The Resume.Com Guide to Writing Unbeatable Resumes (14 page)

EDUCATION

M
ANHATTAN
C
OLLEGE
, New York, NY

BS, Business Administration, 2002

Key Courses:
Management in Business, Global Business Strategies, Accounting, Macroeconomics, Statistics, Global Business

EDUCATION

LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, Long Beach, CA Currently pursuing AA degree in International Business

If you’ve earned any awards or honors at previous positions or at your current job, such as “Manager of the Year” or “Employee of the Month,” you should create an Awards section. This section should immediately follow the Education section.

Although this part of your resume is optional, as many job seekers have not won awards, professional recognition demonstrates a strong work ethic and the ability to produce great results. As with a graduate degree or a Ph.D., an award can set you apart from the competition. We recommend listing this information in two places: bulleted in the Summary of Qualifications or Professional Experience section and additionally in an Awards section. This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate why you’re the best candidate for the job.

List your most recent awards, certificates, or honors first and work backward to the first applicable honor you received. List all pertinent awards or achievements next to the years in which they were received.

If you have a weak Education section, bolster your resume with an Awards section.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Cornerstone Award, 1999, T
ELLIOS
C
OMPANY
, N
EW
Y
ORK
, NY

Sales Engineer of the Year, 1998, T
ELLIOS
C
OMPANY
, N
EW
Y
ORK
, NY

HONORS

“Salesman of the Year,” 1997, M
ANTACORE
I
NDUSTRIES
, N
EWARK
, NJ President’s Club for Outstanding Sales, 1995 – 1998, 2002, M
ANTACORE
I
NDUSTRIES
, N
EWARK
, NJ

AWARDS

Bronze Star • Army Commendation Medal (5) • Joint Service Achievement Medal

• Good Conduct Medal (6)

Over the last decade the demand for job applicants with strong computer skills has skyrocketed. Technology is now the engine that drives the global economy, and the effect it has had on almost every job opening in every industry has been palpable.

You should list all the computer programs in which you are proficient directly after the education and awards sections. Whether your experience is limited to writing a letter using Microsoft Word or you have an extensive background working with computer applications, any and every program you know how to use should be listed on your resume. This includes software, operating systems, databases, and networking tools, as well as familiarity with the Internet and e-mail programs.

For information technology specialists, technical skills are an essential part of the resume. Clearly list this section immediately after the Summary of Qualifications or at the end of the resume.

C
OMPUTER
S
KILLS

MS Windows, MS Word, MS Excel, E-mail Applications

COMPUTER SKILLS

Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, Explorer, Adobe Acrobat, AS400, BOSS billing system, E-mail, Application Management

COMPUTER SKILLS

M
ICROSOFT
W
ORD
, E
XCEL
, L
OTUS
N
OTES
, S
ALESLINE
, BIAS,
AND
I
NTERNET
S
EARCH
E
NGINES

COMPUTER SKILLS

Windows 95/2000/XP, MS Word and Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, IBM AS400, SAP (System Application Products) R/3

Applicants with more complex computer skills should define this section as the primary selling point of the resume. For a more in-depth approach to computer skills for information technology (IT) professionals, see Chapter 12.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE

C
OMPUTER
S
KILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS (OPTIONAL)

Professional affiliations are a great way to let employers know that you’re committed to your profession and that your involvement in your industry extends beyond office hours. This section is optional and doesn’t have to be the focus of your resume. If you want to include a Professional Affiliations section, list each of your affiliations under a single header. Dates are not necessary, but don’t list expired or previous affiliations unless you are using the functional format. Here are some examples:

P
ROFESSIONAL
A
FFILIATIONS

New Jersey Investment Bankers Club
International Foundation for Global Economics

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Bilingual Speakers Club, New York City
Yale Alumni Club

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

NORTH DAKOTA MUSIC AND ART SOCIETY

• Teach underprivileged youths music and art at local community center.

• Raise funds to purchase instruments for elementary school children.

PROFESSIONAL GROUPS

A
MERICAN
M
EDICAL
A
SSOCIATION

D
OCTORS WITHOUT
B
OUNDARIES

Community activities and volunteerism can be excellent ways to bolster a resume, especially for parents reentering the workforce and professionals pursuing employment at nonprofit organizations. However, if your resume is complete without this section and your community involvement does not support your career goals directly, exclude it. Your resume should be a concise overview of your best selling points; don’t include every detail of your life.