunteer Experience
  • Information Systems or Business Exposure
  • Awards and Achievements
  • Memberships
  • References
• How should the resume be organized?
• Pointers on Presentation
• Sample Resume
• Draft and Revision of Sample Application Letter

Resume & Covering Letter

A covering letter and resume must be submitted for each job you are applying for. Please keep the following general comments in mind when preparing your materials:

1. When possible include a "Technical Skills" section (insert after "Experience Section"). Indicate any computer, business, or other skills you are familiar with in this space. Include recent exposure gained at high school, home and college.

2. Place your name and page number on all pages of your resume (suggest very top right-hand side).

3. Students should not ask the employers, in their covering letters, to contact them at home or elude to their willingness to travel for interviews. Employers will arrange interviews through the Student Grauate and Co-Op Employment Centre and when possible will interview on campus. However, this information may be required for Co-op students seeking their own opportunities.

4. SPELLING: Your covering letter and resume are the first representation of you, the person. Most employers will disregard applications that contain typos, poor grammar or non-business appearance.

5. Please keep your resumes up-to-date, and be prepared to submit letter quality covering letters which are signed and dated.

6. Refer to the following list of persuasive "action" verbs and consider for use in your resume.
* Underlined words are especially good for pointing out accomplishments.
Note: You should also use these verbs in your cover letter to show that you are a dynamic individual.

What information should be included on your resume?

This will depend on your circumstances (e.g., program of study, level of education, previous experience, areas of interest). Your resume will likely contain different information, with a different slant, at different stages of your career. While a co-op student, it is usually beneficial to include most of the following types of information.

Personal Information

You are not obligated to include personal information other than your name, complete address, and telephone contact numbers. If it will help you, include it: if it will hurt you, leave it out.

Use date of birth as an example. If you are under 21, you may want to leave this out as some employers may prefer more mature employees; if you are over 45, you may want to leave this out as some employers may prefer younger people for junior positions. Important note: date of birth can usually be determined by other information on a good resume; therefore, you may choose to provide it accurately up front.

The objective is to provide the employer with reasons to hire you, rather than reasons to screen you out. Try to avoid giving the employer information on which he/she might unfairly discriminate against you (e.g., marital status, number of dependants).

The Student Grauate and Co-Op Employment Centre recommends that you consider including:

• that apart from your regular home telephone number you may be reached by leaving a message at the following numbers;
• that you have a car, regular access to a family member's car, or live close to public transit lines; that if you require special transportation arrangements that you will ensure they are made;
• that you can read or write other languages (some businesses have many Cantonese-speaking clients, for example); and,
• that you have a variety of leisure interests (this shows that you are a well-rounded individual).
• Do not include your height and weight; this is not relevant for the type of work you are seeking. It is also not necessary to provide your social insurance number until after you have been hired.

Education

If you have little related work experience, education is your strongest "selling" feature.

• Start with most recent programs/courses (credit and non-credit) and work back in time; in general, include only those relevant to the work you now seek.
• Clearly identify the name of the program completed or in progress; where applicable, note Co-op Education Option.
• Indicate the level of the program (e.g., diploma, degree, etc).
• Include your grade point average if it is 3.00 (B) or better.
• Do not list all courses taken; they will mean very little to an employer, unless he/she attended the same school. It is preferable to summarize the scope of the program (in 2 to 3 lines).
• If you are a recent high school graduate, indicate graduation date and highlight courses relevant to your current program.

Work and Volunteer Experience

Emphasize jobs and tasks related to your program of study; do not go into a lot of detail about non-related jobs.

Descriptions of tasks should be results-oriented; in other words, what specifically did you contribute and how? Use examples which illustrate your initiative and problem-solving abilities.

Start each descriptive statement with a different action word; avoid using vague phrases such as "was responsible for".

Be selective about including short-term or part-time jobs; you may want to summarize them in a short (3 to 5 lines) paragraph.

Non-paid experience is valid too (e.g., high school work experience program, school clubs, community associations).

Include name of company, city (full address not necessary), and dates of service for each position.

Information Systems Exposure or Business Related Exposure

Outline the computer hardware and software you can use and level of proficiency with each (including word processing keyboarding speed, if at least 35 w.p.m.). C.I.S. students will also want to include programming languages and special operating systems. Mention other appropriate office/work related equipment you can operate. Science students may wish to list types of lab equipment they are familiar with. Arts students should include any experience they may have with desktop publishing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and mapping software.

Awards and Achievements

Although they may not be directly related to your program of study, your past awards and achievements say something positive about you. Include items like: scholarships, honour roll standing, and other academic accolades; sports awards and recognition for community involvement.

Memberships

The best ones to include are professional or business-related (e.g., C.G.A. or D.P.M.A. student membership), but school or community associations are worth noting as well (e.g., Student Union Representative, School Club Official).

Do not mention your association with organizations that can be perceived as controversial unless you are prepared to be rejected from the selection due to prejudice on the employer's behalf (e.g., "Pro-Life/Choice" groups).

References

List references as the last item on your resume. There must be a minimum of three. Ideal would be two work and one personal.

Be sure to contact your references regarding the continued use of their name.

Keep your references up-to-date (most current employer) and ensure the individuals you provide are aware of your positive skills and abilities).

Provide complete name, title, company (if employer), address and contact number for each reference.

How should the resume be organized?

There are two basic resume formats:

1. CHRONOLOGICAL,
in which information is listed in reverse order of when it happened; and

2. FUNCTIONAL,
in which information is organized by skills and experience groupings. The two formats are often combined.

You may want to start with chronological (because it is easier to prepare), then gradually include functional components as your resume-writing skills develop.

NOTE: Experience within the Co-op and Student Employment Centre indicates best results with the chronologically organized resume for inexperienced and experienced students.

Pointers on Presentation

1. Be selective and concise.

• A resume should normally be within two pages. Employers don't have time to read your life history. Students with plenty of work/study experience may have to extend their resume.

2. Emphasize strong points.

• The order in which you present information and the space you give it are two ways to add emphasis. But never embellish. You will be "found out"!

3. De-emphasize weak points.

• It is not deceitful to avoid mentioning that you only have a "C" average.

4. Use techniques to increase the readability of your resume (e.g. spacing, underlining, bolding, and capitalization).

• Use standard type styles and computer fonts that are easy on the eye.

5. Do not use abbreviations.

• An employer may not know what you are referring to.

6. Ensure that the final copy is flawlessly typed.

• Your resume makes your first (and lasting!) impression with an employer.

7. Title and number resume pages.

• Put a page number and your name in the top right-hand corner of the second and subsequent pages.

8. We recommend that you review this list while preparing your resume and again as a final check before laser printing your good copy.

Sample Resume

View a sample application letter, taken from OC's Job Search Skills manual below.

Writing Your Resume – Your resume is the most effective way to sell yourself. It should outline your skills and experience so an employer will realize what you will be able to contribute to their company.

Job Hunting Tips: -Those who find jobs are successful because they know how to conduct an effective job search.

Preparing For Job Interviews – Perhaps the most important key to a successful interview is to be well prepared for it and to have some knowledge of what to expect.

Success on the Job – You may be facing your work experience with a combination of excitement and trepidation. We hope these suggestions will help you handle any situations that arise during your employment.

Online Employment Resources – Here you’ll find a list of links in the following categories: Careers, Labour Market Info, Resume Help, Starting Your Own Business, Volunteering and Job Search Resources.