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First, let me dismiss one common falsehood about résumés: "The résumé should be a one-page synopsis that reduces your experience to the key facts." WRONG! This kind of reductive approach will do nothing to distinguish your accomplishments, skills, talents, insights and experience — especially in a competitive marketplace.

You must prepare a résumé of at least two pages that will include all — or most — of these 7 components, in roughly this order:

Objective or Highlights: identifying your skills and achievements relevant to the position and focussed on the employer's needs — not your own.
Skills: specific details about computer, organizational, management, interpersonal, communication, accounting, creative skills — and more
Education: diplomas, degrees, certifications
Experience: paid, volunteer or internships — each position should identify accomplishments and transferable skills you can bring to your new employer
Achievements and awards: everything that shows stamina, commitment, individual or team accomplishment is a must
Personal interests: reveal your passion and vision
References: have three of them "available on request"

As you explore the resources here, keep in mind that résumés came into vogue in the1950's. Before then, job seekers introduced themselves to employers with cover letters (make sure you include one with your résumé). In the decades since, résumés have changed quite a bit. They often seem as much a whim of fashion as hemlines and hair cuts. For example, five years ago, an "Objective" statement was very popular. Today, less so. The current emphasis on "Skills" is critical, so make sure you provide lots of detail in this section and relate them to your accomplishments.

Sample executive résumé

Charles Essex

735 Merle Street,
Portland, OR, USA 97212
Tel: 503-598-4235
cessex@b2b-text.biz

OBJECTIVE (explain how your skills will benefit your employer)
To generate shareholder value for a leading internet corporation using my experience as a senior executive in communications.

SKILLS (provide detailed statements that prove your accomplishments)
Administrative — As Vice-president of B2B-Text.biz Limited and President of Altext Communications Inc. I have managed communications projects for 13 corporations in Canada and the USA that required coordination of 16 in-house and contract technical writers. I have managed operational budgets totaling $12.3 million. Client evaluations of product deliverables are consistently superior.

Corporate Writing — Contract responsibilities: communications management, product profiles, corporate documentation and fundraising prospectuses that raised over $30 million in startup and second-stage project development funding. Clients include: Associated Architects, Hy Pow¹r Oil & Gas Ltd., Excelsior Systems Inc., Laurel Enterprises, School District 61.

Nonfiction Writing — Book and magazine publications related to technical writing. I have also written business stories, book reviews and personality profiles for magazines and newspapers.

Research — "Cross-functional Work Teams, A Measure of Validity and Reliability," published in Conference Proceedings, 9th World Technical Writing Conference, Kingston, Jamaica, 1995.

EDUCATION (list in "reverse chronology")
1988, MA (Technical Writing) University of British Columbia.
1981, BA (Honors English) Columbia University.

EMPLOYMENT (date, title, company, duties, achievements)
1994 - Present — Vice-president, Technical Communications, B2B-Text.biz Limited. Direct a team of 12 content developers for worldwide B2B communications. Division has achieved 15 - 23% annual billings growth every year.

1988-94 — Founder & President, Altext Communications Inc. Specialized in corporate communications: business proposals, fundraising prospectuses, manuals, technical documentation. Company was purchased by B2B-Text.biz Limited in 1994.

PUBLICATIONS (list them all; any publications show professionalism)
• Software Style Guide, Soft Books International, 2003.
• "Internet Text and Style" InText Magazine, 1996.

PRESENTATIONS (public speaking is a huge asset; list all you can)
• University of Victoria, 1988-94. Instructed introductory and advanced technical writing courses.
• Unifying Diverse Disciplines, 1998. A three-hour presentation to the University of Texas deans, department chairs and faculty. The program focussed on how to establish an interdisciplinary professional writing program.
• Word Power in Public Relations, 1997. A two-hour seminar for the Vancouver chapter of the Public Relations Society of BC
• So You Want To be A Writer? 1997. A one-hour panel at the Seattle Public Library.

HONORS & AWARDS (preferably related to your career track)
• Web Globe, Best Content Development, 2002.
• Finalist, SoftText Annual Awards, 1993

PERSONAL INTERESTS (show that you have a life outside the office)
I write fiction and have been published in English and German. I play tennis regularly and have been a member of the Portland Stringers for the past two years. I maintain an active family life with my wife and two children.

REFERENCES (list name, title, company and tel. number)
Rod Cox, Publisher, Soft Books International, 320-638-8927
Mr. Bryan Gillies, CA, Gillies & Frier, 921-384-5456
Mr. Jayne White, LLB, Farmer & Associates, 620-883-2730

Sample student résumé

Jocelyn Franklin

3034 Bruceway Road, Toronto, Ontario J2R 7B3
Tel: (416) 598-4819
jtf@ut.ca

HIGHLIGHTS (make this brief and focused on skills)
Computer skills — have created functional databases
Presentation skills — have taught, performed and debated for over five years
Analytical skills — prepared position paper adopted by town council

EDUCATION (most recent first; note special achievements)
2002 - present — University of Toronto. Majoring in political science
1997 - 2002 — Bay High School, 2151 Tandem Road, Toronto.
Graduated in June of 2001, with special credit for completing an Applied Engineering Technology program.

WORK EXPERIENCE (focus on what you achieved)
May 2001 - present — Double Bassist, Keltica Music, Toronto
Performed four or five evening concerts every week at the Avon Gardens.
Performing regularly at the Penny Whistle Pub, the Charles Dickens Pub, and Mandarin Castle

September 2001 - present — Private Teacher, Double Bass, Toronto
Individually instruct beginner students on the double bass, augmenting band class instruction with lessons on technique and theory. Develop unique and personalized teaching approaches to address individual student's difficulties and abilities.

September 2000 - June 2001 — Career Preparation Student, Toronto
130 hours of work experience in the Applied Engineering Technology career preparation program at Bay High School — at XML Technologies; the Drew Monk Jazz Festival: Lakeside Sound, and Hydro-One

June 1999- July 2002 — Database Administrator, Toronto
Created and administered the Bay High School music and instrument inventory databases; also filed, checked, and organized the music library and instrument collection.

EMPLOYABLE SKILLS (break skills into themes then flesh them out)
Experience in policy proposal — culminating in a proposal to create and enforce restrictions on noise volume levels in Ontario nightclubs; also experience researching and writing papers on Canadian politics and constitutional issues.

Excellent communications and public presentation skills — nurtured from years of debating and performing in public.

Computer skills — Familiar with Word, Excel, Cubasis; have programmed in HTML, Java.

Team management — two years of experience collaborating with youth groups to put on public relations projects at the Lakeside Symphony, via the Lakeside Symphony Youth Advisory Council.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT (volunteering shows initiative)
2002-2003 — Vice President of the Varsity Debating Club
2001 — Delegate to the Student Commonwealth Forum in Ottawa
1999-2001— Member of the Lakeside Symphony Youth Advisory Council
1999-2003 — Principal Bassist, Lakeside Youth Orchestra

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS (use "bullets" to format lists)
• Stuart Cooper Memorial Bursary, 2002
• Eileen Clausen Award for achievement in the arts, 2001
• Ontario Provincial Exam Scholarship, 2001
• University of Toronto Entrance Bursary, 2001
• 1st Place, Toronto Commonwealth Tournament, 2001
• Accepted to OMEA Provincial Honor Vocal Jazz Choir, 2000

INTERESTS (list those that show your commitment and passion)
• Music and the fine arts
• Computer-based music composition and recording
• Politics

REFERENCES (ensure your references have agreed to support you)
~ Available on Request ~

The Four-paragraph Cover Letter

The four-paragraph cover letter can accompany job applications, reports, information requests, meeting agendas, etc. Use one paragraph for each theme: introduction, key issues and research, identification of action items, and a suitable closing. Limit the letter to a single page.

Using the example of a job application cover letter, let's examine each of the four paragraphs in detail:

1. Introduction. Identify the job you are applying for and how you learned about it. Indicate that you have attached enclosures with the letter (e.g. a résumé). This paragraph should be brief; no more than three sentences.

2. Key issues and research. Deconstruct the job description and show that you possess the required skills, duties and responsibilities. Refer to research you have done about the company and your insights about them: key projects they have underway, their corporate culture, or any unique working conditions.

3. Action items. Illustrate how you will bring benefits to the organization. Focus on the relevant qualifications listed in your résumé, demonstrating how your accomplishments, background and experience qualify you for the job. Be as specific as possible, and refer the reader to your résumé for additional details.

4. Close. Thank your reader for her consideration with a one- or two-sentence paragraph. Indicate your eagerness to meet for an interview and that you will follow up with a telephone call.

Your job application cover letter reflects your personality, your attention to detail, your communication skills, your enthusiasm and your intelligence. The cover letter will be assessed as part of your application package that includes a résumé and perhaps some supporting material.

It is your personal ambassador and has only one mission: to secure an interview. Therefore, it must be letter-perfect, precise and persuasive.

Sample Cover Letter

Together with a résumé and writing portfolio, the following cover letter introduces the applicant for a junior reporting position with The Fast River News. The second and third paragraphs in the letter address two key points identified in the job description: ability to write two stories a day and live in a small-town environment.

11 November, 2003
932 - 5th Avenue
New Orleans, LA. 56087

Ms Elaine Rushmore, Editor
The Fast River News
PO Box 2000
Mercury, Oregon, 92041

Dear Ms. Rushmore:

Please find enclosed a copy of my résumé and journalism portfolio. I am forwarding these to you as my application for the position of general reporter at The Fast River News.

I understand that The Fast River News is only 48-page weekly newspaper in rural Oregon. I've examined some back issues and I'm pleased to see that environmental issues are an important part of your editorial scope. I am very interested in working on a weekly and hope you'll agree my qualifications make me an ideal candidate for the job. I visited your area in 2001 and was captivated by the region. As a child I lived in a town about the same size and I enjoyed it enormously.

As you will note in my résumé, I have worked as a sports reporter at an independent weekly, the West Bay Gazette. I can write several assigned stories within a few hours. I have also generated my own story ideas and successfully pitched them to my editor (see portfolio: "Bay Captain a Winner"). I am very organized and I am a thorough researcher. I can gather factual information in one interview, but when necessary I have covered late-breaking elements in stories with follow-up telephone calls. For the past year I have written two to five stories a day for the Gazette. I'm confident that within a week I can easily generate two stories daily with The Fast River News. Furthermore, I am prepared to work overtime and weekends whenever it's necessary.

I look forward to meeting you and discussing The Fast River News, your region and how I can contribute to your editorial goals.

Yours truly,

Signature

Joe Redberry

There are many other résumé and cover letter examples on the Net. You'll find them on the better websites:

• e-Résumé.net. Get Started Now with e-resume.net

• Professional Résumés. To visit Professional Résumés Click Here.

• ResumeEdge: Certified Professional Resume Writers edit and write your resumes and cover letters. Get an Edge. Click Here!