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Page 6, Section II, Portland O bserver, May 29, 1905
Writing your resume:
Planning to marry soon. Howard University 1986
graduates Duane A. Dilworth and Jacquelyn M
Brewer, center, receive congratulation* from fellow
The resume is a necessary tool for
every jo b hunter and is particularly
c ritic a l to the new g rad u te. There
are two primary reasons for this:
1. The new graduate usually has
little background and experience to
sell a prospective employer.
2. The level o f competition for en
try-level jobs means that a prospec
tive em ployer has a wide choice o f
applicants, and first impressions are
im portant; the resume is frequently
the first impression.
T h e most d if f ic u lt p art o f
preparing a resume is deciding how
to make it stand out when so many
people with similar backgrounds are
also in com petition w ith you. P u t
ting several hundred words on one
(or at the most two) pages in a m an
ner th at w ill co n vin c e someone
whom you have never met that you
should be interviewed is a challenge
re q u irin g yo u r best crea tiv e and
composition skills.
Before you begin preparing your
resum e, review w h a t you know
about the em ploym ent process. The
problem the hiring organization has
is th at n o n a c c e p 'a b le cand idates
must be sorted out so that there will
be m ore lim e to c o n ce n tra te on
plausible applicants. Also, most of
the su b je ctive ju d g m e n ts in the
selection process are m ade in the
early stages. So do not give a poten
tial employer any reason not to in
terview you by su b m ittin g a poor
resume.
Y o ur resume, then, must presell
you Personality is not yet a factor,
as th ere is no in te rp ers o n a l
chem istry at this stage o f the selec
tio n process. T h e p o te n tia l e m
ployer reading your resume has no
w ay o f kn o w in g w hether you are
b rig h t or d u ll, elo q u en t o r in a r
ticulate, personable or introverted,
because at this tim e you are just a
c o lle c tio n o f facts on a piece o f
paper. It is, th erefore, critical that
the proper inform ation be conveyed
on the resume so th at a p o sitive
decision w ill be made to interview
you.
student* after earning BS/DDS and B S /M D de
grows. respectively, in only six year*. Brewer is the
top-ranking graduate in the medical class
Top med student to be June bride
reer in medicine when she was in the
by Henry Duvall
As the spring rite o f graduation
blossoms on college campuses nation
wide. Howard University 1985 grad
uate Jacquelyn M . Brewer has reason
to be excited — doubly excited.
The 24-year-old Richmond, V A ,
native is the top-ranking graduate in
How ard’s medical class and plans to
become a June bride, marrying a
"study buddy” who proposed to her
during their freshman year
But Brewer and her fiance, Duane
A. Dilworth, graduating from H ow
ard’s dental school, are unlike most
medical and dental graduates, who
spend eight years en route to M D and
DD S degrees. They earned their
bachelor's and professional degrees
in only six years. They were among
some 2,000 graduates at How ard’s
117th, M ay 11th commencement.
Brewer and Dilworth managed to
cut two years from the traditional
eight years through an accelerated
program for highly motivated, aca
demically outstanding students.
While in high school, Brewer says
she learned o f How ard’s accelerated
B S /M D program from a visiting
recruiter. The idea of earning a medi
cal degree in just six years "seemed
too good to be true," she stresses,
noting that she had decided on a ca-
10th grade.
Dilworth, a 23-year-old St. Louis
native, had planned to matriculate at
the University o f Missouri at Kansas
City, where he was told he could earn
baccalaureate and dental degrees in
seven years. Bui a friend of the family
convinced him that he should go to
Howard in Washington, D .C .
Winning academic awards and
active in extracurricular activities in
high school, both were high-caliber
students whom any university would
have welcomed. Attending a pre
dominantly Black university, how
ever, had a special appeal.
Students entering How ard’s six-
year preprofessional programs must
rank in the top 5 percent o f their high
school graduating class and have a
combined Scholastic Aptitude Test
score o f at least 1200.
Along with high academic creden
tials, maturity is a chief personal
characteristic required of candidates
for the B S /M D and B S /D D S pro
grams, which are based in the t enter
for Preprofessional Education in
How ard’s C ollege of Liberal Arts.
In addition to the B S /M D and
BS
DDS programs, Howard offers a
similarly accelerated, ombined de
gree program leading to the doctor of
podiatric medicine degree in conjunc
tion with the Pennsylvania College
of Podiatric Medicine.
Students enrolled in the two-year
undergraduate phase o f the three pro
grams are offered no guarantees for
admission to the university’s health
profession schools or to the Pennsyl
vania college.
Brewer is the first student in H o w
ard's six-year B S /M D and B S /D D S
programs, which began in 1972, to
graduate at the top of a class, accord
ing to Dr. Clarence M Lee, associate
dean o f the College of Liberal
Aris.
Both become the first physician
and dentist, respectively, in their fam
ilies.
They plan to marry on June 15 in
her native Richmond, V A . Brewer is
making her own wedding dress —
"100-pcrcent silk imported from
C hina," she beams
After a honeym<xin cruise to the
Bahamas, they intend to move to hi,
hometown o f St. Louis, where Brewer
plans to intern in internal medicine ai
Barnes Hospital. She wants to spe
cialize in dermatololy.
Dilworth hopes to work at a public
clinic and become an associate in a
private dental practice. His goal is to
open his own office someday.
Length is critical. L im it it to one
page i f you can, never m o re than
two. The objective is not to write an
autobiography. O nly highlight your
b a c k g ro u n d , q u a lific a tio n s , and
skills to th is p o in t in yo u r life ,
n o tin g the re a lly p e rtin e n t i n f o r
mation about yourself to make these
facts as a ttra c tiv e as possible to a
p o te n tia l e m p lo y e r. T his is essen
tially an inventory o f your abilities
and past accomplishments.
Be accurate, factual, and logical
so th at w hat is w ritte n fo rm s a
p o s itive im age in the m in d o f the
re ad er. D o not v o lu n te e r i n f o r
m ation that might preclude a fact-
to -fa ct m eeting, such as a specific
geographic preference, a percentage
o f ac ceptable tra v e l, or ab so lu te
salary requirements.
Tailor the resume to your interests,
hopes, and career a m b itio n s by
h ig h lig h tin g the ac co m p lis h m en t
related to them T his may seem to
be a d iffic u lt task if you have little
specific w ork experience. I f th a t’ s
the case, em p h asize interests and
a m b itio n s , as w ell as your energy
and enthusiasm to apply them.
Be as sp ecific as possible in
statin g a jo b o b je c tiv e , w ith o u t
p re c lu d in g y o u rs e lf fro m some
situation by stating it too narrow ly.
F lexibility is an essential ingredient
in finding the first job . You should
have a num ber o f options in m ind.
For example, you want a marketing
jo b , but you might have to start in
sales. Do not attempt to list separate
o p tio n s here; change the jo b
preference for your resume as each
option is explored unless it is closely
related to your prim ary choice. This
m ay m ean m ore th an one resume
fo rm at, but, w ithin reason, it could
prove useful to you.
Your jo b descriptions should tell
how results were pro du ced, skills
develop ed
and
used,
and
promotions attained. Every job has
objectives, even the most menial, so
you should not sell any o f your ex
perience short. A n assignm ent or
two might make a difference in your
fa v o r. T o m ake yo u r jo b descrip
lions as meaningful as possible, use
short phrases and the most positive
semantics. For instance, rather than
say, " I n my sum m er jo b at X Y Z
C o rp o ra tio n I was m ade research
assistant." say. “ In my summer job
at X Y Z
C o rp o ra tio n
I
was
promoted to research assistant." In
stead o f " A s assistant in v e n to ry
control clerk, I handled liaison with
o th e r d e p a rm e n ts ," say. " A s
assistant inventory control clerk, I
was responsible fo r lia is o n w ith
other departm ents."
Most large organizations tend to
look for specialists, so try to convey
yo u r special skills as m uch as
possible Emphasize special interests
and c e rtific a tio n s achieved or a n
ticipated; for exam ple, " W i l l work
to w a rd M B A in F in a n c e ," C e r
tification as engineer;" "Com pleted
C A P e x a m in a tio n " and the lik e .
List any m eaningful activities in or
out o f school that are re la ted to
your objectives.
Following are some o f the m ajor
d o ’ s and d o n 't's o f resume
preparation:
I .D o n ’ t attach a p ho tograph o f
yourself. W hat you think is a good
p ic tu re may not im press anyone
else.
2. D o n ’ t say, " I ’ m lo o k in g fo r
any kind o f work that will utilize my
education." That may well be inter
preted by the potential employer as
lack o f direction and im m aturity. Be
as specific as possible about a job
objective w ithout being too restric
tive.
3. D o n ’ t in d ic a te a specific
re q u ire d sa lary . T h a t w ill be
discussed at the ap p ro p ria te tim e,
when both parties have established
some m u tu a lity o f in te re s t. T h e
right jo b should be the key now. I f
you are good at w hat you do and
Careers in banking.
First Interstate Bank of Oregon is proud to offer a wi3e range of career opportuni
ties We have positions for people with all levels of educ&fien. and support the
advancement of our employees through many eduCt|Ugn^ and training programs
Here are just a few of our several thousand bank errujloya^s throughout Oregon
m.e
Ann Williams
Ann began her banking career six years ago and has been with fust
Interstate Bank as a manager in the Real Estate and Loan Division
since 1983 She has a BA in EhqlisHtrorr Mills College in Oakland
CA and a M S in Library Scienco^liom University ot California al Berkeley
Ann chose her career in banking because it allows her to build on
my academic, professional and personal skills
Complete the first two years of lower division transfer or prepare for a
career in more than 80 different vocational areas.
Kent Walton
Get career counseling or help with an individualized learning plan
Kent /omed the bank in 1975 as a management trainee and is
currently a transitional trainee in commercial lending He was also
assistant manager ol the bank s Walnut Park branch tor tour years
graduate ol the University ot Colorado. Kent has also been able Io
take advantage ol continuing his education through American
Institirte ot Banking courses
Learn writing and math skills at your own pace - with or without a
PCC tutor. '
Portland
Community
Col lags
Call now lor an appointment
Cascade Campus, 705 N Killingsworth, 283-2541
Rock Creek Campus, 17705 N W Springville Road, 645-4461
Southeast Center. 2850 S E 82nd. 777-8020
Sylvania Campus, 12000 S W 49th Avenue, 244-6111
Ann Payne
Ann is vice president and manager ot the bank s Marketing Division
She has a B A trom Notre Dame and has been in bank marketing
since I960 She finds her work both challenging and rewarding As
an industry in the midst ot deregulation, banking otters exciting
opportunities tor marketing new products
Q
An FquH
First Interstate Bank
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