Assignment 2

 

Assignment 2: Resume (First Draft)

Assignment 2 - Resume

 

COURSE GOALS

  1. •Recognize specific purposes for technical writing documents.

 

OBJECTIVES

  1. •Prepare a personal resume.

  2. •Use an appropriate and attractive resume format.

 

INSTRUCTION

A resume is YOU on paper! How do YOU want to look? What do YOU want people to know? What have YOU done that makes you proud? What are YOUR talents? What makes YOU different from other applicants?

A resume is a personal advertisement about YOU. It is an illustration on paper of what you can do for the company.

A resume makes a first impression and whether or not you get an interview depends on the impression you make. Make your resume to the point. Include information the reader needs or wants to know.

Follow these guidelines when writing your resume:

  1. •List the most valuable information for the reader first, whether it is your education or your work experience.

  2. •List jobs and education in reverse chronological order (most recent information first). (It's O.K. to substitute things that you are good at for jobs, seeing as how you may be new to the job market. State the skill/experience; state with whom or where you acquired the skill; and mention applicable dates or length of time that you spent acquiring the skill).

  3. •Organize your best characteristics so they are easily noticed.

  4. •Use active verbs, (e.g., cleaned, initiated, directed, organized, planned, managed, investigated, composed).

  5. •Create an attractive resume using white space, headings, and bullets.

  6. •Edit your resume until it is perfect. Ask several people to proof read your resume.


Formatting also makes your resume reader friendly. Create a reader friendly resume using the following tips.

  1. •Remove any italics or underlined words.

  2. •Avoid shading, graphics, or decorative lines.

  3. •Use one "plain vanilla" type font in 10-12 point size.

  4. •Use bold face or FULL CAPS for emphasis.

  5. •Line everything (except your name, address, & phone number) up at the left margin.

  6. •Name should be in 14 point size and bold. Place your name above your address, phone, and email information at the top of the page. Center this section on the page.


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Activity 1 - Resume

 

MEMO

DUE DATE: October 8, 2012
TO: Technical Writing Students
FROM: Helen Haberman, Instructor
SUBJECT: Creating a Personal Resume (first draft)

Background

In order to be prepared for the world of work you need a resume. In this assignment you will design a personal resume.

Your resume is important evidence of your experience and skills. Employers expect our resume to be concise, neat and well-organized.

It is important to update your resume to reflect changes such as the acquisition of new skills. If you save your resume on a computer disk or to your server space on GWEN, you can quickly update it whenever you need to.

Assignment (First Draft: 25 points)

Read the Career Related Learning Standards (CRLS)before doing this assignment. Your resume should reflect skills listed in the CRLS. Review these and make a list of experiences you have had that demonstrate your mastery of these skills. You will use these examples in your resume. Try to list at least one experience in each of the seven areas (personal management, problem solving, communication, teamwork, organizations and systems, employment foundations, and career development).

Design a personal resume using the format suggested below.

Include the following required elements in your resume:

  1. •Heading - Include:

    1. ◦Name

    2. ◦Street Address

    3. ◦City, State, Zip Code

    4. ◦Phone Number (including area code)

  2. •Objective - Use one complete sentence stating your objective for this resume.

  3. •Education - List your current high school and current grade level.

  4. •Activities - Identify at least 2 activities you are involved in, either at school or outside of school.

  5. •Personal Qualities - List 3-4 good things about yourself such as dependable, caring,or works well with others.

  6. •Work Experience - Identify 2 paid or volunteer positions you have held. Include the name of the company or organization, date you held the position and a brief description of what you did there.

  7. •References - Provide 2 adult references. Include complete addresses and phone numbers.


See Example linked here.

Formatting tip: You can try using the resume wizard available as a Microsoft Word template or use a similar format as the example.

 

Procedure

Step 1:Review your list of experiences and skills that are related to the CRLS. Make a list of your experiences that relate to these. Be specific. Also include your career goals, experiences and activities on this piece of paper.

Step 2: Write a draft of your resume. Be sure you include all required elements listed above. Your draft must be only one page and contain all of the required information. Be sure your resume is word processed.

Use an appropriate and attractive format for your resume. See my example for format suggestions or check out resume styles on-line. Whatever style you choose, remember to keep your resume concise and simple.

Proofread your resume. Have another person proofread your resume.

Correct all grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.

 

Deliver a printed copy of your finished resume to your in-folder. Turn in a hard copy and save your work so you can make changes.

If you send it to me via my e-mail address, send it as an attachment in Word so that the formatting is evident.

Evaluation

Your resume will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  1. •All required sections are included and are complete (50%)

  2. •Absence of any punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors (20%)

  3. •Use of an appropriate and attractive format (30%)