How do I select what to put on my resumé?

Abby-

First, what an exciting time! I know a resume can be daunting and nobody 'loves' writing them. I agree with what the others have said on here.

Here is how I would approach it:

1. Develop a general, baseline resume that gives the most pertinent points in your field. Think of this as your 'generic' resume version.


2. Customize that resume for each submission based on the job description and company. If you are submitting a large number of resumes, this might be difficult. At the least, pick the most relevant submissions and customize those.


3. Develop an online portfolio/website that goes into as much detail as possible and provide a link to that website on your resume. For the content organization, I would put each major 'skill' as a category. You can develop a simple Wordpress site or use sites such as About.me or BrandYourself.


4. Don't forget LinkedIn. Regardless of industry and focus, that is a crucial piece for recruiting and hiring.

By doing all this, you are not only increasing your chances of getting an interview for the positions you are applying, you are also increasing the chances of BEING FOUND by recruiters. Being found is becoming more powerful in the overall job strategy.

Not sure where to begin with all this? We put together a very comprehensive resume development strategy and it covers each of the above points in much detail.

One part I would focus on is the keyword research for your industry and position targets. Rather than 'guessing' about the most important points and content, you'll have confidence in knowing that you prioritized based on current job market demands.

Hope that is helpful, enjoy this adventure and let me know if you have any questions!
Kris

Hi Abby!

You are in a highly specialized field (sciences), and although I spend a lot of time reviewing and writing resumes, I will be the first to admit that I do not know how to write a resume for science professionals! The few that I have seen include a lot about education, conferences attended, papers written or presented, etc. A veterinarian or engineer can easily have a 5 page resume. It is absolutely imperative that you find out what is right for your profession, and go with that. You do not have to keep to one page! I usually recommend that you seek input from a peer or professor, somebody in the field.

Alternatively, you might try searching for related resumes. I'd recommend using the website "Indeed." There is a link in the upper-left corner that will let you "find resumes." You can search by name or occupation. Perhaps you will find some in your field and get an idea of what your peers are writing.

My general tips for resume writing are to try to tailor it to the position for which you are applying. If it is a job you really really want, take the job description line by line, and ask yourself how it is that you show that you meet this criteria?

Make sure to hit on the things that are important to the profession, be it safety, ethics review committees for science projects, documentation, etc.

Sorry I was not of much help. But it does sound like you are on the right track in trying to figure this out!

Abby:
You have received a lot of other information on "What to put on a resume." I will be happy to add to the other suggestions for you in the following points:
1. If you have a lot of pertinent info (more than two jobs), and that info is part of the job description that you are applying for, then you can go to the second page if you think that information will help you get the interview. According to a survey by the Human Resource Dept. 91% of employers viewed a two-page resume as either positive or neutral. Only 4% viewed resumes longer than two pages as positive.
2. Don't be wordy on your resume, be accurate and succinct in the words that you choose giving you more space to get all appropriate down on paper. Make it neat, clean uncluttered and easy to read otherwise it will not be read and end up in the trash can!
3. Use fonts that allow you to have more room and font size is important when you have a lot of information. The general size is a 10.
4. Your focus for your resume should be providing the company with information that fits there job description. It also should tell them what skills and qualifications you can bring the this company and how you might fit nicely into their job description and qualifications.
5. You often have to write a cover letter and this would be the time to bring in some of the background information about yourself that also applies to the job you are applying for. Ask yourself what you have to offer this company that would be appropriate to put in that cover letter and what the company might gain from hiring YOU!! Cover letters should only 3-4 small paragraphs. Cover letters should: 1. a reason for submitting the resume; an introduction and highlights for specific qualification; and objectives you may have for this job; and additions to the resume that specifically match the job description. A cover letter is most important in that it should have an introduction to why you are applying to this job and how you found out about the job.
6. AFor your resume always emphasize key accomplishments pertaining to the description of job, rather than providing a simple job description. Employers are looking for productive workers who will bring value and improvement to their organization.
7. The set up for the resume should be:
a. Name, Address, Phone, and email address in the Heading. Make sure all is very clear for the reader since that is how they will contact you.
b. Next an Objective Statement and Esperience: So there is no guessing on what you are seeking as a job. If you want managerial then that should be stated.
c. You relative Skill and qualification Area should be carefully planned out and mostly related to job description or what you think the company is looking for. (don't fudge or lie) that usually becomes a disaster!!
d. Job Experience: Job dates belong on the left side, then Company Name.
e. Job Title can be under company name and with that you can describe the types of jobs and skills and accomplishments that were used. Starts most statement with a verb and remember not to be wordy, but concise. Some programs with scan your resume for unnecessary words.
f. Keep your resume neat and clean and consistent so the reader won't have trouble reading.
g. Remember you are marketing you capabilities, so keep your objective positive and not too long.
h. Not all people suggest a Summary, but on mine under the objective you can give your description of the employment that you have had. This will give the reader a clue as to whether you would fit into their future or present positions.
I Employment Positions are necessary and dates are important as stated in point (e). You can also provide a brief description of the company you worked for. That also helps the reader. Bullet your job duties with short explanations.
j. If you improved something or contributed a new idea or contribution to make the company expand or become more profitable, add this under you job skills. Employers love to see percentage point.
k. At the end you either state your awards or medal that you have received.
l. If your Education is recent you can state it before you qualifications and skills; If your education is older you can leave it for after you employment.

**I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU FOLLOW THE POINTS I HAVE SUGGESTED YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT RESUME AND
WILL EMCOURAGE THE EMPLOYERS TO READ IT. THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOB HUNTING!!

Having gone through multiple job processes during my undergrad and postgrad, the best is advice that I can give you is to create your resume on below guidelines:
- Research about the company, its culture, its values etc: Try to resonate with those stuff. So when you are writing your strength and weakness, make sure that you resonate with the company philosophy.
- Job Role: Make sure that the projects you list, or previous work ex you list.. it should be somewhat similar to what the company is looking for.
- I would personally try to keep multi-dimensional and will highlight excellence in different domains, but will stress on facts which concern this particular job role.

Extra Piece of Advice: Make a story around why you want the job. You can probably charter your whole life plan around this particular job role and tell them why are you going for this company.

I know all this sound cliched but this is the best way to go about it.

Grab your current resume (or organize your work experience and education information) and give it a professional boost with these tips:

Tips for Creating a Professional Resume

There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, functional, combination, or a targeted resume. Taking the time to choose the best type of resume for your situation is well worth the effort.

Make It Legible. Your resume should be easy to read. You want the hiring manager to easily read and absorb your work history and accomplishments. Therefore, use a legible font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri). Make sure the font is not too big or too small (choose a size between 10 and 12). 

Be Consistent. Professional resumes need to have consistent formatting. For instance, if you use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and achievements at one position, be sure to use bullet points in all other positions as well.

Keep it Focused. It's important not to include extraneous information. More isn’t necessarily better. Your resume should focus on the skills and attributes that qualify you for the job. It will be helpful to leave out anything that won’t help you get the job you want.

Give It a Makeover. Updating your resume will up your chances of getting it noticed by the hiring manager.

hi Abbie!

It seems like everyone has a different opinion regarding a resume. With my many years in Human Relations, I am presenting these as suggestions that are as good as any I have seen.

The first one is one that is really interesting because it contains resumes before and after edits were made by people in the know:
https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-ultimate-resume-makeovers-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them

The second one is one for someone who may not have very much relevant exprerience for the job for which they are applying.
https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-to-put-on-your-resume-when-you-have-no-relevant-work-experience

One important thing to remember is that your resume should be somewhat tailored to highlight your qualifications for the job for which you are applying.

I would like to follow your progress. Please keep me posted.

Abby,

One thing that I have always found helpful with resumes is input from others. Share the resumes with your family, professors, peers, past supervisors, and/or career services for their opinion. See what impression your resume gives and if there are any areas that are confusing or too wordy. Ask those who know you best if key experiences are missing. Be prepared because you will get a lot of feedback, sometimes competing input. Ultimately, you have to make the call how you want to represent yourself.

If you are competing for roles posted on campus, it is especially important that you think about what are your strengths that differentiate you from your peers.

Going forward, record your accomplishments every 4 months or so. This will be a big help in updating your resume in the future.