- Identification
- Career objective
- Areas of effectiveness
- Work experience
- Education
- School activities
- Community activities
- Personal data
- Special Skills
- References
Now, you can begin to begin! Complete each section in pencil (which will allow you to make changes), following the instructions. This is important work, but it is easy. So if you want to complete it while listening to music or watching light TV, you might find the task more enjoyable.
The First Section, Identification
Do you need the word "RESUME" at the top of the page? Not necessarily. It's probably best to omit it.
Almost anyone you're sending your resume to will immediately recognize what it is. And if they don't... well, maybe you shouldn't be sending them your resume in the first place.
Of course, you should begin with your name, placed at the top of the page.
Names
Use your most business like name. For most people, that will be your full name, with initial, such as Shirley A. Sweeney or B. Scott Janis.
If you have a "real name" that you neither use nor like, use the one by which you are known. For example, if a man named Buckhampton R. Jones dislikes his first name, he might use: Hampton R. Jones or B. Robert (Bob) Jones or Buck R. Jones or Buckhampton R. (BJt.) Jones.
If you use a hyphenated last name, such as Marita Ann Schillingworth-Gieselo, consider the possibility that in a first glance skim - through, your name may prove to be a negative factor. Any difficult-to-pronounce word might give reader second thoughts about the ease of reading a difficult document.
If you have ever wrestled with "Shall I read this Dostoevsky novel... or not?" you probably picked up the heavy book and considered the names themselves in your decision. More than likely, you said, "This is going to be difficult, not something I can read lightly in my leisure time."
Why would the people who read your resume be any different? They're not. They are turned off by difficult words, including names.
So if you do have the option, use the name that makes reading easiest for the reader.
Keep It Simple
On your resume, then, you might consider using just one last name, the one you prefer using for business. Some people find that having a business name (a name that is easy to spell and pronounce) is valuable to them.
(Some friends of mine have complained for years, only half-seriously, about having to spell their names every time they use them, or about having them mispronounced by virtually everyone.)
A businesswoman I know, whose last name is Mule, has the informational phrase "pronounced Mool" beneath her name on her business card. I agree. This is a considerate and kind way to handle a possibly difficult problem for the recipient.
Make your name easy to understand, easy to read, and easy to pronounce. Think of the reader, not of yourself. You can easily clear up any misunderstandings or mispronunciations during your interview.
If your name is unusually complicated - has many middle names, difficult spellings, and so on-simplify it!
Should you use a middle initial? May be. Some people consider it stuffy and pompous. But if you have a very common last name, such as Johnson, Smith or Jones, you may wish to differentiate yourself by using your middle name or your middle initial.
Middle names, too, seem a bit too much for resumes, unless you need the extra name to eliminate the possibility that two people with the same name are applying for the job.
Now, write your name here - in the most acceptable way - to create the best impression for yourself.
Address
Use the best-sounding address you have, without abbreviations (which make reading/skimming more difficult, not less!).
If you have a post office box, consider using your "real" address instead. A house number is usually more impressive and substantial-sounding than a post office box.
If your address is correctly written: 1567, Wilson Terrace (rear cottage), consider eliminating the (rear cottage) portion. And if you have two addresses, your permanent address and your school address, you may want to use both.
Something to Think About
The name of your city or home town says something about you, your personality, and about the ways in which prospective employers may perceive you. Such judgments and opinions may not be fair, but they do exist.
Telephone Number
Give the area code and number where you may be reached most of the time.
If you are difficult to reach, you should have an answering machine. Use a businesslike message, not a Bette Davis voice or Jack Benny comedy skit! Then the prospective employer can leave a message without having to call back a dozen times in futile efforts to reach you.
If you're hard to reach by phone, the employer may well decide to give up after an attempt or two, just as you would do.
If you like, you can list (immediately below your own number) an alternative number, where messages will be taken for you.
Be careful, however, to get permission from the people who will be taking your messages. And let them know the circumstances: Prospective employers will be calling to leave messages, and accuracy is very important.
You wouldn't want to call the wrong number or mispronounce a name given to you in error. Sometimes, well-meaning friends don't do well "under fire."
