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The Menu of Resume Making

  • Writer: Strawberry Opportunities
    Strawberry Opportunities
  • Nov 29, 2020
  • 4 min read

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Welcome to DAY 7 of the Thanksgiving Blog Series.


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Written by Prakrati Kadekar

Edited by Minna Chow

Designed by Parniyan Hadiri


If you landed upon this menu, it probably means that you want to find a job, prepare for an interview, get into a prestigious program, or just set yourself up for success in college. Whatever the case may be, having a resume is extremely important, and all high school and college students should know how to create a professional-looking resume.


But how do you make it professional-looking? What should you put in it and what should you leave out? This crafted menu that I’ve written is here to help.


First, let’s review what a resume actually is:


  • It is NOT your job or leadership history

  • It is NOT a summary of skills

  • This will NOT automatically get you the position you want.

    • You want to sell yourself to a future interviewer or manager, and a resume will help you boost yourself. Without a resume, you are powerless, but having one isn’t going to get you the job automatically.


Now that we have that set in stone, here are the steps to make a resume:


  1. Choose a template or resume builder - Just like how restaurants make an eye-catching menu, your resume needs to be pleasing to the eye. No, Google Docs is not the best way to make one. It may seem like the easiest option, but it is difficult to put in all the information needed while making an easy-to-read layout. There are several resume builders out there, but my personal favorite is Flowcv.io. Template designers like these make your resume more professional looking.


  1. Write your name and contact information - A menu doesn’t come without the name of the restaurant, so you don’t want to give a resume without your interviewer having a way to contact you!


Here is what contact information you should have:

  • Name - written in the largest font on the page (middle initial is opposite)

  • Mailing Address

  • Telephone Number

  • Email Address - make sure that this is appropriate! You don’t want an email address like girls4drinks@gmail.com

  • Online Portfolio (if you have one)

  • LinkedIn Profile


  1. Make a resume introduction - This is a line that will grab your employer’s attention, like the appetizer section of a menu. Otherwise, even if everything else is perfect, they might reject you right there. There are four ways you could introduce yourself in a resume:


  • Resume objective - a 2-3 sentence statement that gives an overview of your skills and experience. This is the best option for entry-level candidates


  • Summary of qualifications - a bullet point list of your best career achievements. Make sure your qualities are not vague and are written in a way that reflects you uniquely


  • Profile - this combines the first two options and can be done in a short paragraph or bullet point list.


  • Summary - four to five bullet pointed sentences that highlight past achievements with numbers. For example, if you want to show you have great leadership, you could mention that “I have been running a tutoring organization for 5 years.” This option is great for those who are very experienced.


Now let’s get to the full course meal.


  1. Show your relevant work experience - This is the meat of your resume right here. When you write each work experience, write the company’s name, location, the position, and the beginning and end date of your employment (month year - month year). Write these in chronological order and make sure they fit with the position you are seeking. If you do not have relevant work experience, especially for those in high school, then you can list the jobs or work experience you have.


  1. Create your education section - For high schoolers or college students who do not have professional work experience, this could benefit you [why?]. Here are the following things to include in this section:


  • Name of School/College/University - Do not write your high school name unless you haven’t attended college yet

  • School Location

  • Graduation Date (month year)

  • Degree - applicable if you graduated. If you are still in high school don’t include this



  1. List your skills - Employers are looking for skilled people, and a clear set of skills on your resume could catch your interviewer’s eye. There are two types of skills you should have: hard skills and soft skills.


Hard skills are skills that are concrete. For example, skills like web designing, proficiency with platforms like Adobe Creative Suite, programming and public speaking are all hard skills.


Soft skills are skills that relate more to your personality. Skills such as responsibility, organization, and teamwork are all great soft skills to put on your resume.


  1. Type up your key achievements and honors - This is the dessert: the final taste of what you have to offer. This is an optional section, but it can strengthen your resume. For instance, you could list certifications, such as CPR, or any other honors, activities, or awards. If you have publications that have articles about you or articles written by you, you could add those as well. As a high schooler or college student, here are some items you could consider adding:


  • Academic honors

  • Volunteer positions

  • Leadership positions

  • Extracurriculars

  • Competition awards (does not include participation awards)


Congratulations! You finished typing up all the content you needed on your resume! Now it’s time to style it up. Think of it like the plating of a meal before you start to eat it. You already have a nice looking template, so now it’s time to spruce it up.


  • Make sure your resume is readable - The font size should be big enough for you to see. Your manager doesn’t want to use a magnifying glass to make out the words.

  • Choose a good font - This is completely up to you, but I wouldn’t recommend choosing a font that’s very elaborate or hard-to-read. A font like Arial or Calibri is a great choice for your resume.

  • Use effective margins - Your template should have this done for you, but make sure that your margins are set at one-inch on all four sides, especially if you do not have a lot of work experience. Try to refrain from reducing margins as this might make your resume appear overcrowded with text.


And there you go! Congratulations for making your resume! It has all the necessary information, with bonus points for styling and readability, and it’s ready to be placed in front of your hiring manager.


With this resume, you’ll be one step closer to landing in your dream job.

 
 
 

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