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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1982)
Page 2 Section II Portland Observer, August 11, 1982 Guide for writing resumes The need fo r a good resum e. A well-developed visually a ttra c tiv e resume can be an invaluable asset in a job search. Often the resume is the firs t im pression the em ployer o b tains o f the applicant and thus is a significant advertisement fo r talents and abilities. Considerable time and e ffort should be given to its com pil ation. T he o b je c tiv e o f th e re s u m e . The objective o f the resume is not to get a job but to obtain an interview. Keep in mind who w ill be reading it and what he w ill be lo o k in g fo r . Chances are that the person reading the resume w ill not have time to la bor th ro u g h several pages o f de tailed inform ation. A t this point the employer does not want a com pre hensive life history and background —he does want a clear, concise, and b rie f sum m ary o f q u a lific a tio n s . The resume, therefore, should be lim ite d to one page w ith a second page added o n ly fo r ten years or m ore o f fu ll-tim e experience. The applicant’ s goal through the resume is to attract su ffic ie n t attention to create an interview opportunity. C o n te n t. Each individual brings different and unique qualifications, abilities, and objectives to a poten tia l em ployer. Thus, each resume should be different as each person is different. Design the content to em phasize strong points and accom plishments and de-emphasize weak points. C ertain basic in fo rm a tio n , described below, should be in clu d ed. However, the am ount o f space devoted to each category and the o r der in which it appears is a matter o f choice. (1) Id e n tific a tio n . This section includes name, address, telephone number and area code. (2) J o b O b ja c tiv a . For those with a little or no full-tim e work ex perience, the development o f a con cisely described jo b objective may be the most d iffic u lt task in com pil ing a resume. The jo b o b je ctive should be specific enough to show that considerable thought has been given to career planning. It must al so be flexible enough so that it does not preclude consideration fo r re lated jo b opportunities or interest. Type o f job, type o f industry or em p lo ye r, size o f em ployer, short range career goal, and long range career goal exemplify general topics which should be mentioned. For those w ith a definite area o f specialization, the jo b objective is usually well-defined i f it is an exten sion o f present o r im m ediate past w o rk experience. H ow ever, i f a change in specialization or career fie ld is planned, the jo b objective should reflect how past accomplish ments and abilities relate to success in the new area. E x p e rie n c e . For the new gra d uate w ith little or no fu ll-tim e pro fessional level work experience, it is summer jo b s — even i f the type o f im portant to include part-tim e and work has no bearing on academic or college and the extent to w hich a contribution was made to college ex penses. Regardless o f how inconse quential the experience may seem to the chosen career field, try to men tio n b rie fly some general positive c o n trib u tio n that the w ork exper ience p ro vid e d . For a lum ni who have had fu ll-tim e , college-level w ork experience, this section be comes increasingly im portant as a reflection o f ca pability and poten tial. The descriptions o f experience can include name o f employer (last jo b fir s t) , in clusive dates, jo b t i tles, and a b rie f description o f re s p o n s ib ilitie s . Since names and dates o f em ploym ent are required on application forms, this inform a tio n does not have to be in the resume M ore im p o rta n t is to in clude the types o f experience and skills that have been developed. (4) E d u c a tio n . W ith last school attended listed first include name o f college and location, inclusive dates o f attendance, degrees received, m ajor areas o f specialization, and academic honors received (including scholarships). Unless there is a par ticu la r reason to do so, do not in clude high school data. career plans. The employer is inter ested in how time was spent while in (5) P ersonal D ata This section can include height, weight, date o f birth, m arital status, number o f de pendents, and condition o f health. Do not include race, religion, or a picture in the resume. Names and ages o f children are also unim port ant. (6) O th e r I n fo r m a tio n w h ic h m ay ba in c lu d e d w h a n a p p r o priate Professional affiliations and qualifications—also mention leader ship positions held. L ite ra ry accom plishm en ts— in standard bibliographic fc ;m . Early background—only when it relates to type o f work sought. Personal inter ests and a c tiv itie s —in c lu d in g hobbies, clubs, organizations, vo l unteer work, etc. Keep in mind that this in fo rm a tio n provides a well- rounded p ro file o f the type o f per son you are. Baaic guldallnaa fo r daacrlbing a ra a u m a — Eya a p p a a l an d la y o ut: 1. Use creativity in layout, divid ing lines, white space, and margins fo r o p tim um graphic appeal— by being “ eye-catching” a resume may separate itself from the others in the m orning m ail. I f you are in a crea tive field (e.g., advertising, journal ism, a rt, etc.), be as innovative as possible, using the resume as a medium to demonstrate ability. 2. I f desired, have the resume re produced bv offset printing to look like an o rig in a l typed copy. F ifty copies are usually a va ilable fo r under $6.00. 3. Use good quality paper, 8'/i x 11 inches, for convenience in filing and record keeping. Where the jobs will be in the 1980s Individuals w ith strong technical scientific and business skills w ill be in demand in the 1980s. College grad uates with liberr al arts backgrounds w ill find the jo b market tough and the salaries low. Studies show that demand fo r graduates w ith engin eering degrees has increased consid e rably, especially at the M a s te r’ s and d o cto ra l levels. Jobs are also plentiful in science, math, and tech nical asreas. The highest s ta rtin g salaries arc in the E ngineering fields. W ith little or no experience companies are o ffe rin g $24,000 to $28,000 a year for electrical, chemi cal, mining and petroleum engineers with bachelor’ s degrees; $27,000 to $32,000 fo r engineers with M aster’ s degrees; and approximately $35,000 for engineers with Ph.D.s W ith 4 to 6 years experience engineers can make over $46,000. Degrees in busi ness w ith emphasis in accounting and management usually command a sta rtin g salary o f $25,000 to $27,000 annually. A c tu a lly higher salaries are earned by those w ith technical undergraduate degrees. Some experts say success in a finan cial career with out an M B A is hope less or impossible fo r minorities. In the com puter fie ld o p p o r tunities are unlimited. In many cases starting salaries fo r com puter p ro fessionals are lower than engineers, but the demand fo r computer scien tists p robably w ill rem ain fo r the next 10 or 15 years. The average starting salary is about $22,000 an nually. W ith a PhD. the starting sal ary fo r com puter specialists can be $47,000. Presently the employment picture looks bleak. Both the private sector and the public sector has suffered from the recession. President Rea gan’ s budget cuts have hurt social programs and the black profession als who adm inister them. M any o f the a d m in is tra to rs and managers have social science o r lib e ra l arts backgroun d w hich are not in de mand at the present. Because o f this dem and, many are advised to u p grade th e ir s k ills . E m ployers are lo o k in g fo r people w ith skills and training in accounting, finance and in the computer sciences. Job opportunities are more plen tifu l fo r blacks in large urban areas. Also, politically and socially, blacks tend to fare much better in large u r ban areas. In C alifornia the demand fo r com puter scientists and engin eers is great. Many large corpora-, tions w ill continue to pursue a f f ir mative action goals. The time when companies hired individuals because they were female or black has come to an end. They are now being hired because they have skills. muLTnom AH c o u rrrv OREGon BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES WITH MULTNOMAH COUNTY If you choose a business career... M ultnom ah County has a Minority and Female Business Enterprise Program e Less Red Tape: Multnomah County is accepting the City of Portland's MBE and FBE certifications MORE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: • To bid on construction projects • To sell supplies • To render services • To provide professional services To find out more about these business opportunities and to learn how and what Multnomah County buys each year Please also contact our Purchasing Division: SHERRY JACOX, DIRECTOR/MBE OFFICER OR DON EICHMAN, ASST. DIRECTOR/MBE OFFICER 2505 SE 11TH AVE PORTLAND .OREGON 97202 (503) 248-5111 _ “ Distributed locally by Miller Brands. Inc. ,1
