"The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand,
as in what direction we are moving."
—Oliver Wendell Holmes
Most college students utter an audible grunt the first time the “resume reality” hits them: “Uugghhh. I gotta do that resume thing.” Do you really need a resume? Yes, you really need a resume. It will not get you the job, but you will not get the job without it. Anyone who tells you that you do not need a resume is out of touch with the entry level job market. Do not depend on it to magically produce the job offer for you, but know that anytime you make a serious job contact (including networking and interviews, both on campus and off), it will be a requirement.
Do not procrastinate on this important activity. Students often tend to wait until a resume is required before developing their resume. Then it is often cranked out with just the basics in hopes that it will free you to go on to the more important steps. But if you properly understand the purpose of the resume and where it fits into the entry level hiring process, you will see that it requires a great deal more thought and preparation than just “cranking it out.”
Your resume is a professional reflection of you as the potential product: professional resume, professional product; poor resume, poor product. Take the time to develop your resume as the very best reflection of you.
Take a good look at the following sample resume.Click the link below
http://www.collegegrad.com/jobsearch/Best-College-Resumes/Sample-Resume/ The Most Important Feature of Your Resume_
Employers’ number one complaint about entry level resumes is the lack of a specific objective. This is by far the most important feature of an entry level resume. Without it, you are destined to languish in the sea of mediocrity, swallowed up by your own lack of direction. I do not mean the wishy-washy “Position with a progressive organization that will fully utilize my talents and skills…” objective that tells me absolutely nothing about what you are looking for in your job search. Your objective has to be clear and concise. If someone tells you not to include an Objective section on your resume because it is too limiting, that person is obviously out of touch with the reality of the entry level job market. If you are not specific and direct, you lose.
The first thing an employer looks for in a resume is the specific focus. You have to commit yourself on paper to what you really want to do in your career.
The key to writing a successful objective is focus. Remember putting together your personal mission statement in Chapter 1? This personal mission statement is the basis for putting together a successful resume objective. But instead of using the flowery language of the broader career mission statement, you will be focusing specifically on what type of position you are seeking at the entry level. You can restrict your objective by any or all of the following three areas:
1. Job type (such as Accountant, Electrical Engineer, etc.)
2. Industry (such as Retail, Banking, Insurance, High Technology, etc.)
3. Geographical area (such as Pacific Northwest, Oregon, Portland area, etc.)
Examples:
* Staff accountant position in the public accounting field in the Houston area.
* Retail management position in the New York City metropolitan area.
* Reporter position with a major news daily. Open to relocation.
* Marketing position with a computer software vendor in the Chicago area.
* Electrical engineering position in the silicon chip industry in Northern California.
* Multimedia software development position. Open to travel and/or relocation.
Note that a well-written and well-focused Objective section is often what sets you apart when your resume is compared to those with no objective or one that is wishy-washy.
The Second Most Important Feature of Your Resume_
Be creative in your job search. The worst that can happen is that you will be rejected one more time. All you need is one “yes.”
What’s next? The section that is almost always missing on entry level resumes: the Summary section. This section immediately follows the Objective section of the resume and is composed of “sound bites” of who you are. It provides the high-level support for the objective and draws the reader into the remainder of the resume, which provides further detailed support (Education, Experience, Activities, etc.). This section is crucial in the “high-speed resume review” world in which we live. Make sure it is there and bulleted with three or four one-liners about who you are and results achieved.
