James A. Rhodes State College
…A Few More Items You Might Want to Add
You’ve just read what must be included on your resume draft, now look at some things that are suggested…and those things that are optional.
Headings and Information that we strongly recommend for your resume…
Employment Objective - this is NOT a career objective. The Objective on your resume should reflect where do you “fit”. What skills do you want to use, in what type of environment do you want to work.
Objectives that say “A challenging job in a progressive business” tells the reader nothing - except that you are afraid to commit yourself or you have no idea what you want to do. A better objective is: “An accounting position that utilizes interest and experience with accounts receivable, accounts payables, general ledger, account reconciliation and strong customer service skills”.
Face the facts now, you cannot be all things to all people. An objective that is too general only makes you appear wishy-washy and shows lack of direction. (There are some majors just graduating from Rhodes State that can get by with something as simple as “A full- or part-time position as a _______” but this will only apply to this first job. The next job will require more focus.)
College Honors, Activities, Leadership - if you’ve had the time to get involved, show it. If you belong to any campus clubs or professional organizations, be sure to include them. Always include any leadership/officer role you have had while a member. Any chance you get to join and become an active member in a campus organization or honor society - do it!
Community Service/Community Activities - many Rhodes State students do not have campus activities, but are active in their communities, schools and/or churches. This is an optional area, but one that says a lot about a person. If you are a Girl Scout Leader or a Soccer Coach, or if you’ve taught Sunday School for the past six years - give yourself credit for these on your resume. This type of info usually appears in a heading called Community Service, Community Activities, or even Additional Information.
Additional Information - this is an optional, but often important, heading on your resume. Information in this section is often info you want on the resume, but it doesn’t really fit under any other heading. Additional information can include: community activities; hobbies and interests; high school info - if you came to Rhodes State directly from high school; or, maybe something special about you. An example of something special might be perfect attendance for three years, or honors received in a previous job.
Instruction - many times students do not have practical experience in their field. If that applies to you then you might want to include an area called Instruction, Related Instruction, or Course Work. This gives you the chance to show the employer what you have been taught and, hopefully, what you know. An Instruction area can level the playing field against practical experience. It also gives you the chance to talk about what you know.
A word about including Instruction: Do NOT just list the courses as you have taken them. List those with the most importance to your objective first. People tend to read the first few items of a list and skim the rest. So, with that in mind, you need to make sure that the most important/most meaningful courses to you and your job appear as the first, second and third item in any list.
High School Information - for most students this is “old” information and therefore should not appear on your resume. IF you started Rhodes State right out of high school and while in high school you were involved in activities, honoraries and/or sports, then you might want to include it but only under “Additional Information”. As a rule, college students DO NOT include high school info on their resume.
Avoid references to your spouse, children, specific church or denomination, your age, social security number, licensure i.d. numbers, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender or origins of birth.
- Use good active verbs to describe (managed, directed, etc.)
- Write in action phrases (Scheduled….; Coordinated…..)
- List most important info first (job skills, classes, etc.)
- Avoid abbreviations and never use “etc” on your resume
- Follow an inverse chronological order for your info
- Do not use pronouns
- Make it fit to one page
- Make an appointment with your Placement Director in PS 150 to review and edit your resume draft with you. (Bring your cover draft to the appointment & save time!)