Module 3. Technical skills for effective communication

Lesson 14

CURRICULUM VITAE/RESUME WRITING

14.1  Introduction

Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a written summary of one’s educational and professional experience. It is a thorough list of all of one’s academic achievements and its content can vary from discipline to discipline.  It is usually used for applications for academic or research positions; departmental or tenure reviews; leadership positions for professional associations; publishing; editorial review boards; consulting; grant proposals and fellowships. CV contains the summary of postdoctoral experience, research and teaching experience, publications, academic service, grants, etc. In the world of academia, a strong CV may open the door towards a tenured position.

Resume is generally used outside the academia and research-oriented positions. It is typically one to two pages in length and targeted to the specific position, employer, and/or industry. Webster’s defines resume as a summary or a set of accomplishments. The résumé is a marketing piece, an advertisement for one’s unique set of skills, abilities and experience. This is a “ticket” to an interview and is different for the college graduate versus someone with years of experience.

Research shows in India that only one interview is granted for every 200 (applications) resumes received by the average employer. It is equally true that the resume is quickly scanned, rather than read. The prospective employer doesn’t spend more than 10-20 seconds to find some merit in getting to the details of the resume. What this means is that the decision to interview a candidate is usually based on an overall first impression of the resume.

14.2  Writing an Effective Resume

Having a well written, effective resume at one’s disposal is an excellent tool in today’s ever changing job market. A strong resume may be the sole difference in getting a call for an interview or simply having your resume tossed into the proposed employer’s waste paper pile. Simply put, an effective resume may win you a job interview. At the same time, it enables you to assess your strengths, skills, abilities and experience - thereby preparing you for the interview process. It also acts as a reminder of you to the employer/interviewer after you're done interviewing and is a basis for the interviewer to justify your hiring.

As the resume is a living, breathing document, it should adjust to the position for which it is used. No one standard resume could be used to apply to unrelated positions. It entails targeting the text through proper selection and description of experiences.

14.3  Sections to Include

While no two resumes will look the same, there are certain commonalties in all good resumes. Almost every resume should include the following headings or sections: objective, education, work experience, skills summary and additional/ optional information on accomplishments/achievements; affiliations/memberships; activities and honors etc.

·        Contact Information

·        Objective

·        Education

·        Experience

·        Skills Summary

·        Additional/ Optional Categories

14.3.1  Objective

An objective is like the thesis statement of your resume. Everything you include after it should support it. It tells the reader why you are sending the resume, i.e., what position or type of position you are seeking. It should be very brief, to the point, ideally stated in one sentence.

·        Use the objective to tell what you can do for the company, NOT what you want the company to do for you… no statements like: to gain valuable experience, etc.

·        Don’t use fluffy phrases that don’t mean anything such as “Allowing the ability to enhance potential and utilize experience in new challenges”.

14.3.1.1  Powerful objective

Be sure the objective is to the point. As someone with an extensive background in pharmaceutical sales, my objective is to obtain a sales management position which would allow me to share my sales experiences and train the next generation of top pharmaceutical salesmen.

Please note that the objective is to be ideally stated in one sentence. In short, try to catch the employer’s attention in one sentence in the objective section. If you need an additional sentence, then feel free to use one; but remember, you are trying to grab an employer’s attention with a short, crisply written message.

14.3.2  Education/work experience

For college students just entering the job world, one must list the “Education” section directly after stating the objective. Stress your high marks here, if you have them. Also, be sure to include your extra-curricular involvement in clubs, sports teams, and such similar campus organizations. Make certain you include your part-time and summer employment you had during your college years. It will impress the employers if you worked to pay your way through college.

If you have been out in the job world for some time, include your “Work Experience” section immediately after the objective. At this point, your job experiences are usually much more important to an employer than what your college grades were. You can list your “Education” background thereafter.

Make use of your “Reference” section. In the “Reference” section, many job seekers put, “references available upon request”. It’s preferable to list the names of two or three people here. Listing references shows that you have nothing to hide. However, make certain that you inform your references that job employers may be contacting them. If not, your prospective employer will not be impressed when he contacts your references and it takes two minutes before your reference is able to understand what the telephone call is about.

14.4  Organization

You can organize your resume in many different ways, but the following order is the most common.

·    Objective – state what kind of job or internship you are looking for.

·    Experience – describe your job history.

·   Education – just list your high school unless you have taken college courses on the side.

·   Other Skills/Information – this is where you lost your computer or language skills and any associations or memberships to which you have belonged.

(Note: Knowledge of computers will most likely be a requirement for just about any job. List any and all experience you have with naming the actual program names you are familiar with (Word, Excel, Power point, Photoshop etc. Likewise, Other languages: The world is getting smaller and smaller, especially in the job market. Knowing a second or third language can put you at an advantage in qualifying for a job and will certainly separate you from other candidates. )       

Differences in formatting (bullets, border lines headings etc), fonts, font styles and sizes will catch the eye and draw attention to most important information.

14.5  General Template of Curriculum Vitae/Resume Writing

Focus on Relevant Information

A lot of students think a generalized resume describing everything they have ever done is great way to get any kind of job or internship. Not true. The first rule of thumb for resume writing is to only include information that is useful to the job you are applying for.

What is a Resume Template?

 Example

Your Full Name

Street Address

City State and Zip code

Phone Number and Email Address

Career objective

What you want to do that will add value to your employer.

Work experience

Job title and Company Name

Duration of employment

Achievements during this period

Educational qualifications

Course and Name of Institution last attended

City and Year of Completion

Achievements during this period

Activities/Interests

        Community service, hobbies, interests etc. For example: Travel

Other skills

Mention languages known, computer proficiency or other special useful skills.

References Mention only if required by employer.

14.6 Do’s and Don’ts of Resumes

·        Do tailor the resume to the given position.

·        Do choose language that reflects the industry.

·        Do treat your resume as a sales brochure.

·        Don’t list false information.

·        Don’t write in paragraph form. Use bullets.

·        Don’t list irrelevant information.

14.7  Some Tips

14.7.1  Action words

Be sure to describe your roles and accomplishments with strong action words and terms that will pop out at employers, usually ones that signify leadership and team you’ve had. These include words such as: team work/player, multi-tasking executed, organized, performed, maintained, supervised, managed, developed, and implemented.

14.7.2  Writing style

The wording of your resume is just as important as the look. You may have to write several rough drafts to come up with one that will really shine. Here are a few writing style rules to keep in mind:

–     Use matching verb tenses.

–    Keep all descriptions short. Descriptions should generally take up no more than one to four lines on the page.

–     Full sentences are not necessary, but be consistent with punctuation.

14.8  Words to Avoid in Your Resume

14.8.1  Abbreviations and acronyms

AFPCA, CHIGFEET, FIPL, MRSRM, ZWE: Looks like a fresh game of Scrabble.

Too many abbreviations and acronyms in a resume make it unreadable.

As a rule, avoid using abbreviations and acronyms unless they are commonly recognized. If you work in an acronym-heavy industry, such as technology, use acronyms sparingly.

14.8.2  Personal pronouns

It seems odd to avoid personal pronouns (I, me, my) in your resume – a document that is all about you Since your resume is all about you, the addition of “I” or “me” is redundant. Since a resume should contain no unnecessary words, there is no place for the personal pronoun. Your resume, after all, is not a memoir but a concise summary of your skills and experience.

14.8.3  Negative words

These words spell death for a resume.

Words like “arrested,” “boring,” “fired,” “hate” and “sexist” catch a recruiter’s eye like to a two-ton magnet catches a paper clip.

If there are difficult issues you want to raise, save them for the interview.

14.9  Keep These Words to a Minimum

·     Abused words: a, also, an , because, the, very

·     Any word you can’t define: you may think using these words make you sound smart, but if you use them incorrectly they could kill your chances of landing the job.

·    Words that can be embarrassing if spelled wrong: assess, skills.

14.10  Words That Weaken Your Resume

·     A strong resume gives potential employers a concise, clear picture of your skills and experience. And it’s the crucial first step in securing an interview and hopefully a job offer.

·     For maximum impact, keep your resume as concise as you can. You need to include all your achievements in only one to two pages, so do not waste space on meaningless words. Plus, an employer does not want to spend time trying to understand vague phrases or decipher confusing jargon.

14.10.1  ‘Assist’, ‘Contribute’ and 'Support’

An employer would not know what you did if the wording on your resume is too vague. Words like “assist,” “contribute” and “support” all say (or don’t say) the same thing. They say you helped, but they don’t say how. They beg the question: Exactly how did you assist, contribute or support a person or project?

Use these words sparingly and always follow them with a description of your role and responsibilities. Let an employer know the part you played and how you affected the outcome.

14.10.2  ‘Successfully’

Of course you want to show that you have accomplished on your resume. But your achievements will be more impressive if you give concrete examples of what you have done and how you have been successful. You don’t need to use words like “successfully” or effectively” to show an employer that you are a good worker, your experience should speak for itself.

Instead of explicitly saying that a project was successful, state your achievements clearly and factuality. Then give examples of how or why the project was a success.

14.10.3  ‘Responsible for’

The phrase “responsible for” can make your resume feel like a laundry list. Instead of just listing your responsibilities, try to stress your accomplishments.

Your resume will also have more of an impact if you quantify your accomplishments. Use figures to show how you affected growth, reduced costs or streamlined a process. Provide the number of people you managed, the amount of the budget you oversaw or the revenue you saved the company.

14.10.4  ‘Interface’ and other buzzwords

Don’t flower your resume with fancy words. By trying to sound intelligent or qualified, you may end up annoying or confusing your reader. You don’t want an employer to need a dictionary to discover what you really did at your last job.

Avoid buzzwords that have become cliché and words that are unnecessarily sophisticated. “Synergy” and “Liaise” are examples of buzzwords that have been overused and abused.

Say what you mean plainly and simply. For example, instead of “interface”, say “work”. Instead of “impact,” say “affect,” instead of “utilize,” say “use.”

14.10.5 Keywords

Recruiters use keywords to search for resumes. So choose some of the basic, important keywords in your field and pepper them throughout your resume.