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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1986)
Writing the resume that puts your best foot forward By Chris Nonrod Of th* Kmarald Employment prospects today are fewer and further apart than in the past. Many of the best career opportunities for new graduates are in other cities, other states and other regions. Thus, the job-seeking college student finds it necessary to ap ply far. wide and often in order to catch a chance at the best op portunities available. This quantitatfve method of job hun ting requires that the first im pression of the applicant, for most prospective employers, must come from paper — a let ter and, a resume. . ° Entire, books have been devoted to the topic of resume writing. At least three very useful resume guidelxroks are available in the-University Main Library: ’‘Your Resume: Key to a Better job.’' by I-epnardCor wen; "How, to Write Better Resumes.'.;' 2nd edition by A dele Lewis; .arid. “The Perfect Resume.”' by Tom jackson. Each of the books is packed with inforrhation and advice on. how to write the.best resume to get the job you want. Another -good place to get in formation and personal Kelp pn resumes is at the Career. Plann ing and Placement Service in Hendricks . Hall.- “The. service distributes information booklets titled "Job Search: A Guide for Success in the Job Market.” which include several pages of guidelines-fo'r resume-writing. The service also holds resume writing workshops each week . The following, ipiportant points in resume construction were derived from a survey of the available materials: The practice of resume writing began after World War II due to the expansion in the work force and commercial in dustries. Resumes were necessary as a means to screen the numerous applicants with whom personal interviews were impossible. For the employer, a resume accomplishes three objectives: it screens out the completely unqualified applicants, it familiarizes the employer with the applicant before the inter view, and it allows the employer to consider positions for which an applicant is most qualified. For the applicant, a resume servos many useful purposes. It saves time and travel for un fruitful interviews. It requires the applicant to think about per sonal strengths and weaknesses .useful in Selecting a job. If -is simpler, shorter and easier to prepare.than a detailed description • of one's .past. It . helps applicants get organized for interviews. It eliminates time-taking background ques-’ tiqns in an interview And it eliminates the temptation to ex aggerate. about one’s past dur ing, an interview. . •*. ■ Generally. • resumes , contain the following'categories: PERSONAL IDENTIFICA TION: Include name.: address, ' telephone number. An alternate telephone ’ number. (parents qr friend) where a message ran lie leftisagrHnliilea * ' POSITION SOUGHT, or CAREER OBJECTIVE: Be as specific as possible. E D U C A T I O N A L BACKGROUND; Include name How to get an interview with a campus recruiter Students do not always have to go searching for an employer Often, prospective employers come to the Univer sity in search of qualified people to fill their positions. Campus interviews are organized by the University Career Planning and Placement Service. Early each term, the CPPS conducts an orientation session Participants complete registration forms and receive packets of bid cards, which are valid for interviews that term A schedule of campus interview recruiters is listed in the Et al. section of the Oregon Daily Emerald. Students can decide which interviewers they are interested in and then submit bid cards at the CPPS in Room 244 Hendricks Hall one week before the interview Bids are screened according to the student's qualifica tions for the post ion and the priority number on the bid card. Ties are resolved by random choice. Students whose bids are selected can schedule an ap pointment for an interview and read information about the employer at the Career Information Center, room 221 Hen dricks Hail. On the day of the interview, students should check In at the reception desk In 244 Hendricks Hall at least :hedu!ed time Tuesday Only! $2.00 OFF Any large or medium pizza Chicago Style Pizza, Pasta and Calzone! 652 E. Broadway • 345-4114 For carry-out or DELIVERY of college, degrees earned, ma jor, minor, date of graduation, G.P.A. if better than 2.7 (the na tional average). Be discrete when deciding what to list. Not all of the above information is necessary or even helpful for every application. EMPLOYMENT EX PERIENCE: Emphasize any rele vant experience. Condense unrelated experience. List employment experience star ting with the most recent and working backward. Briefly describe relevant experience us ing action verbs. MISCELLANEOUS INFOR MATION: Include extracur ricular activities, personal data, outside interests and hobbies, military or draft status. This category may be divided into separate categories for each listing. REFERENCES: Some sources condone listing references oh a resume for -immediate availability- to the employer. This, will hejp when who you know is as important as-what You-know. -. ... • • . However, other resume ex perts believe listing references may . result in • unnecessary • bother for the references dr pro fsYD'S j TERMS. * 19.Q5 j ■ long h«r axlra * good thru SStae 1 ■ 1122 Aider • 485-8597 | small prices Paul's Bicycle Shop 2480 Alder 342-6155 blems for the applicant if . references should change while a prospective employer holds the resume. If references are not listed, a resume should state, “References available upon request.” In any case, all sources stress the importance of using only those references that are sure to give a good report and never taking a reference for granted. Always call potential references and ask their permission prior to listing them, and alert them K that a potential employer may call. FORMAT and MAKE-UP: In the past it was recommended that each resume be typed in dividually to show the employer special concern for that job. Today that is no longer practical because a job-seeking college student may send out more than 100 resumes. High quality photocopied or printed resumes are used most often to day. A personal touch is usually added with a cover letter. RESUME. Vty lu* >\\ it'S a.husy time for you— _ Tiinc to celebrate. tjmc, to reflect But. itValso time to l<x>k untie future i • » , ... 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