Resume Help

Meghan Everette

Preparing your resume is a challenging and soul-searching experience. The tendency is to get a resume ready only when you truly need it, so there is added pressure for it to be perfect so that you can land the interview. 

When I first graduated in advertising and PR, I proudly showed my corporate father my creative resume. He balked, saying that it wouldn't survive corporate scanners. I didn't—and still don't—want to survive a corporate scanner. I want to be recognized for my creativity and use it to my advantage, but he had a point. I needed to know my audience and my goals to know what kind of resume would survive the first cut. That came in handy when I later looked for teaching positions.

Know Your Audience

Who are you writing for? What is the job? Knowing who will see your resume is the first step in making a resume that stands out. I start with a standard format: black serif font, 10–12 point, single or space-and-a-half on crisp paper. Then I adapt for the audience. If my resume will be uploaded or e-mailed, that’s probably all I need. A business position would welcome a standard format, while a creative position would be intrigued by a resume reflecting personality.

In my first teaching position, I was still working toward my master’s degree and certification when I went to interview. I wanted to draw attention to my skills, so I created a portfolio with a plastic folder tabbed with reference letters, a fantastic lesson plan, and even photos of me with my students. I needed to prove I had experience and forethought that you couldn’t see in the black-and-white resume. I made sure that resume was hand delivered to each school I was interested in. There was no way my folio would make it through a scanner, but I didn’t want it to.

Get Specific

Education philosophy is great, but is it quantitative? You can list your last position, but what does it really say about your skills? Tell exactly, succinctly, and powerfully, what you have done. If you are pursuing a new or different position, think of skills that will translate well to the new job. If you are highly experienced, give figures and data to support your statements.

Not Specific

Somewhere Elementary School, 2002–Present

I was a 4th grade teacher on the building leadership team. My students were well prepared for local and national tests. We completed many engaging, hands-on activities to make them better learners. I wrote grants and coordinated school events. I believe all students can learn.

Specific

Somewhere Elementary School, 2002–Present

• Selected by peers as School Teacher of the Year 2006 and 2009.
• Co-authored award-winning Intel School of Distinction in Mathematics application and assisted in subsequent site visits and community celebrations.
• Member of the school leadership team, grade-level chairperson, and Engaging Youth in Engineering club coordinator.
• Met or exceeded all reading and math state testing goals with 99–100% passing rates for seven years.
• School coordinator for Box Tops for Education, National Punctuation Day, Pinwheels for Peace, and Financial Literacy Week.
• Written and awarded multiple personal and school grants in excess of $120,000 over five years.

Put Your Best Food Forward

Listing education first is a common way to start a resume, particularly for new graduates. Unless you have no experience, listing positions and initiatives first is far more powerful. Employers are far less concerned with where you attended school and far more concerned with your ability to lead, teach, and be a contributing member of the group.

Get Active

Write in the active voice. Use powerful language and don't sell yourself short. Know vocabulary and initiatives common in the position you are seeking and use them. 

Think of Bloom's Taxonomy and take every opportunity to frame your work in the highest levels with active verbiage.

Update, Update, Update

Waiting until you really need the resume to try and reflect on your accomplishments can be stressful. Keep one resume of everything you have ever done updated and continually add. You can make cuts and edits as needed for different situations, removing insignificant information. 

Keeping everything will save you from applications requesting every employer or trying to remember the name of that one workshop that would be applicable now.

Even my dad will admit, my resume is a perfect reflection of me and my skills (even if it isn't fit for the scanner.)

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