document.writeln('<style>');
document.writeln('.path {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica;');
document.writeln('	font-size:9pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight:normal;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.subjectlist {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica;');
document.writeln('	font-size:12pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight:bold;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.subjectdesc {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica;');
document.writeln('	font-size:9pt;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.currentpage {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size:12pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight:bold;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.relatedarticles {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size:10pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight:normal;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.articleauthor {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size:10pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight:normal;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.articlecontent {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size: 9pt;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.footer {');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size: 8pt;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.authorname{');
document.writeln('	font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size: 12pt;');
document.writeln('	font-weight: bold;');
document.writeln('	color:#0000A0;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.stdedit { ');
document.writeln('	background-color: #FFFFFF;');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size: 12pt; ');
document.writeln('	border-style: solid;');
document.writeln('	border-color: #666600; ');
document.writeln('	padding: 1px; ');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('.txtmessage {');
document.writeln('	background-color: #FFFFFF;');
document.writeln('	font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size: 12pt;');
document.writeln('	border-style: solid;');
document.writeln('	border-color: #666600; ');
document.writeln('	padding: 1px;');
document.writeln('	width: 500px;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('');
document.writeln('.stdbtn { background-color: #F4F4F4; font: 10pt Arial; width: 75px;height: 25px;}');
document.writeln('.contactname{');
document.writeln('	font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;');
document.writeln('	font-size:10pt;');
document.writeln('	}');
document.writeln('');
document.writeln('</style>');
document.writeln('<p align="center"><img src="http://www.jobweb.com/resources/images/special_report.gif" alt="Special Report" border="0"></p>');
document.writeln('<p align="left"><b>Get Results: The Interview-Winning Resume</b><br>');
document.writeln('</p>');
document.writeln('<p>During your search for employment, employers will be looking for evidence that ');
 document.writeln('  you have the skills and qualifications to succeed in the position for which ');
 document.writeln('  they&#146;re hiring. Your first opportunity to make this connection is through ');
 document.writeln('  your resume. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;The purpose of your resume is to get [you] an interview, not a job,&#148; ');
 document.writeln('  explains Carrie Maltese, staffing manager at NBC. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Employers review resumes to identify candidates to interview, the next step ');
 document.writeln('  in the job-search process. Your resume should summarize your skills and experience, ');
 document.writeln('  and creating your resume presents an opportunity for you to sell yourself as ');
 document.writeln('  a good fit for an organization. It&#146;s a way for you to connect your academic ');
 document.writeln('  and employment&#151;or work-related&#151;experience to a position, and to prove ');
 document.writeln('  why you deserve an interview. </p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>The ideal resume</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>Before you start on your resume, it&#146;s a good idea to reflect on and list ');
 document.writeln('  your accomplishments both in and out of the classroom. What have you done in ');
 document.writeln('  your life, academic or otherwise, that would make you valuable in this industry, ');
 document.writeln('  organization, and position? </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Now reverse the situation, as if you were an employer looking at you, the job ');
 document.writeln('  candidate. What qualifications does this candidate have that would be of value ');
 document.writeln('  to the organization? What has the candidate accomplished in and outside of the ');
 document.writeln('  classroom that stands out from the other candidates vying for this position? ');
 document.writeln('  Why is this candidate special?</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;One of the things we stress is that before a student begins writing a ');
 document.writeln('  resume, he or she has clarity about the intention of its use,&#148; says Kerin ');
 document.writeln('  Borland, senior associate director of the University of Michigan Career Center. ');
 document.writeln('  &#147;Students need to know their audience, and from that understanding, they ');
 document.writeln('  can create a resume that will be of interest to their audience.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Your resume is an employer&#146;s introduction to you; therefore, it should ');
 document.writeln('  be clean, well organized, and professional looking. It should be free of typos, ');
 document.writeln('  spelling errors, and poor grammar; in the eyes of an employer, a candidate who ');
 document.writeln('  makes such mistakes on a resume demonstrates very little attention to detail. ');
 document.writeln('  Be sure to spell-check your resume, and then have several people proofread it ');
 document.writeln('  to make sure it is clear and error-free. Also, have a career counselor critique ');
 document.writeln('  your resume for effectiveness and, if needed, provide tips for strengthening ');
 document.writeln('  it. </p>');
 document.writeln('<table width="321" border="5" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" align="right" >');
 document.writeln('  <tr> ');
 document.writeln('    <td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" > ');
 document.writeln('      <p>One rule that is universal among employers and career counselors: Never ');
 document.writeln('        lie on a resume.</p>');
 document.writeln('      <p>&#147;All resumes should be truthful,&#148; Borland says. &#147;It&#146;s ');
 document.writeln('        a bad idea in any circumstance to falsify information, whether that means ');
 document.writeln('        an outright untruth or an exaggeration.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('      <p>Getting caught in a lie would send a strong signal to an employer that ');
 document.writeln('        the candidate would not be a trustworthy employee.</p>');
 document.writeln('      <p>At the same time, your resume should not highlight your shortcomings ');
 document.writeln('        or areas where your skills and/or experience may be lacking. Highlight ');
 document.writeln('        the positive aspects of your skills and experience.</p>');
 document.writeln('      <p>Your task is to build the resume that employers want to see: one that ');
 document.writeln('        showcases the qualifications and abilities you possess and connects them ');
 document.writeln('        to the needs of an employer. Your resume should make it easy for the employer ');
 document.writeln('        to see there is a potential match between you and the job, and spur the ');
 document.writeln('        employer to invite you to go further in the job-search process&#151;the ');
 document.writeln('        interview. </p>');
 document.writeln('    </td>');
 document.writeln('  </tr>');
 document.writeln('</table>');
 document.writeln('<p>Maltese says that the ideal resume for a new graduate is one page in length; ');
 document.writeln('  therefore students must be judicious in the information and details they include.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Listing irrelevant or required courses is not important,&#148; Maltese ');
 document.writeln('  advises. &#147;Employers are more interested in higher-level courses or electives ');
 document.writeln('  that pertain to the job. Some students [leave] out certain things that are important, ');
 document.writeln('  such as key honors or activities. But that&#146;s what a company values. If ');
 document.writeln('  the company values leadership, make sure to show that on your resume.&#148; ');
 document.writeln('</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>While the appearance of a resume is very important, having relevant content ');
 document.writeln('  is critical. Employers can receive hundreds of resumes for an opening. Often, ');
 document.writeln('  human resources professionals skim resumes looking for words or phrases that ');
 document.writeln('  indicate a fit for the position. Or, they scan the resume into the organization&#146;s ');
 document.writeln('  data base, which will search for and identify key words. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;There has to be good &#145;scannability&#146; to a resume,&#148; says ');
 document.writeln('  Terri LaMarco, associate director of employer relations at the University of ');
 document.writeln('  Michigan Career Center. &#147;Not in a technological sense, but in such a way ');
 document.writeln('  that a person could look over the resume in a very short period of time and ');
 document.writeln('  quickly find the information that he or she is looking for. This can be accomplished ');
 document.writeln('  by having a clear format and by using words that draw [the reader&#146;s] attention,&#148; ');
 document.writeln('  she says.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>To do this, examine the job description, and research not only the hiring organization, ');
 document.writeln('  but the industry in which it operates. Examine the organization&#146;s web site ');
 document.writeln('  and take note of the words and &#147;lingo&#148; used. Read its recent press ');
 document.writeln('  releases to get up to speed on recent news generated by the organization for ');
 document.writeln('  public consumption. Finally, do an Internet search on the organization to get ');
 document.writeln('  insight from an outsider&#146;s vantage point. Employers are looking for candidates ');
 document.writeln('  who have the skills and experience that match the needs of job openings. Use ');
 document.writeln('  what you have learned during your research to help make this connection. One ');
 document.writeln('  way to make a connection is to &#147;speak the same language.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Students can convey the fact that they have researched the employer by ');
 document.writeln('  adapting their resume to the company culture, using key words identified in ');
 document.writeln('  an annual report, company mission and philosophy, and any appropriate position ');
 document.writeln('  description,&#148; says Sharron Zavattaro, director of the career services center ');
 document.writeln('  at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. &#147;The trick is to be honest ');
 document.writeln('  and to convey your research in a realistic way.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Of course, make sure that you understand the meaning of buzzwords and industry ');
 document.writeln('  language and use them appropriately. The last thing you want is to get an interview ');
 document.writeln('  and be unable to discuss everything that&#146;s on your resume. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Students should be careful and understand that everything they put on ');
 document.writeln('  a resume is fair game,&#148; Maltese warns. &#147;For example, if they list ');
 document.writeln('  &#145;Six Sigma&#146; on their resume, they should be able to discuss the methodology, ');
 document.writeln('  because it most likely will come up during the interview.&#148; </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Unless you are searching for employment in a single field, where your primary ');
 document.writeln('  resume might just need a little tweaking in order to be relevant for each organization, ');
 document.writeln('  you most likely will be applying for several types of jobs with different organizations. ');
 document.writeln('  If this is the case, you might need to conduct research on each employer and ');
 document.writeln('  industry to create several tailored resumes. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;When it comes to resumes, one size doesn&#146;t fit all,&#148; says Judy ');
 document.writeln('  Fisher, director of the career development center at Occidental College in Los ');
 document.writeln('  Angeles. &#147;You need to tailor your resume using the key words you found ');
 document.writeln('  during your research.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Zavattaro agrees that attention to detail is a critical component of an ideal ');
 document.writeln('  resume. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Tailoring a resume to the position and company is extremely important,&#148; ');
 document.writeln('  Zavattaro says. &#147;Doing so may mean having to create more than one resume, ');
 document.writeln('  but prioritizing one&#146;s qualifications to those required for a position ');
 document.writeln('  simply &#145;cuts to the chase&#146; of what the employer is looking for. Resumes ');
 document.writeln('  are not read; they are initially scanned by the eye for those necessary skills, ');
 document.writeln('  which may take 30 seconds. Why not make those seconds count to your advantage?&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>Heading</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>The heading of your resume should include your contact information&#151;name, ');
 document.writeln('  address, telephone number, and e-mail address. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>When listing contact information, use common sense. List both your campus and ');
 document.writeln('  home addresses if it makes sense to do so. For example, if you go to school ');
 document.writeln('  in one state, but live and plan to look for employment in another, include both ');
 document.writeln('  addresses, but indicate how long your campus address will be valid.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Similarly, if you&#146;re still on campus, include both your campus and home ');
 document.writeln('  phone numbers, and indicate when your campus phone will no longer be active. ');
 document.writeln('  As a general rule, don&#146;t include your cell phone number because it is a ');
 document.writeln('  more informal means of communication; you might receive the call while driving ');
 document.writeln('  or shopping&#151;not the best places to receive a phone call with implications ');
 document.writeln('  for your career. If you only have a cell phone, however, and use the listing, ');
 document.writeln('  make sure to answer it professionally and have a professional message for your ');
 document.writeln('  voice mail. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>In addition, be careful when listing an e-mail address. Validity of the address ');
 document.writeln('  is one issue to consider. For example, your campus address might expire shortly ');
 document.writeln('  after you graduate. If you know the date the account will expire, include it, ');
 document.writeln('  as in &#147;E-mail: JJones@statecollege.edu (until June 30, 2006).&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>The nature of the address itself can also be an issue. &#147;The e-mail address ');
 document.writeln('  included on your resume should be professional,&#148; Fisher notes. &#147;Don&#146;t ');
 document.writeln('  include anything silly, and make sure it doesn&#146;t contain too many numbers ');
 document.writeln('  and letters, as these addresses can be easily mistyped.&#148; Thus, a basic ');
 document.writeln('  address, such as MarySmith@aol.com, is preferable to a clever one, such as RaidersRule@aol.com.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>If you have a web site that can help you make your case as a strong candidate&#151;perhaps ');
 document.writeln('  it includes examples of graphic design work or articles that you have had published ');
 document.writeln('  in the campus newspaper&#151;include the URL on your resume. But be careful ');
 document.writeln('  to direct employers to the site only if it includes professional images and ');
 document.writeln('  information. (See &#147;The Online Portfolio,&#148; page 41.)</p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>Objective</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>Much like an organization&#146;s mission statement, the objective sets the ');
 document.writeln('  course for the resume. Everything listed on the resume should support your objective. ');
 document.writeln('</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>However, there is debate about whether including an objective is necessary. ');
 document.writeln('  Some career services practitioners and recruiters believe the resume&#146;s ');
 document.writeln('  other content can stand alone, without an objective.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Fisher does not believe the objective is a requirement, based on feedback she ');
 document.writeln('  has received from alumnae who are human resources professionals. &#147;The objective ');
 document.writeln('  is optional,&#148; she explains. &#147;If you use one, it has to be specific ');
 document.writeln('  to that individual position.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Michelle Schmid, national human resources programs manager for Franklin Templeton ');
 document.writeln('  Investments, says that she does not favor the inclusion of an objective unless ');
 document.writeln('  a student knows exactly what position he or she wants.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Otherwise, it&#146;s somewhat limiting,&#148; she explains.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Maltese advises students to choose wisely when deciding whether or not to include ');
 document.writeln('  an objective. &#147;If you&#146;re going to [include an objective],&#148; she ');
 document.writeln('  says, &#147;make sure it&#146;s specific and clear. If it&#146;s too broad, ');
 document.writeln('  it&#146;s a waste of space.&#148; </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Your best course of action regarding whether to include an objective would ');
 document.writeln('  be to speak with someone in your campus career center. As with all things job-search ');
 document.writeln('  related, the practitioners in your school&#146;s career center know best the ');
 document.writeln('  expectations of the employers who recruit on your campus. </p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>Education</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>For the undergraduate, the education section of your resume typically follows ');
 document.writeln('  the objective. Include the name of the college or university, the level of the ');
 document.writeln('  degree you are working toward and an expected date of graduation, you major, ');
 document.writeln('  and your minor, if you have one. In addition, include details of any projects ');
 document.writeln('  relevant to the position. This demonstrates the development of the appropriate ');
 document.writeln('  skills. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;In this section, students have a great deal of latitude,&#148; Borland ');
 document.writeln('  explains. &#147;For students who haven&#146;t had a great deal of experience ');
 document.writeln('  through work or volunteering or co-curricular [activities], the education section ');
 document.writeln('  is even more important. Students can include academic awards, or they can include ');
 document.writeln('  other classes they took if they are relevant to the position they&#146;re seeking.&#148; ');
 document.writeln('</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Fisher adds: &#147;If you have little internship or work experience, you should ');
 document.writeln('  try to build up the relevancy of your course work.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>For instance, if you are an English major who wants to go into sales, list ');
 document.writeln('  the business courses you completed. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Your GPA could also be a selling point. Should you list your GPA&#151;even ');
 document.writeln('  if it&#146;s not stellar? Again, there is no consensus.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;GPA always comes up as an issue,&#148; Borland explains. &#147;Again, ');
 document.writeln('  the resume is a tool for getting further in the [job-search] process. If your ');
 document.writeln('  GPA is impressive or you believe it would help you, I recommend including it. ');
 document.writeln('  If, however, it is a deterrent, I don&#146;t recommend including it. That doesn&#146;t ');
 document.writeln('  preclude the fact that at some time during the job search you will have to tell ');
 document.writeln('  the employer your GPA.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>However, Anne Voller, director of college relations for May Department Stores ');
 document.writeln('  in St. Louis, advises students to always include their GPA on a resume.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Since most students do so, a missing GPA is conspicuous and can send ');
 document.writeln('  the wrong message to an employer,&#148; she says.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>It&#146;s OK to explain a less-than-stellar GPA by finding positives. For example, ');
 document.writeln('  you could say that your GPA was 3.4 in your major or 3.0 after your freshman ');
 document.writeln('  year. Again, if you&#146;re not sure if you should list your GPA, speak with ');
 document.writeln('  a counselor in your career center. </p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>Experience</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>Employers will pay special attention to the experience section of your resume, ');
 document.writeln('  as they will look for evidence that you can do the job. Your previous experience ');
 document.writeln('  can provide this evidence. Having relevant experience will make you stand out ');
 document.writeln('  from the pack.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Experience comes in many forms&#151;through, for instance, experiential education ');
 document.writeln('  assignments, volunteer work, and campus organizations. It&#146;s important to ');
 document.writeln('  show that you&#146;ve learned or acquired the skills and characteristics necessary ');
 document.writeln('  for the job. Often, employers look for candidates to have gained experience ');
 document.writeln('  through internships (paid or unpaid) or co-op assignments. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;In this section you should account for your time and provide detail about ');
 document.writeln('  how the experience supports your candidacy,&#148; LaMarco says. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Use common sense about what experience to include. Even some types of unrelated ');
 document.writeln('  experience can prove to employers that you know how to work and can showcase ');
 document.writeln('  your abilities. Some career services practitioners recommend that those students ');
 document.writeln('  making a career transition or those with little or no work experience in the ');
 document.writeln('  field list their unrelated experience to demonstrate transferable skills. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Voller recommends using bullet points that begin with an action verb to help ');
 document.writeln('  make your resume quick to read and easy to digest.</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Keep your descriptions meaningful, specific, and concise while emphasizing ');
 document.writeln('  your accomplishments,&#148; Voller advises. &#147;Make it easy for your potential ');
 document.writeln('  employer to quickly learn key facts about you.&#148; </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>Don&#146;t just list the jobs you have held, or the organizations you have ');
 document.writeln('  been at or are a part of. Detail the results of your involvement. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;Some resumes list the name of every organization where the student has ');
 document.writeln('  attended a meeting,&#148; Voller says. &#147;Instead, list fewer groups but ');
 document.writeln('  mention those where you have made a difference by making key contributions. ');
 document.writeln('  For instance, &#145;Increased membership by 24 percent&#146; or &#145;Raised ');
 document.writeln('  $1,750 for the Kidney Foundation,&#146; are examples of how you can signify ');
 document.writeln('  your involvement. This will better highlight your skills, leadership, and accomplishments.&#148;</p>');
 document.writeln('<h2>Other categories</h2>');
 document.writeln('<p>This is an area that may or may not be included on your resume. In fact, it ');
 document.writeln('  might be included on one resume, but not included on others. The key, once again, ');
 document.writeln('  is to use a category if it is relevant to the position you&#146;re seeking. ');
 document.writeln('</p>');
 document.writeln('<p>These optional sections include &#147;Campus Activities,&#148; &#147;Honors ');
 document.writeln('  and Awards,&#148; and similar categories. It all comes down to relevance. </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>&#147;You can include extracurricular activities and clubs, but only do so ');
 document.writeln('  if you plan on talking about them in an interview,&#148; Schmid says. &#147;Don&#146;t ');
 document.writeln('  just use them as filler.&#148; </p>');
 document.writeln('<p>In addition, &#147;you might want to include language skills or computer proficiency ');
 document.writeln('  here. Any other group of work or skill base could become a grouping in and of ');
 document.writeln('  itself if it is substantial enough,&#148; Borland says.</p>');
document.writeln('<p><i><span class="footer">Copyright National Association of Colleges and Employers. All rights reserved. This article cannot be republished in any form (print or electronic) without written permission of NACE. </span></i></p>');