ResWkhtm

RESUME WORKSHOP

OBJECTIVE: To utilize your skills and experience to create an efficient selling tool - your resume.

PROFILE: Collects data and organizes your personal information in a manner which taps all resources.

BENEFITS * Teaches how to write a strong resume

* Assists in preparation for interviews
* Written in YOUR own words
* Specific to YOUR abilities and experience

HISTORY: Developed to ease the task of resume-writing and create a resume that WORKS FOR YOU!

The Resume Workshop is protected under all copyright laws. It may not be reproduced in any commercial form without the author's written permission. It may, however, be replicated by the purchaser for personal use.

The resume workshop will be helpful to you if:

1. You've never written a resume
2. You're familiar with writing resumes but need help getting organized.
3. You are updating an old resume and making many changes.
4. You want to rewrite your resume to make it stronger or give it a new style.

THE RESUME WORKSHOP IS NOT FOR YOU IF:

1. You want a quick or easy way out. The Resume Workshop is designed to make you think and to find all of your beneficial traits. It is not the quickest way to write a resume, but it is VERY EFFECTIVE, and will also help you prepare for interviews by familiarizing yourself with your own skills and jogging your memory.

2. You want to become a "pro" over night. Like any other skill, effective resume writing requires that you already have a foundation of good writing skills. The Workshop will help you utilize what skills you already have; and give you the chance to see yourself from an outside point of view which will then allow you to summarize what you are about.

WHAT DOES THE RESUME WORKSHOP COVER? The Resume Workshop will help find what resources you have to offer an employer. It will give you the chance to look at past work and educational experiences. It will help you find your skills by looking at the activities you performed. It will also help you see your accomplishments. It will give you the opportunity to write what may seem like your own biography - one that if done correctly - will allow yourself and your future employer to see that YOU are a very valuable person.

WHAT DOESN'T THE RESUME WORKSHOP COVER? The Resume Workshop does not cover punctuation, sentence structure, or specific technical details on how to format. It does give you the building blocks to create your resume, offers suggestions on how to do it, and some points to consider when you actually have your resume printed.

RESUME WORKSHOP: Before you begin....

The Resume Workshop is set up almost like a research project. You will be given a topic and expected to first gather information and then make a summary. Things to keep in mind when doing the exercises are:

1. The first portion of the worksheets are for you to jot down notes about what you've done. Do not try to "weed out" anything yet. This is a brain storming session for you so that you will have the most options available to you later.

2. When told to place an asterisk (*) next to the ones that are most important to you, you may also want to consider if they are important to a prospective employer. In most cases, they are. However, if it is something you are particularly proud of accomplishing, but do not feel it is directly related to a future job, * it anyway. If you can bring out good points about it, like how much determination or planning it took to do that thing, it is showing traits or skills about you that are an asset. Show these to your future employer.

3. Use words that show action. Use a sentence structure that is concise and to the point; and try to refrain from using "I" and other pronouns. If you have a thesaurus and dictionary handy, use them! Try not to be repetitive in your descriptions - even if you think you did the same thing for 2 different jobs - rephrase it to emphasize different points. Don’t use the same descriptive word twice in the same or following sentences.

4. When writing the summaries, it is all right if your first attempt is a little wordy because you are just trying to make the pieces fit. After you complete the first attempt, go back and REWRITE it. Make it short, but show that you are a person of action, (or planning, or whatever you believe you are best at doing.)

A quick note... In some job situations, it can be very difficult to feel like you accomplished anything or were valued for who you were. Please follow the instructions in the Resume Workshop very closely. It is designed to first help you go back to your past experiences, and then later look at them from an outsider's view by just focusing on the activities you did, rather than the actual work place. This is very important in order for you to bring out all of your skills and responsibilities (even if while you were performing them, you were unhappy.)

RESUME WORKSHOP

OBJECTIVES

To find your objective, you must first know what you are seeking in life. What makes you happy? What is your purpose? What are your dreams and goals?

For most of us born prior to Generation X, we were taught that part of our American Dream was to graduate high school and try as hard as we could to make it through college. The next step was to find the ideal job...

We set out with a positive attitude and high hopes. We didn't mind working hard because we knew our hard work would pay off. Many people were promised good jobs with a good wage and an environment that promoted growth. If we put our hearts and souls into the company, worked everyday, and remained loyal and true to The Company, we would be rewarded. The Company would provide benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. The Loyalty Plan worked great, encouraging us to "give it all we got" in order to get America back on her feet. It did work well... until it came time for The Company to begin paying pensions out to all those who had brought it where it was today. The Company may have wanted to reward its faithful employees, but the truth of the matter was that The Company didn't want to or financially could not afford to pay out the pensions it promised. In today's competitive and ever changing markets, the profit margins often were not what had been expected. The Management of The Company may vary from place to place, but the effect of this realization has been the same through-out the American work place. Employees are now often viewed as expenses instead of assets.

It is common practice for companies to hire "contractors" for a year or two and then release them before they maintain official "employee status." Similar practices occur frequently among employers who want the best help they can afford but don't want to invest the amount of money necessary to keep them happy.

Sound discouraging? If you felt a pang of anger or resentment reading this, good! It's a sign you recognized the truth. But as the old saying goes, "The truth shall set you free!" And yes, that does apply to finding your objective and your next job.

The same ever-changing competitive market that brought about the demise of "The Loyalty Approach" in the work place, also has made the horizon bright for learning, growing, and advancing within your chosen career. Recognizing the changing environment in America's workplace can open the door to new freedoms that were often looked down on before but are now necessary to anyone who wants to feel fulfilled in their career.

The best advice anyone has ever given me is, "Learn everything you can about the company you work for. Learn its ins and outs, learn what makes it grow and what challenges it faces. Learn what allows it to overcome those challenges. When you've learned everything you can - usually within 2 -3 years - move on."

At the time that seemed unheard of. We were supposed be loyal to a company... Who would possibly hire us if we had jumped around from place to place? Didn't that look bad on a resume?

Twenty-five years ago, maybe. Today, it's really what The Company is looking for. "They" want someone who is willing to learn, to grow, to progress. They want someone versatile with knowledge - working knowledge - that will know how to apply it to their company. In fact, recruiters and human resource personnel often make (wrong) speculations about why a person would remain with another company for so long and shy away from that candidate. This may sound unfair, and it may be hard to hear at first, but it is true.

The good part is that you have been released from the guilt-trip of trying to stay loyal to The Company for the duration of your career! And you have the opportunity to maintain that upbeat attitude of hopes and possibilities steadily through-out your work life.

Most people go through two time frames in their jobs when they feel the best about themselves and the company they are working for. In the very beginning when their aspirations are fresh and new and the horizon is open for learning and growing. And in the very end when they know they've done the best job they can and a new horizon has opened up for them to move on. Get the picture?

Approach each job with all your enthusiasm. Give it the best you've got but don't feel guilted into giving more than you can. They don't owe you any kind of loyalty - neither do you owe them loyalty. What you owe each other is the present moment. And you owe one another the gift of being the best possible person you can be in that present moment. When the time comes that you are no longer able to be the best person you can because you can no longer learn and grow, then move on! No regrets, no resentments, just the knowledge that you did what you could when you could and you are ready to step up to the next level.

If you are skeptical about the impact this approach has on people, try talking to recruiters. Ask them what they look for in the person they've been hired to find. Ask them what kind of personality they are looking for, which attributes the people possess. No matter what field or skills are required, the basics are the same... someone with a positive attitude who will learn, grow, contribute and advance. The individual details may change according to position, but the foundation will be the same.

The key to keeping that positive attitude is expecting only to do your personal best and realizing when you feel you are no longer able to do so within your current circumstances. That may mean transferring into another position or department within the current company. Or it may be that it's time to pack your bags, full of new knowledge and experiences gained from working that job, and move on, being able to offer more to the next company.

And you may discover through working for a variety of people and places, that you have what it takes to do-it-yourself. Our economy is wide open for Entrepreneurs. It's that great adventuresome spirit that has allowed America to grow into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. There is enough financial abundance to go around. There's no need to try to collect it from one spot. Do what you can, do what you love, and keep yourself learning and growing. When you work from your passions, and especially if your passions, gifts, talents or skills can benefit others, you are bound to succeed.

The point of this is to really examine your own personal, internalized, objective. If you are seeking out a company with health benefits where you can "play it safe" until retirement, you may find yourself continually disappointed. If you look for ways to apply your passion and use the gifts you've been given, to learn and grow without unnecessary attachment, you may find your happiness a lot easier to obtain.

The objective of finding "a position where I can learn and grow" has become a bit cliché but it’s basically what everyone is looking for. Find a way to word it so that you are contributing your skills to a company that offers plenty of challenges, variety in daily work, etc. Whatever you are truly looking for, find a way of weaving it into your objective.

Also, try not to limit yourself with your objective. Do you really want "entry level" or is that all you are afraid an employer will give you? Is it necessary to quantify your position? Would your objective be missing anything if you left out "entry level", or "good paying" or any other number of phrases that aren’t necessary? Okay, entry level has it’s obvious limitations, but what’s wrong with good paying? Employers know you want good pay, but it’s definition varies according to person. A small business may fear you’ll ask more than they can afford to give even though your requirements may have been well within their range. Nail down what it is you are looking for with descriptive words, but try to keep yourself open to all possibilities.

PART 1 - FINDING YOUR OBJECTIVE

A) If you have an idea of what you are looking for, write it on the lines below. If you are unsure of your objective, try this exercise. Think of your previous jobs, list everything you liked about them, and also everything you disliked about them. (Use the back if necessary)




Things I liked in my previous jobs		Things I disliked about previous jobs









B) Now go back and look at everything you liked and disliked. From the "liked" list, pick out those things which are most important to you, and place an * next to them.
C) If you've gone to school (beyond high-school) write down what you wanted your education to help you achieve. After completing the list, place an * next to the ones that mean the most to you.




D) If you haven't experienced it already, or listed it under the expectations from your education, write down what you hope to find with the new job you are looking for.




E)Look at everything you marked with an * and those things you want for the future. Summarize them in part A) above. Then rewrite it below, showing what you can offer, if possible.



© 1993

PART 2 - UNVEILING YOUR EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Copy this and the following page one each for every job or position you've held. Include internships, volunteer work, work from home, freelance positions, one time work-for-hire, community service, work that helped out friends and class projects for clients or businesses. If you worked it, it counts!

A) Assign a number to each job (or position) you've held, 1 per sheet.		JOB #
B) Company Name:
C) Work Address:


D) Company Phone #:
E) Dates Worked:	F) Supervisor:
G) Now think of a typical work day and write down everything that you would do on a daily basis. Next, think of weekly, then monthly, etc., projects and write those down also. You may use the back of the worksheet if necessary. Do this for each job you've held before continuing to step H)
Things I did on a daily basis:






Things I did on a Weekly basis:





Things I did on a monthly basis:

H) Now review your activities and try to think of them in 2 ways: tasks (or responsibilities) and skills. IE: For "Figured out daily sales", the task would be, "Responsible for calculating daily sales," the skill could be," use of an adding machine or calculator." Place an * to those you feel show your capabilities. (Please do this for all jobs before completing step I)		continued for JOB #
TASKS	SKILLS










I)For each of your past jobs, write down special projects you participated in, important accomplishments, any awards you received, or any ways that you feel you contributed the improvement of the company you worked for. (EX: high sales, complimentary letters from customers/clients, bonuses/promotions, creating programs to streamline work, solving a difficult problem that arose, etc.) Put an * by the ones you take the most pride in.





J) List any additional training, seminars, certifications, or further education you received on the job.




K) Now look at the tasks/responsibilities, and accomplishments you've placed an * next to. Try to summarize them to show what you contributed to that company. Use words and phrases that show action. If appropriate write them to show you could transfer them to a new job. Use the back to rewrite or as a rough example if necessary.

PART 3 - DISCOVERING THE BENEFITS OF YOUR EDUCATION

A) Assign a number to each school you've attended and for any seminars, job-training/education that could be applied to future jobs; list 1 per sheet .					EDUCATION #
B) School / Course Name:
C) Address:


D) School Phone #:		E) Teacher:
F) Dates Date Attended:			G) Grade Point Average:
H) Write down all courses (include independent studies, seminars, job training, certifications, licenses, etc.) that pertain directly to the field of work you are in, or that may help you in a position you would be applying for. (EX: Accounting courses if you're in finance and then also Communications, which helped you develop the skills to deal with your clients.) Also write the professor's name below the course name.
COURSE NAME	SKILLS OBTAINED			PROJECTS












I) After the course name, list the skills or important "things" you learned from that class.
J) Now list any major projects/activities that you participated in that gave you some kind of practical experience for the work force.
K) Review what you've completed and place an * after those things which you feel are most important (especially to an employer.)
L) Write Down all the associations, clubs, and extra-curricular activities you participated in. (If you held an office, or position of responsibility, write it down under the name of the club.)
M) Then write down the duties and responsibilities you took on in those associations/clubs.
N) Now write down any skills that you used or that evolved from the activities.

PART 3 - BENEFITS OF YOUR EDUCATION CONTINUED		EDUCATION #
ASSOCIATIONS, CLUBS, ACTIVITIES, ETC	DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES		SKILLS








P)List your accomplishments and any awards, honorable mentions, prizes, etc., received. Then place an * next to the ones that mean the most to you.




Q) Now look at all your courses, activities, accomplishments, and awards you've placed an * next to. Try to summarize them to show what you have learned and accomplished with your educational efforts. (If you can, use words and phrases that show action, and if appropriate, write them to show you could transfer them to a new job.)








R) Use the lines below to rewrite or make a "polished" summary.

PART 4: DETERMINING YOUR SKILLS

A.) Look back at all the "skills" categories under the experience and education worksheets you just completed. For each skill, list it below and then list the place you learned or used that skill. (If you used a particular skill more than once, list each place that you used it.)
B.) Place an * to the skills that you feel are most important to you and that you feel would be a valuable asset to an employer. Then categorize those skills according to the major abilities you wish to highlight; IE: Computer, Managerial, Communication, Teaching, etc. This can be done by simply placing a corresponding letter next to the asterisk... Ct for computer, M for managerial, Cm for communication, T for teaching, etc.
SKILL	PLACE AQUIRED & USED	CATEGORY













C) Summarize those skills you have placed an * next to on the lines below. If you have several categories use the back of the work sheet for more room.






D) Use the lines below to rewrite your summary if you need to.

PART 5: WRITING YOUR OWN PROFILE

A) Write down your interests and hobbies in the spaces provided. You may later wish to include these in a separate category or incorporate them into your profile if you feel they are beneficial to the position you would like to obtain. (EX: fixing radios or old TVs if you are applying for a position with an Electronics store, or if your hobby requires a large amount of concentration and so would the job you want.)

B) Think of yourself as the employer for the job you would like to obtain. List all qualifications including skills, experience, and education you would look for in a possible candidate.

C) Now look over your own personal experiences, education, and skills, and try to summarize those which you think are your best "selling points" and would be most valuable to a future employer. Rewrite this as many times as needed. You should have a strong profile that will grab your possible employer's interest and make him/her want to continue reading your resume.

PART 6: REFERENCE WORKSHEET

Whether or not you plan to include references on your resume, keep a list of them handy. Most of the information you need for professional or educational references has already been gathered in the worksheets. Before using someone as a reference, ASK! And let them know WHEN you do list them as a reference. Also ask which phone # or address they want you to use. Please provide the requested information for each category below. Remember to use proper titles for names.
WORK REFERENCES
Name:	Name:
Phone:	Phone:
Relationship:	Relationship:
Company:	Company:
Address:	Address:

Name:	Name:
Phone:	Phone:
Relationship:	Relationship:
Company:	Company:
Address:	Address:

EDUCATIONAL REFERENCES
Name:	Name:
Phone:	Phone:
Relationship:	Relationship:
School:	School:
Address:	Address:

PERSONAL REFERENCES
Name:	Name:
Phone:	Phone:
Relationship:	Relationship:
Company (Optional):	Company (Optional):
Address:	Address:

Name:	Name:
Phone:	Phone:
Relationship:	Relationship:
Company (Optional):	Company (Optional):
Address:	Address:

PART 7:
TYPE, FORMAT AND MISCELLANEOUS TIDBITS ABOUT YOUR RESUME

What Type of Resume? The type of resume you choose can affect the message you send about yourself. There are 2 types of resumes that are the most commonly used: The Skills resume, and the Chronological/Experience resume. Both can be very efficient in displaying your best attributes. Usually a Skills resume is set up so that your main headings will be the skills you have acquired through various experiences and then lists the company, etc., where you used these skills. It is an easy resume to read and gets the point across with very few words. However, it doesn't leave much room to show some of the smaller details which you may feel are important assets. If you want to express who you are, what you've accomplished, and what you can offer by using more description and details, you may want to look at Chronological/Experience resume which generally has categories such as Experience, Education, etc., where you then list each job, etc., separately and a summary of what you did there. This is the most commonly used format. A third type of resume is the Functional resume. This resume is a combination of the Skills and Chronological resumes. It highlights the main skills you have acquired and then in a separate section, lists your work experiences in chronological order.

What is a good length for Resumes? Although standards continually change by trend and industry, the best length is still one page, with a maximum of two pages. With the right wording, and a smart utilization of space when you pick the type and format of your resume, even one page can contain a great amount of information. Some very specialized fields demand more than the standard information to be put on a resume, and the length of the resume is expected to be more than one page. If you are unsure of your field, ask acquaintances or check for specific information in your local library.

What about Formatting? Formatting has more of a visual effect than anything, but can make a difference to the person reading your resume. The main point of formatting is to highlight YOUR QUALIFICATIONS and make them easy to read. You can have a resume Center Formatted with all the headings centered above the description, or you may want your resume Column Formatted with the heading either right or left justified in a column preceding the descriptions. Other tools you may want to use are Underlining, bolding, italicizing, * marking with an asterisk (or other type of bullet point), indenting to make your information stand out, and using borders around your resume.

FONTS Something else to consider when it comes to the appearance of your resume, is the font type. The font you use can have a dramatic effect on the ease of which your resume can be read or on the over-all "feel" of your resume. For example, If you have a lot of small print, you want to stay away from fonts with serifs (tails,) however, a font with serifs can make a resume for someone in the finance field, look very professional. It is all a matter of personal taste..... and unfortunately the taste of the person receiving your resume. If you know the industry you are in has certain standards, your resume should reflect that. The job-market is always very competitive and although "formatting" does affect the look of your resume, the most important factor is that the information displays an easy to read accurate representation of all your skills.

PART 8: WRITING THE ROUGH DRAFT

You've done the hard part of collecting all your personal data, now its time to try to put everything together in a way that will best represent you. There are several ways of doing this. Below are some basic "shells" you can use as examples to fill in your own personal information from the worksheets you've completed. In some cases, you may want to reverse the order of Experience & Education to accent your strong points. You may also want to include other headings such as: HIGHLIGHTS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HONORS/ACTIVITIES, SKILLS & STRENGTHS, AFFILIATIONS, REFERENCES, SAMPLE OF CLIENTS, PERSONAL DATA.

Gear your resume toward the position you want to obtain. For instance, if you want a Sales position, accent your sales skills in all of your experiences. If you are looking for more than one type of position, it will be beneficial for you to write a resume for each one of those different kinds of jobs. Although simply changing your objective may be enough to make a difference in some cases, you will have more positive results by changing everything about your resume - especially your skills - to show why you are a strong candidate for each position. You have all the information in front of you already, simply go back and select the skills appropriate for each of the positions you are seeking.

The following examples are a guide for you to use in order to write your rough draft. Do not worry about "Perfecting" the look of it to begin with. The most important thing for you to remember as you write your resume, is that you represent your best selling points. It is perfectly acceptable to mix and match styles.

NAME: SKILLS
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone #

OBJECTIVE: A resume that focuses on your skills more than the places you've worked.

PROFILE: Your own classified ad to give your future employer a look at who you are.

EXPERIENCE: Most Important Skill

Chronologically list the last place the skill was developed & dates worked
Next job that used that skill & dates worked
First job to develop the skill & dates worked

Second Most Important Skill

Chronologically list the last place the skill was developed & dates worked
Next job that used that skill & dates worked
First job to develop the skill & dates worked

Continue to list Important skills and details

EDUCATION: Chronological listing of Educational skills, development & accomplishments

Most Important Skill or Educational Training

Chronologically list the last place the skill was developed & dates attended
Next job that used that skill & dates worked
First job to develop the skill & dates worked

Second Most Important Skill or Educational Training

Chronologically list the last place the skill was developed & dates attneded

Next job that used that skill & dates worked
First job to develop the skill & dates worked

Continue to list Important skills and training

NAME: CHRONOLOGICAL / EXPERIENCE
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone #

OBJECTIVE: A resume that focuses on your EXPERIENCE.

PROFILE: Your own classified ad to give your future employer a look at who you are.

EXPERIENCE:

Dates Worked Either the Name of the Last Company worked For, or the Position you held

(if the company you worked for is very reputable in the field you are trying to obtain a new position in, list it first. If the title of the Position you last held is more impressionable than the company you worked for, then list the Position you held before the company name.) Follow up with a complete job description.

Dates Worked Name of the previous Company worked For, or the Position you held

Make sure you use the same method as above, if you choose the Company name for one, use it for all of them. Also list the City and State (full city name, 2 letter State abbreviation is fine )you worked in, and the dates worked for all positions. You may use the month and year, or simply the year. Keep it uniform regardless of how you choose to enter the dates.

EDUCATION: Chronological listing of Educational development & accomplishments
(Don’t forget dates and city and state. Use same format as for Experience)

NAME: FUNCTIONAL

Address
City, State, Zip
Phone #

OBJECTIVE: A resume that focuses on your EXPERIENCE by highlighting your skills & qualifications.

PROFILE: Your own classified ad to give your future employer a look at who you are.

HIGHLIGHTS / EXPERIENCE

SKILL GROUP1:		List the skills you've developed under a category most important to the job you are applying for such as Sales. Under the Sales heading, list the sales skills you have such as outside sales, telemarketing & face to face sales. Pull these skills from ALL jobs and Educational experiences.

SKILL GROUP2:		List your second category such as Communications or Managerial and then a description of those skills. Do NOT list dates or job titles, etc. at this time. Highlighting all your skills and grouping them into categories which are needed for your future position puts the focus on what you CAN do and takes it off of the employment history. This is especially helpful for college students and anyone changing careers or who has not worked a long time.
		Use as many skill groups as necessary... Usually 3 - 4 will amply show your abilities.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Date of Job 1	Company Name	Position held	City and State worked in
Date of Job 2	Company Name	Position held	City and State worked in
Date of Job 3	Company Name	Position held	City and State worked in

EDUCATION

Dates - School 1	School Name / Seminar / Training	City and State of training
	Degree obtained, description of courses, GPA if above 3.0

Dates - School 2	School Name / Seminar / Training	City and State of training
	Degree obtained, description of courses, GPA if above 3.0

Dates - School 3	School Name / Seminar / Training	City and State of training
	Degree obtained, description of courses, GPA if above 3.0