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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Crafting a Winning
Resume |
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A cover letter is an introduction of yourself and is your opportunity to express your interest in a position. A resume, on the other hand, is a summary of your job qualifications, including your education and experience. The two go hand-in-hand when you are presenting yourself as a viable candidate for a position. Your goal when crafting a resume is to communicate information about yourself and your work history clearly and concisely. In both your cover letter and resume, you want to address how your experience matches each qualification listed in the vacancy announcement, so be sure to have a complete vacancy announcement with you when writing your cover letter and resume. Your job in crafting a clean, clear and presentable resume is to give the readers (the supervisor, the search committee) the information they need to accurately evaluate your suitability for their position. Give them the information they need. Present it to them; don’t make them hunt around for it. The easier it is to find relevant information on your resume, the easier it will be for them to consider you as a candidate. TYPES OF RESUMES Chronological vs. Functional resumes There are two standard resume formats. Chronological resumes are the most common and list your experience in date order. Functional resumes, although less common, are appropriate in certain circumstances. Functional resumes group your work experience by function, rather than by time, so this type of resume is best used by older job-seekers and would help to conceal a large gap in employment or highlight transferable skills when someone is changing fields. Library search committees are often more familiar with chronological resumes and may find functional resumes more challenging when trying to review work history and experience, so it may be better to follow the chronological resume format and to address the gap in employment in your cover letter. It is always best to be honest and up-front, and to present information clearly and accurately. Because chronological resumes are more common, let’s focus our attention on those. For more information regarding the formatting of functional resumes, please refer to the list of online sources below. SECTIONS OF A RESUME Heading At the top of your resume, include your header information:
When choosing an email address to include in the header information, make sure it is professional. If you use a personal email account, make sure the address is appropriate for the workplace; recruiters and search committee members may be a little wary of sending an email to an address that starts with “PartyBoy” or “CrazyGirl.” If you decide to use your current business email, be sure to check that you are within the appropriate use guidelines for your place of employment. It would also be wise to limit your correspondence via email primarily to non-work hours, regardless of the type of account you are using. You wouldn’t want your potential employer to think you spend a lot of time at your current job doing non-work-related activities. You may also want to include a URL for a personal website as part of your header information to convey relevant information about yourself, your professional involvement, and/or your technical abilities. If you do, make sure it only contains professional information or information that you feel represents you well. Remember, “well” is a relative term, so use your best judgment when making this decision; it’s usually wise to err on the conservative side. Objective Although most information contained in an objective statement can be conveyed in the cover letter, if you decide to include an objective, keep it simple and focused, and make it specific to the employer and the position. Education When listing your education, include the type of degree, university, city and state, and the date earned or expected. If you have multiple degrees, list in reverse chronological order with the most recent first. If applicable and directly relevant to the position, you may want to include a Coursework section following the Education section. Do not list every course you’ve ever taken. List only a few select courses that relate directly to the position for which you are applying. Experience As in your Education section, experience is listed in reverse chronological order. List your current or most recent employment first and work backwards. Be sure to include the position title, company name and address, and dates of employment. For each position, describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Use action verbs and avoid, if possible, phrases that begin with “Responsible for…” or “Assisted with…” Action verbs include: administer, control, conduct, develop, direct, initiate, organize, plan, review, supervise, train, troubleshoot, etc. Bulleted lists are fine and actually convey important information in an easy-to-read format. Make sure your bullets are descriptive, but avoid using lengthy narrative. Other Additional sections
that highlight your skills and qualifications for the position may also
include the following. You can list these sections after the Education
and Experience.
Computer skills Foreign language
skills Honors and awards Volunteer
activities Only include
volunteer activities on your resume if they relate directly to the
position, i.e. if they show your ability to lead a group, manage a
budget, organize an activity, etc. This is not a personal ad—hobbies,
activities, group affiliations, etc. should not be included on your
resume unless they are somehow directly related to the position for
which you are applying. References If specified in the
vacancy announcement, follow the institution’s instructions regarding
the submission of references. Most institutions will ask for three
professional references. If nothing is specified, but you have your
references lined up, go ahead and include their information on a
separate page. Make sure they are professional references; that is,
make sure these individuals can speak to the quality of your work, not
just how wonderful you are as a person. If at all possible, include a
current (or former) supervisor, someone who can speak directly to how
you work, take direction, show initiative, etc. When listing
references, include their name, title, relationship to you, mailing
address, telephone number and email address. Be sure to ASK these
individuals beforehand if they will serve as a reference for you, and if
they are able to give you a favorable reference. Make sure they have a
copy of your application materials (cover letter and resume) and also a
vacancy announcement for the position, so they can speak honestly and
directly about how your education and experience match the
qualifications of the position.
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE OVERALL
RESUME Layout Make your resume clean,
appealing and pleasing to the eye. Make your margins between ¾ and 1
inch all around. Be sure to make good use of space on the paper—don’t
cram everything into the middle of the page, leaving vast amounts of
unused space in really wide margins. At the same time, you don’t want a
page full of text that is overwhelming to the reader (which is another
good reason to use bulleted lists.) Use a standard
12-point (no less than 10-point) font. Use 8 ½ x 11 inch white or
off-white, standard weight, good quality paper. Avoid colored paper,
oddly-sized paper and especially scented papers; they are hard to read,
difficult to photocopy or scan, and a challenge to file. These may get
you noticed, but not in a good way. Length Your resume will
grow with your longevity in the profession. Early in your career,
expect a resume between 1 and 3 pages in length. Accuracy Perhaps the most
important piece of advice regarding your resume is to proofread,
proofread, proofread! And then have someone else proofread for you. In
a profession filled with so many English majors, former editors and
prolific readers, spelling and grammatical errors are quickly discovered
and harshly judged. As many have said
before, a resume won’t get you the job, but it will get you in the door
for an interview. So do your research, thoroughly review the vacancy
announcement and your qualifications for the position, and carefully
craft a winning resume—the first step to being well on your way to the
job of your dreams. References and
Resources Build the Resume
Employers Want. Retrieved
November 29, 2004, from
http://www.jobweb.com/resources/library/Interviews__Resumes/default.htm
Denham, Thomas J.
Create a Killer Resume. Retrieved November 7, 2001, from
http://www.jobweb.com/resources/library/Interviews__Resumes/default.htm HR Management
Partners, Inc. Action Verb Glossary. Retrieved November 29,
2004, from
http://www.escambia.k12.fl.us/adminoff/edsupport/forms.htm Monster.com Resume
Center. Dos and Don’ts. Retrieved November 29, 2004, from
http://resume.monster.com/archives/dosanddonts/ Monster.com Resume
Center. Resume Quick Tips. Retrieved November 29, 2004, from
http://resume.monster.com/archives/tips/ Tiffany Eatman Allen is a
graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a BA
in Psychology and Political Science, and a Masters of Library Science.
She has worked in technical services in an academic library and a small
corporate library, and currently serves as Assistant Personnel Librarian
at UNC Chapel Hill. Article published Jan
2005
Disclaimer: The
ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer
editors.
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Page last updated
04/03/2007
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