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.
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