THE RESUME

     A resume is a positive outline of what you have to offer an
employer.  It's purpose is to stimulate the interest of a
potential employer to secure an interview for you.
     An effective resume should:

          - Be concise, neat, organized and attractive to the
            eye.
          - Create a favorable impression.
          - Encourage the employer to find out more about you.
          - Attract attention to your special abilities and personal 
            qualities and excite interest in you as a person and as a
            potential employee.
          - Reflect your uniqueness as much as possible.
          - Emphasize your strongest skill or most important
            employment or educational experience.
          - Use action phrases rather than complete sentences.
          - Do not list personal pronouns, previous salaries,
            names of supervisors or reasons for leaving. 

                          

Resume Layout
          - Keep your resume brief enough to fit on one
              page, or two pages if your experience is 
              extensive.
          - Arrange your headings and dates in a manner
              which controls the reader's attention and
              highlights your most notable work or
              educational experience and skills.  Employers
              read many resumes; be sure a fast reading of
              yours does you justice.
          - Boldface type, italic type and the use of some
              words entirely in capital letters can
              highlight important parts of your resume.
          - Make good use of spacing and indenting.  A one-
              inch margin on all sides is recommended.
          - Resumes should be typeset quality on good quality 
              bond paper.
          - You will need multiple copies of your resume.
              * Remember to include your resume in our Resume
                 Referral Service of Automated Placement Services. 
                                      

          Details in Career Planning & Placement.


Resume Formats
     There is no "right" format.  Choose the format that you
feel best presents your background and qualifications to an
employer.

1.  Reverse Chronological - This type of resume lists
     your background in a straight time sequence, starting
     with the most recent experience first.  You may arrange
     your headings in various ways, depending upon what aspects
     of your background you wish to stress.  An exception might
     occur when your past experience is more relevant to the 
     position you are seeking than your recent experience and
     should, therefore, be listed first. 

2.  Functional - This type of resume lists your experiences
     by skill areas.  Your headings are then built around your
     most important skills.  This format can be very effective
     for those who have held a position with varied 
     responsibilities for a number of years or perhaps for
     those who are returning to the work force after a 
     prolonged absence.  Those who use this type of resume
     do not include employers and dates of employment.

3.  Combination - This type of resume is a "combination"
     of the reverse chronological and the functional.  It lists
     your experience by skill areas and also includes employers
     and dates of employment.

Resume Contents
*  Identifying Data:  Name, Address, Phone Number/Message Number 
     (remember ZIP and area code).  It is appropriate to include 
     both current and permanent addresses, and the date on which
     you expect to leave the temporary address.

*  Education:  Include Name of School, Major, Degree received.
     Dates of Attendance.  If your degree included courses in areas 
     relevant to the position for which you are applying, 
     indicate these course titles, e.g. Personnel Administration
     or Machine Design, not the course number and credit hours.  
     You might want to also include any significant course work
     concentrations such as Marketing or Energy Systems.  Honors
     and grade point average information are recommended when it 
     will enhance your image.  If you attended more than one 
     school, list the most recent first.  It is not always
     necessary to list all the schools you have attended.  Do not
     list high school, unless you are projecting something with it
     e.g. Technical High School.  Additional training you have
     received may either go under this heading or under a separate
     one.

*  Experience/Work History - Include Paid, internship, field
     work, volunteer and military.  Emphasize responsibilities,
     accomplishments, skills and abilities appropriate to the
     position for which you are applying.  New graduates should
     list all part-time and summer jobs even if they are
     unrelated to the kind of work desired.  Often, part-time
     and summer jobs are summarized into one statement.  If
     you have worked for one organization for a long period of
     time, stress your advancements and/or increased 
     responsibilities.  Note the employing organization (city
     and state), dates of employment, and if appropriate, job
     title.  Internships and field work may be described under
     one of several headings.  These may include Education, 
     Experience or even its own category.  The following 
     optional information may be included in your resume.

*  Job Objective:  If used, this brief description of the type
     of position desired should follow your name, address, and
     telephone number.  You must decide if you want to state
     your objective directly on your resume or include it in your 
     cover letter.  Job objectives are used only when you have
     a specific position or career goal in mind.

* Special Skills:  Foreign Languages, Computer Languages and 
     Leadership Skills. 

* Campus Activities:  Clubs, Intramurals, Student Organizations 
     (Offices held).

* Community Involvement:  Volunteer and Philanthropic Work, 
     Offices held.

* Licenses and Certificates

* Professional Affiliations

* Research & Publications

* Personal Data:  You will see resume samples listing
     height/weight, marital status, number of dependents, date
     of birth or interests.  None of this information is necessary 
     and, in fact, can not be required by the potential employer 
     under Federal regulations.  However, some personal data may 
     be included when related to the position.


* References:  It is acceptable to use the phrases "Available
     Upon Request" or "Furnished Upon Request."





                    ACTION WORDS/TECHNICAL ACTION WORDS
                    
     Use of action words can bring your resume and cover letter
to life by helping to convey the image of a successful "doer."   
Use a thesaurus for ideas.