Online resources for resume writing
Dana asked for some online resume writing resources (tips, etc.) for college students. So thought I could share some places that I think are good resources and :
Monster resume advice: Go here to get some basics; for example, what to include on your resume for different industries. They have some samples and “dos and don'ts“. This is a good place to start. A lot of the major jobs boards do studies of what employers look for so they have some good advice to share. Applies to both students and more seasoned applicants.
Similarly, hotjobs has a resume writing page. They have a section specifically for students too.
The Wall Street Journal published something called the College Journal and they have a page specifically on writing resumes (click here). This site has articles written by staffing industry leaders, so I would recommend spending some time here.
I think it's probably best to hear what recruiters look for directly from folks in the staffing industry, so hopefully the resources above are helpful.Whatever you do, do not pay someone to do this for you. It's simply not worth it. Follow some of the guidelines to write something you think is good and then ask colleagues and friends to give you feedback and proof-read. If you have trouble getting started, try searching for other peoples' resumes online and when you find one that appeals to you (perhaps the person is at the same career stage or focused on the same industry space), look at their formatting and consider setting up your resume similarly.
Graduating students, keep it to one page. Remember that the resume should just be a “teaser“ and is not intended to tell the whole story of your background. Think about the keywords recruiters would search on to find someone like you and make sure those words are included. And put your most important info on the top 1/3 of the page (recruiters will generally scan the top of the page until something catches their eye or they will move on). For students, this is probably your education, but could also include technical skills, or internship experience.
Hope this helps!
Comments
Anonymous
April 13, 2004
Yes, I've been away from the computer too long. Too much stuff has happened, so you'll have to bear with the list posts ;-) Some interesting posts around the blogosphere on resume writing. I've written about this several times myself, but just in case that wasn't enough: John @ Inluminent points to several great posts on resume writing by the Rockport Institute: Part 1 - WRITE A RESUME THAT GENERATES RESULTS Part 2 - HOW TO KNOCK THE SOCKS OFF A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER Part 3 - THE EVIDENCE SECTION - HOW TO PRESENT YOUR WORK HISTORY, EDUCATION, ETC. Part 4 - A FEW GUIDELINES FOR A BETTER PRESENTATION Part 5 - I'M NOT SURE THE JOB I'M LOOKING FOR IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR ME Part 6 - ADD POWER TO YOUR RESUME WITH POWERWORDS Heather over at Marketing at Microsoft blog covers some similar topics. A bit vague, but that's okay....Anonymous
July 20, 2005
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December 06, 2007
This time of year, I'm burning excess vacation days and you may be doing the same or hiding from in-lawsAnonymous
December 06, 2007
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