Writing an
Effective Resume
The structure of resume has the following :
  1. Name of the applicant with full address, telephone, email, and a website
  2. Education( universities, dates of graduation, and specialization
  3. Honors the applicant has received
  4. Job Experiences
  5. Job related Skills
  6. Personal Skills
  7. List and Addresses of referees
  8. Date of Application
Janice Doe
66 Chelten Garden Lane
Springfield, VA32210
(713) 993-0011
E-mail:
Web:
Education
1996-2000 / GeorgeMasonUniversity, Fairfax, VA
Graduated, June 2000, Integrative Studies, with a concentration in Information Technology. GPA 3.5.
Honors / Dean's List (Fall 1997, Spring 1998)
Student Representative on Honor Council - Fall 1999
Professional Experience / Internship - Graphics Incorporated, Springstern, VA, assistant to senior graphics designer
- created graphics for client's Web sites
- maintained and maintained a graphics database
Web Site Designer, Information Technology Department,Sun Design, Fairfax, VA.
- designed the site and created the graphics
- researched and wrote articles for the site
- used various software programs such as Adobe PhotoShop,
Dreamweaver, Microsoft Front Page
Technology Assistance Program (TAP) - gained experiential learning credit as a TAP assistant for helping faculty set up and maintain a Web-based class space for course material and class discussion. Assistants were given extensive training in various technologies.
Job Related Skills / - create and edit graphics for Web applications
- design original animated .gif files
- create HTML text
- create JAVA script programs
- create Cascading Style Sheets
- proficient with various Web publishing software programs
- use Flash and Shockwave to enhance Web sites
- write and edit technical information
- interpersonal skills from working on various group projects and
presentations
Personal / - volunteer to help children at the local community center to learn
computer skills
- play a guitar in a folk music band for community concerts
References / available on request
May 2000

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Example of a Resume Cover Letter
66 Chelten Garden Lane
Springfield, VA32210
June 18, 2000
Mr. Thomas Argos
Manager, Department of Web Design
Infotronics Corporation
6600 Technics Drive
ManassasVA30112
Dear Mr. Argos :
I am applying for the position of Web Developer, as advertised in The Washington Post on June 17, 2000. I am well prepared for this position because of my formal education and my professional experience.
I graduated from GeorgeMasonUniversity with a 3.5 GPA. A number of courses in my college concentration, Information Technology, have helped me acquire significant knowledge in this field. The courses include HTML, Web publishing, graphics design, and Internet literacy. My curriculum was also writing intensive and included significant group work experience. I can bring to the position not only excellent technology skills, but also writing proficiency and interpersonal skills.
I have acquired professional experience through an internship, a technology assistance program (TAP), and a position with Sun Design, where I created graphics and Web publications.
The enclosed resume gives more information about my qualifications. I will be happy to provide details of relevant courses and references from faculty and employers.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting with you in person.
Sincerely,
Janice Doe
(713) 993-0011
E-mail:

There is no one way to write a resume. It is important, however, to tailor your resume to suit the needs of the position for which you applying, emphasizing your skills in that area.
How well you express yourself and order your ideas will greatly influence the employer's impression of you.
In your resume you are trying to sell yourself and your relevant skills. Employers read many resumes and will not struggle to read one that is not well organized and well written. Avoid fancy, too small and too large fonts. Simple, clean formatting makes it easier for your prospective employer to scan your resume (a practice becoming increasingly common). Even if your resume is clear and well written, if it does not match the job requirements it will be ineffective.
Do some research on the company and position for which you are applying. Tailor your resume to highlight how you can benefit the company and show off your abilities and training.
Highlight your most relevant experiences first. Relevance should come before the chronological order of experiences. Skip experiences or jobs that connect to the job for which you are applying, or list them in another category that could display other important skills and talents.
Use appropriate subheadings to highlight the area you are addressing.
Organizational strategies:
Header information
Include a header with your name, address, phone number and email address.
Objective
This section gives the employer a brief overview of your qualifications and how they can benefit the company. Remember, the emphasis should be on what you can do for the company. Don't exaggerate your qualifications, but try to be as thorough as possible.
Education
This section often includes information such as university attended, degrees earned, major, minors, grade point average, date of program completion, for example:
GeorgeMasonUniversity
Bachelor of Arts: May 2000
Major: Integrative Studies
Concentration: Information Technology
GPA: major 3.5
Job Related Courses and workshops
List the courses that can highlight your strengths. For example, if you are applying for a position as a Web designer you might emphasize courses in graphics design, Internet literacy, Javascript, JAVA programming, technical writing. Include the course number and title and semester and year.
Work Experience
First list the work experience most relevant to the position you are seeking. Then look at your other experiences you could put in another category, that show, for example, that you have acquired skills working with people, following directions, meeting deadlines, being dependable.
Include information such as job title, company name and address, dates, and duties. Use action phrases to explain the details of your responsibilities.
Example:
Web site designer:
Information Technology Department
Sun Design Systems, 112 Panama Lane, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030
(662) 573-2020
- / created graphics for the Sun Design Systems Web site
- / designed the Sun Design Systems Web site
- / researched and wrote articles for the company Web site
- / used various software programs such as Adobe Photo Shop, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Front Page
Skills
Demonstrate your skills that will be useful for the position you are seeking. Include relevant skills from academic courses, previous jobs, training, workshops, and so forth.
Example:
Web Design skills
- / create and edit graphics for Web applications
- / design original animated .gif files
- / create HTML text
- / create JAVA script programs
- / create Cascading Style Sheets
- / use various Web publishing software such as Dreamweaver and Microsoft Front Page.
- / use Flash and Shockwave to enhance Web sites
- / write and edit technical information
Activities and Honors
Point out special activities and honors.
Example:
- / Dean's List - Fall 1997, Spring 1998
- / Student Representative on Honor Council - Fall 1999
References and Portfolio
List of professional acquaintances who are willing to talk with prospective employers about you and your demonstrated abilities. Include full names, titles, address, phone number.Be sure you ask permission to use someone as a reference.
Your portfolio should be a selection of high quality work which highlights your capabilities.
These items may be sent with the cover letter or resume or you could note at the bottom of the cover letter that these items are available.
Example:
References and portfolio are available upon request
OR
References provided upon request
Note: You should never send a resume without a cover letter. Now that your skills and job experiences are fresh in your memory after writing your resume, see these guidelines for composing your cover letter.
  • Resume overview
  • Resume example
  • Writing a cover letter
  • Cover letter example
  • Preparing Your Resume for the Internet- The Riley Guide

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