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  • A Comparison: Resume and Curriculum Vitae


    Resume components and objective

    The resume document is comprised of one or two-pages summarizing an individual’s career objectives, professional experiences and achievements, and his/her educational background. If you are the preparer of your own resume, its heading should contain your name, address and contact information, while the body of your resume should be broken into these sections: career objective, profile summary, professional experience, achievements, scholastics, and references.

    While your career objective should be brief (up to two sentences), it should give your potential employers an idea of how you wish to move forward in your professional life. A concise profile or a summary should discuss who you are and how your skills and experience best apply to the job in which you are interested. The summary, as well as other parts of your resume, should not contain personal information that discloses ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, living situations, or any other personal information that is not directly related to your career.

    Personal profile summary should only contain a few well-written sentences that convey what you can bring to the table in terms of the specific job for which you have applied. It is recommended that you use this section to attract the employer’s attention, but don’t go overboard in trying to be creative; keep it professional. Your experience listing should include information on one to five jobs you’ve held, starting with your current or last job, and listing previous positions in chronological order.

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    In addition, your education should include college, graduate and post-graduate work, as well as any courses or professional certifications which are relevant to your career development. Achievements, volunteer positions, publications and interests should be listed only if they are relevant to your professional work experience; and references should be listed if requested; best practices suggest not to list generic statements about references being available upon request as this is understood. Keep the information relevant and concise ion order to present your well-written resume to potential employers.

    The Curriculum Vitae (CV)

    Curriculum Vitae or CV is a collection of documents that describe your education and professional history, focusing on your achievements and showcasing higher level of detail than a resume. Individuals who typically use CV as a form of application are those seeking positions in education, entrance into graduate and post-graduate programs, and/or research; and they are required, in most cases, to discuss their professional philosophies.

    While resumes are often limited to one or two pages, a CV is comprised of a compilation of documents, and has no limit on length; which means it can extend over several pages (typically four or five pages, but can be more based on experience and achievements). In this respect a Curriculum Vitae contains similar information as your resume, but it places greater emphasis on education and scholastic accomplishments.

    Philosophically speaking

    Unlike your resume, a CV would contain information on scholarships you may have received; texts or research you have completed and published; grants you received; community and volunteer work; teaching philosophy; and other such academic work. You will begin by listing your career objective, in summary form, to showcase the level of commitment you have to your goals and the steps/actions you are willing to take in order to achieve them.

    If you are applying for a teaching position, for example, you would provide a brief outline of your teaching philosophy. Immediately following your goals, you’d list your achievements, highlighting your education first. Here, you can mention your thesis project or dissertation, courses that support your career objective, publications and research (in progress or completed), certifications, studies abroad, languages, etc.

    In concluding your CV

    Following the goals and achievements section should be a section for your experience which should emphasize a work history that supports your career objective. This should be the extent to which you go in providing information and therefore should conclude your CV. If you are unsure which form of application to use, do the appropriate research and create a resume or CV that best fits the format commonly accepted in your industry.

  • Method of Listing Publications on a Resume


    Relevance of publications to career

    There are many industries in which publication of an individual’s work is a critical part of his/her career development; and as professionals in industries that require us to actively publish research studies, essays, articles, textbooks, and other literary work, we have to find ways to account for such publications on our resumes. There are a number of things to consider with respect to publications as a resume is being developed.

    First, if you are the subject of particular resume, ask yourself how relevant the publications are to your career objective. If you have recent publications that support your career objective, make sure to create a separate heading on your resume and list the publications in reverse chronological order. Follow the AP style when listing a given publication, omitting your name from the listing if you were the only author of the text, as that is implied.

    Publications that do not support your career objective should not be listed on your resume; and while such works may be helpful to mention to your potential employer via a cover letter, it is not necessary to take up space on your resume with information that does not directly impact your career. Also, if you have a submission in progress, or you are working on texts which support your qualifications – for a particular job – that you know will be published at a later date, include them on the resume under a sub-heading of “submitted to,” or “to be published in,” (publication name).”

    A literary resume section

    However, if you decide to include works in progress, you must make sure that they will get published at some point in the future. This is mostly critical for freelance magazine, newspaper or creative writers; but do not list every article you have submitted for publication, unless you are certain that it will get published; and if your list of publications is fairly extensive, do not dismiss it completely from your resume, because you do want your employer to know that you have either published, or are in the process of publishing, your work.

    To accomplish this you could simply create a section within your resume dedicated to publications, while taking care not to go overboard with the number of publications you list on your resume. It is acceptable form to list three to five publications in reverse chronological order in the section you’ve created. This will give your potential employer an idea of your work, the publications, audiences you have reached, as well as your qualifications. At the end of your publication listing, including a statement that tells the employer a complete listing of publications can be provided upon request.

    Include publications that support career objective

    In your professional summary, or cover letter, you can indicate the total number of publications you’ve had in your career; and you can always create a separate document that includes a complete listing of your publications (if the list is extensive), following the ASP style. Also make sure that your list of publications credits other authors properly. You should have a print-out of this list, along with your resume that you can bring to any job interview, or forward to the hiring manager at their request.

    In addition, if asked about your publications, offer your potential employer a copy of any of articles you’ve written for their review. Overall, you should disclose any information about publications, if such publications supports your career objective and highlights your qualifications for the job. Review the information you list carefully and make sure that names and dates of publications are correct. Keep in mind that –even minor mistakes can raise questions about your credibility.

  • Resume Tips that Teachers May Find Useful


    Whether you are new to teaching, are returning to teaching after time off, or are leaving your corporate job for a teaching position, you will need to make sure that your resume and cover letter address the most important elements of your decision to enter the teaching field, including questions your potential employers might have like those provided in the following paragraphs.

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    Compelling reasons for teaching

    Why do you want to be a teacher? This question is very important and you must address it in both your resume and your cover letter. Keeping in mind that the career objective listed in your résumé should have a well-developed statement about your passion for teaching, and your cover letter should elaborate on your goals and teaching style; also your career objective should be more extensive than that of an objective found on corporate-driven resumes.

    Your career objective as a teacher should really provide more of a summary of your passion for teaching, as well as the qualifications you bring to the position; and your commitment to students and their education should be among your top priorities, no matter their level of academic accomplishment. These goals must be clearly communicated as are among the most critical aspects of being a teacher, and doing so can set you apart from other applicants.

    Qualifications for the position you seek

    Do you have the qualifications necessary to be a teacher? The education and certifications you’ve acquired should immediately follow your career summary statement, which of course, is the section that should be titled “Academic Credentials” and should list the various degrees and certifications which make you a qualified candidate for a teacher’s position. Having proper credentials for the job you are applying for is critical in the teaching field.

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    In addition, you should point out any cluster of courses you have taken in school that makes you qualified to teach a specific subject; and if you have been published in academic journals, or have written and published textbooks, it may be a good idea to create a separate section on your resume for publications. Also make it a priority to include a comprehensive list of all of your credentials on the resume. Just don’t sell your self short.

    Comparative professional experience

    What part of your professional experience qualifies you to be a teacher? Unlike corporate-focused resumes, where jobs are outlined in chronological order, teachers have to focus on not only their experience teaching (if applicable) but on any professional achievements which make them a great candidates for a given teaching job. In other words, if you are applying for a teacher’s job, and have prior experience in teaching, you should use a functional resume resume formatted with a list that will showcase your work history.


    However, if you are new to teaching, you will need to list any experience you have that helps make you a great teacher; but don’t get discouraged– if you consider your inexperience, because you’ll find that you have the qualifications to be a teacher, as long as you just focus on those qualifications that meet your career objective. In other vwords, you should use a functional resume because that format will be more suitable for your purposes.

    Do a little research and find examples of teaching resumes that you can model your own resume after; and if you are entering the teaching field with corporate experience, list any training you have developed and taught at your company as credible and comparably suitable experience for the position you are seeking. If you have recently graduated, list any mentorship or teacher’s assistant positions you may have had, or any practical coursework you took part in.

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    You can reference any volunteer work, or community involvement that supports your goal of becoming a teacher. For example, if you volunteered your time to an organization like Big Brother/Big Sister, and you mentored a child, note that on your resume. Utilize any experience you may have that demonstrates your leadership, passion for educating others and your ability to motivate and pass on knowledge to others.

    Sharing your professional goals

    What are your long term professional goals? Similar to requirements, concerns and information gathering in a corporation, the school in which you are interested in teaching will want to know, not only why you want to be a teacher, but what your long term professional goals are. You should make a brief mention of your long-term goals in your career summary, and your cover letter or teaching philosophy should elaborate on your long term goals.

    Will you be returning to school for a Master’s degree or a Ph.D.? Are you interested in becoming a high school dean in the next ten years, or will you want to teach more than one subject? Are you interested in teaching grade school first, and possibly teaching high school at the later time? Do you have interest in becoming a department chair at a university? If you are driven toward a long term goal, make your potential employer aware of it; but make sure you have an action plan on how to get there, one which –shows your employer that you understand what it takes to reach that goal.

    The importance of getting it right

    As important as anything else that was already said, make sure that your resume is error-free, and that you have incorporated key words specific to the teaching field; key words such as teaching jargon and acronyms. Do your research and model your well-written resume after samples of other teachers, with the consideration of their experience and teaching level. Demonstrate your passion, your commitment to education and your patience. Doing so will help schools realize how passionate and qualified you are for the position you seek.

  • Resume Exclusions: What Not to List on Your Resume


    The task of resume preparation

    Anyone who has ever written a resume will probably agree that composing and structuring one of these documents is a very difficult task, a task which you will have to undertake in the preparation of your own resume; because it takes time and patience to fit your entire professional history within one or two pages, in a way that presents you as the best candidate for the job. While we focus so much of our energy on what must be included in our resumes, we often forget to stop and think about the information that should never be included.

    With that in mind, there are at least five pieces of information you should exclude from your resume, and they are listed in the following paragraphs as an informal guide you can refer to when composing your own resume:

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    The first two exclusions

    1. Do not get personal – Any information that discloses demographics should not be listed in your resume. Items such as your age, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, marital status, physical appearance, or your personal philosophies that are not critical to your job performance must be excluded, as these pieces of information could become detrimental, and be used against you – or be mis-used in the hands of an ethically challenged individual. So such information should never be listed on your resume.

    Presenting yourself as a professional to your potential employers is the goal, and as such, the method (resume document) in which you use for your presentation should not be a list of your hobbies or interests. On the other hand, it must be a well formatted listing of your education, qualifications and employment history; so stick to the information that is relevant to the job, as well as to your career objective.

    2. Do not list historical salary information on your resume – This is a strict rule and you should follow it as closely as you possible can, since your employer is more concerned with what your desired salary is, than of what you earned in your first job out of college. If you are asked to provide historical salary information do so in your cover letter, not your resume. As a best practice, always list the minimum of what you are willing to accept for the job, and avoid using a salary range.

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    Having said that, it is important that you do your research so that you will have a good workable knowledge and understanding of what an acceptable salary is for the job in which you are interested. Whenever possible, leave all salary conversations for the interview with your potential employer.

    Other Omissions: jargon and personal webite

    3. Do not use jargon or too many “big words” – Unless you are absolutely certain that the person reading your resume will understand the terminology you are using, avoid using jargon in your resume. Pattern your resume as if it was being directed toward recruiters, rather than to an immediate hiring manager, because the human resources associates are usually first to scan your resume. While it is important to showcase your knowledge of a particular field through your education and experience, it is ill-advised to use jargon since it has no place on your well-written resume.

    In addition, avoid using too many “big words” since you don’t want to give the impression that you’re hiding behind your vocabulary; and keep in mind that making your resume overbearing is the fastest way to ensure losing the interest of your employer. Just use the action words that are relevant to your career level.

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    4. Do not list your personal web site – As a rule, you should not include your personal web site if it contains your photo or other photos that may be viewed as inappropriate, especially if it contains jokes (even if they are clean jokes), or your personal blog. In other words, if the site you have is entirely for personal purposes, you are best advised to leave it off your resume. Only include a link to your web site if the pages are set up in a way that showcases your professional portfolio, a copy of your resume, reference letters, presentations, photos taken for professional use, or your web development skills.

    Critical little nuisances must be removed

    5. Do not allow typos or other errors to remain – The most important factor in achieving a winning resume is proof reading. Understanding that you want to put your best foot forward, errors on your resume will defeat the purpose; so if your resume contains grammatical and spelling errors, your potential employer will get an impression that you are not detail-oriented. S/he may also come to the conclusion that you are somewhat sloppy, and as such, will do sloppy work if you are hired.

    As basic a task as proof reading is, there is no other way to say that it is also very difficult to proof read a document you have been working on so closely, so it may be a good idea to– use spell check – although this tool does not catch grammaticl errors. So ask your friends and family members for help, or meet with a career counselor; Dbut do your best to present the most polished and well-written resume you possibly can to your potential employers.

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  • The Inclusion of References on a Resume


    The references catchall phrase

    When the subject pertains to references on your resume, you would not be surprised to know that the most frequently used phrase is that old reliable standard: “References available upon request.” But whether or not this catchall phrase will continue be the acceptable stand-in for an actual list of references on your resume remains to be seen. In fact there is an ongoing debate among professionals about the inclusion of references on a resume, while some individuals still strongly encourage job applicants to include the aforementioned phrase at the bottom of their resumes.

    In a way the catchall phrase lets potential employers know that, if asked, the job applicant can name at least a couple of people who think s/he is a great asset to any company. However, the opposing side will argue the validity of this line as it doesn’t provide any information with a call to action; and therefore suggests that potential employers and other job search professionals should operate under the assumption that every professional with a resume will be able to provide references from his previous employers.

    Yet another group of professionals will urge you, the job applicant, to not only include the “references available upon request” phrase in your resume references section, but to list anywhere from three to five references, along with their titles, contact numbers and a description of your relationship to them, along with a notation that “more references will be provided if needed.” So, how do you know who to listen to?

    A prudent use of references

    In answer to the above question, a good rule of thumb will be to mention references regardless of any other phrase or statement being employed, as it is considered proper resume etiquette to include a section for references at the bottom of your resume. This lets your potential employer know that you not only have professional references, but you understand that checking references is an important part of your interview process. Additionally, you will want to have an employer request references from you so that you can let your references know they can expect to be contacted.

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    Listing someone as a reference on your resume without letting that person know, even if s/he has previously provided a reference for you, is not a good practice; because since you don’t want any job you of your reference list to be caught by surprise when they are contacted, it is important that you let each of them know about the job you’re applying for, and any special circumstances – if any – under which you’ve made application so that they know which qualifications they should highlight when they are contacted.

    If you are posting your resume on job search web sites such as monster.com, or you’re working with a head hunter to find the best opportunities for you, it is best that you simply use the line, “References available upon request” at the end of your well-written resume; and as indicated above, you will want to let your references know ahead of time if they will be contacted by a potential employer or other entity associated with your application.

    Resume blast vs targeted position

    Listing references on your resume and making it available to multiple employers for review may result in calls to your references by employers you may not have even been in touch with directly. Obviously, you’ll want to avoid this kind of annoyance to people you are using as references, since you don’t want to abuse your relationship with them. If you intend to “blast” your resume to multiple employers, head hunters and other such parties, it may be prudent not to include a full listing of references on your resume.

    However, if you’re sending the resume to a specific employer after you have been in touch with the hiring manager or someone at the company that will refer you for the job you are interested in, it is suggested that you include references on the resume. This allows your potential employer to have all the information necessary to consider you as a serious candidate for the job. The reference list should include the reference’s name, his/her title and the company s/he’s working for, the person’s relationship to you and a day-time telephone number.

    In fact, the best practice might be to let your references know about a particular job opportunity before you submit the resume, while letting them know that you are passing along their contact information to the potential employer, or better yet, request their permission to do so. And if you have already submitted a resume without references, but expect to meet with the employer for an interview, bring a printed copy of the well-written resume you prepared and make sure it includes a list of references.

    One stop shop to a good job

    Following a good interview, employers typically check references as a best practice, so you will want to provide the hiring manager with a one-stop-shop (so to speak) of your qualifications and your references, therefore you should always bring a printed copy of your cover letter, your resume and references with you to an interview. Vigilance is sure to make a great impression and bring you one step closer to getting that sought after job you really want. Learn more about resumes, cover letters and interviews!

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  • Education and Skills on a Functional Resume


    Recent graduates seeking employment

    Graduating from college is one of the proudest moments an individual will ever experience. Receiving that diploma validates all the hard work s/he put into that education, including the many all-nighters s/he pulled before exams. An individual’s graduation is a measure of all the individual’s accomplishments as a student, and opens the door into a world of career choices, job searches, and 40-hour workweeks.

    Moreover, if you are that recent graduate, the realization about getting a job that requires experience, and how you will go about doing it, suddenly hits you; especially if you have no actual work experience. As a recent college graduate, you are entering the workforce at entry-level positions with almost any company that hires you, and your potential employers have very reasonable expectations; because they expect you to have graduated from college, and that your major is in line with the job you’re applying for.

    They also anticipate that you have some experience, a summer job, or some kind of an internship; but they are not requiring years of professional experience. They would, however, like to see a few references from your professors or previous supervisors, so that they can get a better idea of your personality and work ethic. Sound reasonable so far?

    Functional resume highlights qualifying skills

    The best way to show your potential employer that you are a perfect candidate for the job is to create a functional resume, since functional resumes focus on your qualifications, not your career timeline. This style of resume will also highlight the skills you have, rather than where and when you acquired or utilized them. In other words, instead of listing your experiences by job titles, your (functional) resume will contain sections titled by your skills, such as verbal and written communication, customer satisfaction, project management, etc.

    The functional resume style is highly recommended for, and most often used by, college students seeking internships or their first jobs out of college. In structuring this kind of resume resume you begin by stating your career objective, while making sure that your career goals are personal; but your objective should be specific to the position for which you’re making application, and should convey to your potential employer how you intend to utilize your education, as well as how this position will help you develop your experience.

    Your education should be listed next, and in doing so you should list the school you attended and its location, your graduation year, and your major. It may also be helpful to include your GPA, specific courses you have taken, and/or any honors you have received while in school. Any professional skills you have acquired should come next; and this section will include sub-headings as they relate to specific qualifications you want to promote, such as communications, customer relations, managements, and so on.

    Career objective, clarity, mentor review!

    In the professional skills section you can utilize any experience you have that relates to the sub-sections, including your part time jobs, internships, volunteer positions held, community service work, or school-related activities. However, you should only include a work experience/work history section if you have held part time jobs while in school or have had internships you’d like your employer to know about. This list should only include dates, titles, companies, and locations without listing any of your responsibilities, since you will have covered them in the previous section.

    Memberships in any clubs during your school years should be included in a section for activities, in which you will list only those that support your career objective. For example, if you were an editor of your school paper, and you are trying to get a job at a publishing company, make sure you include this experience in your resume. Your last section should list references; and as a new graduate, it is beneficial to include references on the well-written resume you prepared for yourself to ensure that you give your potential employer everything s/he needs in order to consider you as a qualified candidate for the job.

    You have nothing to lose by providing this information ahead of being asked for it; but before you start applying for jobs, take advantage of your school’s career center and have one of the mentors there review your resume and help you perfect both the content and the format. Just remember that, with a well-written and appropriately styled resume, you are prepared to take the professional world by storm. Good luck!


  • Stating Your Responsibilities in a Job Description


    Early stages of resume writing

    If you have ever had to write a resume, you know that the blank page you are looking at just before writing a word on it can be very challenging; so you can imagine the dread and/or intimidation experienced at the same juncture, by individuals who have never had to write a resume and suddenly compelled to do so, especially when they may not fully understand whether they need a functional or chronological resume . It’s very easy for most people to describe job responsibilities to family and friends; but listing them in a resume to showcase how their experience aligns with career objectives is difficult.

    That having been said, let’s talk a little about those early stages of resume writing, including the “getting started” stage, during which you must first consider what type of a job you are seeking. Much like your career objective or summary, this stage should reflect your professional goals, and your current and past experiences must showcase – in a convincing manner – why you are the candidate best suited for the job being offered.

    In listing your current and past professional experiences, it is important to keep focus on those responsibilities that are indicative of your qualifications, and why they place you in a unique position for taking the next step in your career. Considering the fact that more and more companies – as well as job search sites – use scanning software to pick out candidates, it is very important that you use keywords, including active verbs, to describe your skills.

    Key words for your job descriptions

    Instead of beginning your job descriptions with “Responsible for” try to use active verbs such as:

    • managed
    • developed
    • created
    • communicated
    • interfaced
    • achieved, among others

    These key words get straight to the point of describing your responsibilities, which is exactly what employers are looking for. Choose these words carefully though, because you don’t want to say that you “managed a project”, implying you were responsible for the whole task from start to finish, if in fact, you were only responsibly for communicating the project to other associates. Instead state that you “Developed and executed the communication strategy for associates,” thereby describing your role more accurately and emphasizing your strengths; this way you’ll be sure to submit a well-written resume to prospective employers.

    Properly formatting your resume

    Typically, the first job listed on your resume is the one you currently hold. In this case it is important to make sure that your responsibilities are stated in present tense, as you are still responsible for them. For example, say “Manage accounting activities” instead of “Managed accounting activities.” This will indicate to your potential employer what your current day-to-day activities are, and how they compliment responsibilities of the job you are submitting your resume for.

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    All previous jobs should be listed using past tense, and should start with active verbs such as managed, developed, accomplished, etc. Additionally, make sure the responsibilities you are listing are relevant for to your career objective. List only those responsibilities which help you put your best foot forward, for example, such that if you are looking for a job that requires managing a team of people, focus on your development and participation in group projects, instead of focusing on solitary activities such as office organization.

    In terms of formatting, make sure that your responsibilities are listed in bullet points, since such formatting is preferred to paragraphs on a resume simply because it is easier to review quickly. Employers often just scan the resumes and look for key words –and if the resume looks overwhelming – with a lot of copy and poor formatting – they will likely discard it. Thus, it is very important that your resume is formatted with enough white space and doesn’t contain any errors.