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Career

Questions Resume Writers Often Ask

How Far Back Should I Go in Terms of Listing Past Jobs?

Usually, listing three of four jobs should suffice. If you did something back in high school that has a bearing on your future aspirations for employment, by all means list the job. As you progress through your college career, high school jobs may be replaced on the resume by college employment.

Should I Differentiate Between Paid and Nonpaid Employment?

Most employers are not initially concerned about how much you were paid. They are anxious to know how much responsibility you held in your past employment. There is no need to specify that your work was volunteer if you had significant responsibilities.

How Should I Represent My Accomplishments?

Succinctly, but fully. In other words, give the employer enough information to arouse curiosity, but not so much detail that you leave nothing to the imagination. Besides, some jobs merit more lengthy explanations that others. Be sure to convey any information that can give an employer a better understanding of the depth of your involvement at work. Did you supervise others? How many? Did your efforts result in a more efficient operation? How much did you increase efficiency? Did you handle a budget? How large? Were you promoted in a short time? Did you work two jobs at once or 15 hours per week after high school? Where appropriate, quantify.

Should the Work Section Always Follow the Education Section on the Resume?

Always lead with your strengths. If your education closely relates to the employment you now seek, put this section after the objective. Of course, if you are weak on the academic side but have a surplus of good work experiences, consider reversing the order of your sections to lead with employment, followed by education.

How Should I Present My Activities, Honors, Awards, Professional Societies and Affiliations?

This section of the resume can add valuable information for an employer to consider if used correctly. The rule of thumb for information in this section is to include only that information that is in some way relevant to the objective stated on your resume. If you can draw a valid connection between your activities and your objective, include them; if not, leave them out.

Granted, this is hard to do. Playing center on the championship basketball team or serving as coordinator of the biggest homecoming parade ever held are roles that have meaning for you and represent personal accomplishments you’d like to share. But the resume is a brief document, and the information you provide on it should help the employer make a decision about your job eligibility. Including personal details can be confusing and could hurt your candidacy. Limiting your activity list to a few very significant experiences can be more effective.

If you are applying for a position as a safety officer, your certificate in Red Cross lifesaving skills or CPR would be related and valuable. You would want to include it. If, however, you are applying for a job as a junior account executive in an advertising agency, that information would be unrelated and superfluous. Leave it out.

Professional affiliations and honors should all be listed. Especially important are those related to your job objective. Social clubs and activities need not be a part of your resume unless you held a significant office or you are looking for a career position related to that activity. Be aware that most prospective employers’ principal concerns are related to your employability, not your social life. If you have any publications, they can be included as an addendum to your resume.

The focus of the resume is your experience and education. However, if your resume needs to be lengthened, this section provides the freedom either to expand on or mention the contributions you have made. It is not always necessary to include the dates of your memberships with your activities the way you would include employment dates.

There are a number of different ways to present additional information. You may give this section a number of different titles. Assess what you want to list, and then use an appropriate title. Do not use “extracurricular activities.” This terminology is scholastic, not professional, and therefore not appropriate. The following are two examples:

ACTIVITIES: Society for Technical Communication, Student Senate, Student Admissions Representative, Senior Class Officer

ACTIVITIES:

Society for Technical Communication Member
Student Senator
Student Admissions Representative
Senior Class Officer

The position you are looking for will determine what you should or should not include. Always look for a correlation between the activity and the prospective job.

How Should I Handle References?

The use of references is considered a part of the interview process, and they should never be listed on a resume. You would always provide references to a potential employer, if requested. It is not even necessary to include this section on the resume if room does not permit. If space is available, it is acceptable to include one of the following statements:

REFERENCES: Furnished upon request.
REFERENCES: Available upon request.

Individuals used as references must be protected from unnecessary contacts. By including names on your resume, you leave your references unprotected. Overuse and abuse of your references will lead to less-than-supportive comments. Protect your references by giving out their names only when you are being considered seriously as a candidate for a given position.

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