How to Prepare A Resume

It takes quality time to build a good resume.

• DETERMINE & PRIORITIZE your skills, strengths, and interests. Assess your core capabilities.
• CHOOSE a format for your resume:
• SELECT one of the following formats below:
  • Recent Graduate / Inexperienced Resume
  • Features and Benefits Resume
  • Responsibility, Accomplishment, and Profitability Resume

Recent Graduate

This is the only format with a stated objective. Without past job experience, this is essential since the employer needs to know your career aim. Otherwise, avoid stating an objective unless you know what position the employer is trying to fill. 

For example:

Jeff Jones
999 Post Oak Lane
Sacramento, CA 55555
(123)555-6666

OBJECTIVE:

• Actively seeking entry level management training position with opportunity for career development.

EDUCATION:

• Master of Science, Comparative Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (1995) Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, University of California. Davis, CA (1992)

SKILLS:

• Analytical: Able to develop and use quantitative theories, graphs and statistics in the analysis of economic and political policies. Excellent ability to approach problems from many perspectives and grasp the consequences of different solutions.
• Organizational: Highly efficient in hiring, training and scheduling employees in order to maximize productivity. As production manager at the school newspaper, The California Aggie, I cut costs by 5% in one year.
• Creativity: Wrote article for local business journal describing the political consequences of economic trends in our area. Designed, typeset and marketed catalog explaining the Aggie's outside production services. Resulted in increased outside production sales by 15%.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

• Teaching Assistant, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, January 1994-December 1995. Production Manager, The California Aggie, University of California, Davis, CA, June 1991 - June 1993.

Feature/Benefit Resume

This format is for candidates with a some of job experience or for those who find it hard to relate accomplishments to specific dollar amounts.

• State your past duties. (feature).
• Briefly follow with the results of those duties (benefit).

For example:

John Smith
222 Mesa Blvd
Westminster, CA 12345
(123)222-2222

EXPERIENCE:

• ACME BRICK MANUFACTURING Plant Manager September 1990 - Present Supervised all aspects of operations for a brick plant producing 200 million bricks per year. Operating profit was improved by approximately 20% from 1990 to 1995. Reduced hourly overtime from 16% in 1994 to 9% in 1995. Awarded the company's Special Achievement Award in 1994 for altering production methods which led to increased output by 15% without increasing costs.
• ACYU BRICK Ceramic Engineer February 1987 - July 1990 Responsible for research and development of new brick compositions and for solving production problems. Developed a low-porosity brick for lining industrial chimneys which increased sales by 22%. Also improved several existing compositions leading to a higher quality product without increasing manufacturing costs. This change amounted to an extra 11% profit on each 10,000 bricks sold.

EDUCATION:

• Master of Science in Ceramic Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (1987) Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (1984) - Graduated Cum Laude

MEMBERSHIP:

• Member, American Ceramic Society Member V.E.S.T. (Volunteer Engineers, Scientists and Technicians)

REFERENCES: Available upon request

R.A.P. Resume

The Responsibility, Accomplishment and Profitability resume (RAP) is best for highly experienced people who can put dollar figures on their achievements.

This format:

• organizes a job description into specific categories.
• shows the employer bottom-line results at a glance.

For example:

Mary Fellow
1212 Robin Hood Lane
Neverneverland, PA 44444
(123)456-7890

EXPERIENCE:

• WINDY COVE OIL Vice President, Finance August, 1987- Present Responsibility: Developed financial forecast to improve cash management for $1.9 billion company. Accomplishment: Freed up $13 million cash by redeploying assets to more productive areas. Profitability: Realized net profit of $7 million by the redeployment. Also increased cash availability by $3 million by recognizing an opportunity and renegotiating an existing financial package.
• WINDY COVE OIL Financial Manager October 1980 - August 1987 Responsibility: Supervised a staff of 12 CPAs. Accomplishment: Shortened closing schedule by two days each month. Profitability: Shortening the closing schedule freed up the staff for other purposes thereby increasing efficiency in production. We were able to trim the staff from 14 to 12 CPAs, saving the company at least 70K per year in salaries.
• GIMMINEE KRICKED, lNC. Financial Analyst June 1974 - October 1980 Responsibility: Financial consultant for major agricultural firm. Accomplishment: Researched capital equipment costs and enabled company to obtain profitable contracts previously overlooked. Profitability: Saved approximately $60,000 annually by lowering debt ratio.

EDUCATION:

• Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA- M.B.A. (1973) University of Virginia, Richmond, VA - B.A., Accounting (1971)

REFERENCES: Available upon request.