‭ y Best Resume‬

M ‭Career Planning‬
‭Student Handout‬

‭Vocabulary‬

‭ esume:‬‭summary of your skills, accomplishments, experiences,‬‭and education,‬

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‭typically one page long. Its purpose is to show why you’re the most qualified for the‬
‭position. It’s designed to grab an employer’s interest and get you an interview.‬

‭ ontact Information:‬‭the information required to contact‬‭someone, such as an‬

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‭address, email, and/or telephone number.‬

‭Formatting:‬‭the general appearance of a document;‬‭the layout of your information.‬

‭Skill:‬‭the learned ability to do something well; a‬‭particular ability. For example:‬

‭●‬ E
‭ mployability Skills‬‭are a set of general skills and‬‭personal attributes essential‬
‭for job success (for example, communication and teamwork).‬

‭●‬ T
‭ ransferable Skills‬‭are abilities, attributes, and‬‭personal qualities you use in‬
‭more than one occupation.‬

‭●‬ T
‭ echnical Skills‬‭are abilities and knowledge needed‬‭to perform specific tasks,‬
‭often related to mechanical, information technology, mathematical, or scientific‬
‭tasks (e.g., knowledge of programming languages, equipment, or tools).‬

‭ eference:‬‭a person who provides a recommendation‬‭to a potential employer‬

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‭describing your skills, abilities, and work habits.‬

‭ pplicant Tracking System‬‭(‬‭ATS‬‭)‬‭—also known as talent‬‭management systems:‬

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‭software used by organizations to manage their recruiting and hiring process. The ATS‬
‭organizes and sorts through job applications. Its purpose is to identify applicants that‬
‭meet the job criteria.‬

‭California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education‬

‭ y Best Resume‬
M ‭Career Planning‬
‭Student Handout‬

‭About Resumes‬

‭Your resume is a selling tool‬

‭●‬ ‭Your resume is your personal marketing tool.‬

‭●‬ ‭Its purpose is to help potential employers see you’re the best person for the job.‬

‭●‬ Y
‭ our resume outlines your skills and experiences so a potential employer can‬
‭see, at a glance, what you can contribute to their organization.‬

‭Your resume has to “sell” you in less than 30 seconds‬

‭●‬ I‭t takes 30 seconds or less for a recruiter to decide whether your resume ends up‬
‭in the “consider file” or the “reject file”.‬

‭●‬ T
‭ hough you may meet all the requirements for the job you’re applying for, if the‬
‭recruiter doesn’t quickly see that, then your resume failed.‬

‭Your resume needs to be customized to each job‬

‭●‬ ‭The most effective resumes clearly focus on specific jobs and address the‬
‭requirements listed in the job description.‬

‭●‬ T
‭ he more you know about the job requirements and duties—and organize your‬
‭resume around them—the easier it is for the employer to see you may be a good‬
‭fit for the job.‬

‭●‬ Y
‭ ou’ll need information to write a good resume. Not just information about your‬
‭experience but also about the job you’re applying to. Knowing about the job lets‬
‭you highlight your most relevant accomplishments, skills, and experiences.‬

‭Write your resume for your audience‬

‭●‬ T
‭ he more you know about the company and the position you’re applying to, the‬
‭better you can customize your resume to fit the job—customizing your resume‬
‭makes you stand out from the crowd and grabs recruiters (and ATS) attention.‬
‭So do your research!‬

‭California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education‬

‭ y Best Resume‬
M ‭Career Planning‬
‭Student Handout‬

‭Resume Writing‬

‭ resume shows a prospective employer WHO you are, WHAT career/job you’re‬
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‭seeking, what knowledge and skills you have, what experience you’ve had and where‬
‭you got it. Here are things that should and shouldn’t go on your resume:‬
‭Acceptable‬ ‭●‬ F ‭ alse information (includes lies‬
‭●‬ ‭Reliable contact information‬ ‭and half-truths)‬
‭●‬ ‭Professional email address‬ ‭●‬ ‭Inaccurate contact information‬
‭●‬ ‭Professional summary (not‬ ‭●‬ ‭Incomplete‬
‭career objective) explains why‬ ‭●‬ ‭Weak or unclear professional‬
‭you’re a good fit for the job‬ ‭summary/ objective‬
‭●‬ ‭Focus in on accomplishments‬ ‭●‬ ‭Focuses on previous job duties‬
‭●‬ ‭No spelling/grammatical errors‬ ‭●‬ ‭Has errors: typos, spelling,‬
‭●‬ ‭Lots of action verbs‬ ‭grammar, spacing, etc.‬
‭●‬ ‭The right length; conveys all info‬ ‭●‬ ‭No action verbs‬
‭●‬ ‭Clean, concise, easy to read‬ ‭●‬ ‭Too long, short, or busy. Doesn’t‬
‭●‬ ‭Tailored to job duties and needs‬ ‭have all info‬
‭of the position applying for‬ ‭●‬ ‭Sloppy formatting, difficult to read‬
‭●‬ ‭Generic, not tailored to position‬
‭Unacceptable‬
‭Tips‬
‭1.‬ R
‭ ead your resume out loud to see it sounds right. Reading out loud will help you find‬
‭poor grammar, misused, or misplaced words.‬
‭2.‬ ‭Include a link to your online presence‬‭if‬‭it’s applicable‬‭to the job you’re applying for:‬
‭●‬ N
‭ inety-three percent of recruiters will search for your online profiles before‬
‭deciding to interview you.‬
‭●‬ I‭f you don’t have an online professional profile, think about creating one on a‬
‭reputable website, for example, LinkedIn. Save the recruiter time by including‬
‭the URL to your Profile.‬
‭3.‬ ‭How to tailor your resume to the job you’re applying for:‬
‭●‬ ‭Copy and paste the job description into a Word or Google document.‬
‭●‬ ‭Read through it highlighting or bolding any requirements or desirable skills.‬
‭●‬ U
‭ se keywords from the requirements and skills in the job description to‬
‭organize your qualifications on your resume.‬
‭4.‬ ‭Skills-based volunteering:‬
‭●‬ L
‭ ist volunteer work you've done that's relevant to the job you’re applying for.‬
‭Include any campus activities or clubs you were in. Include the name of the‬
‭organization, its website URL, what your role and contributions were.‬

‭California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education‬

 ‭ y Best Resume‬
M ‭Career Planning‬
‭Student Handout‬

‭Resume Content‬ ‭p. 1‬

‭You’ll first create a general resume that you can tailor to specific jobs you apply for.‬

‭Gather your information before you start building your resume:‬

‭Personal Information‬
‭Y‭o
‬ ur contact information:‬
‭●‬ ‭Name‬
‭●‬ ‭Email address‬
‭o‬ T
‭ he email address you use in your resume must be professional sounding‬
‭because this may be a potential employer’s first impression of you.‬
‭●‬ ‭Phone number‬
‭o‬ T
‭ he voicemail message for the phone number you provide must be‬
‭professional sounding because this will make an impression on a potential‬
‭employer.‬
‭●‬ ‭Address‬
‭o‬ ‭Enter your current address or an address where you can receive mail.‬

‭Profile‬
‭●‬ ‭Goal:‬
‭o‬ ‭The more specific job goal or career goal you can list the better.‬

‭●‬ ‭About Me:‬

‭o‬ ‭Tell people a little bit about yourself. Share personal details that don’t‬
‭show up in other parts for your resume.‬

‭Experience‬
‭●‬ ‭List jobs and names of employers from wherever you’ve worked.‬
‭●‬ I‭nclude volunteer and less formal jobs you’ve had like gardening, babysitting,‬
‭working school events, etc.‬
‭●‬ ‭Include any internships or job shadowing you are doing now or have done.‬
‭●‬ I‭nclude experiences you think are most relevant to the position you are applying‬
‭for.‬

‭California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education‬

 ‭ y Best Resume‬
M ‭Career Planning‬
‭Student Handout‬

‭Resume Content‬ ‭p. 2‬

‭Skills‬
‭●‬ ‭List skills (technical, general, 21‬‭st‬ ‭century).‬

‭Interests/Hobbies‬
‭●‬ L
‭ ist interests/hobbies that help show why you’re a good fit for the job. Even if‬
‭they don’t exactly fit the job, potential employers may have the same or similar‬
‭interests/hobbies as you do. Creating this connection between you and a‬
‭potential employer is a great way to get your application noticed.‬

‭Awards/Accomplishments‬
‭●‬ L
‭ ist anything that shows off your talents: school or sports awards, certificates of‬
‭achievement or completion.‬
‭●‬ ‭Include recognition for achievements in and out of school.‬

‭References‬
‭●‬ C
‭ hoose people who can talk about your skills and attitude. People like teachers,‬
‭former bosses, coaches, people you've worked with volunteering. Anyone who‬
‭can vouch for your work ethic helps you stand out.‬
‭●‬ ‭Get permission from people you plan to use as references.‬
‭●‬ ‭Avoid using your friends and family members.‬

‭Education‬
‭●‬ ‭Include high school or college classes you’ve completed or are taking now.‬
‭●‬ I‭nclude details about your studies: high school pathways, Career Technical‬
‭Education‬
‭●‬ I‭nclude any workshops you’ve taken you think are relevant to the job you’re‬
‭applying for.‬

‭Style‬
‭‬ C
● ‭ hoose a style and save then print your resume.‬
‭●‬ ‭Have someone else proofread your resume.‬

‭California Career Resource Network, California Department of Education‬