CV BUILDING
THE PURPOSE OF THE RESUME
The resume’s main purpose is to get you an interview!
It is often the first item a potential employer sees
about you and therefore is very important
A resume is a short descriptive account of your work
experience, education, qualifications, achievements,
and special skills.
In addition, a resume may be requested by a
scholarship committee or be part of your admissions
application for graduate or professional school.
THE RESUME CAN BE USED IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
To network with others, including at Career Fairs
To be submitted along with an employer job application form
and/or cover letter as you apply for open positions
To be taken to a job interview
To be coupled with a dynamic online presence, particularly,
your LinkedIn profile
REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
Starts with your current experiences, and then goes
back in time chronologically.
Most employers prefer this resume format.
SAMPLE - REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
RESUME SECTIONS
I. Personal Info
II. Objective
III. Education
IV. Work Experience
V. Skills
(this can vary)
I. PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name should stand out.
Can vary the placement of name, address, phone number,
email address.
List only one phone number.
Professional-sounding voice message
Professional email address
In certain cases, “Indian Citizen” is appropriate here.
II. OBJECTIVE
Short and sweet is preferred if you are using your resume to
apply for a specific position.
Example: [Seeking position as Accountant
for "company name”.]
If you are taking your resume to a career
fair or uploading it to a website, the
objective should be general.
Example: “Seeking full-time accounting
position.”
III. EDUCATION
•Most recent degree or current study listed first
•List expected date of graduation.
•List options, minors and certificates.
IV. WORK EXPERIENCE/WORK HISTORY
Current or most recent job experience first
Not all jobs need to be listed, only those which matches
with the position you are applying for.
List job title first.
Include employer’s name and city.
Use bullets or paragraphs to detail job duties
Each descriptive phrase should begin with an action verb
(refer to the next page for examples). (current job – use
present tense; previous jobs – use past tense)
If using bullet format, no more than 5 or 6 bullets items
per job.
Include internships and volunteering experiences.
ACTION VERBS (EXAMPLES)
Acquired
Accelerated Adapted
Amplified
Accomplished Advised
Analyzed
Achieved Analyzed
Approximated
Attained Applied
Ascertained
Augmented Appraised
Attested
Completed Assessed
Authorized
Compounded Assigned
Bolstered
Contributed Categorized
Boosted
Decreased Co-operated
Calculated
Doubled Co-ordinated
Chartered
Executed Corrected
Collected
Expedited Defined
Compared
Extracted Demonstrated
Conducted
V. SKILLS
General “soft” skills Examples: Proactive approach,
Teamwork Experience, Analytical thinking etc.
Computer/Technical skills, listing known computer
programs. Examples: Microsoft Word, Excel,
Power Point, QuickBooks etc.
Domain specific skills Examples: Sales, Marketing,
Operations, Reasearch, Data Analysis etc.
SUMMARY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS
Remember that the main purpose of the resume is to
get an interview
Required resume elements include personal info,
objective, education, work experience
Never include false information on your resume
Be consistent with your format, allowing no typos or
grammatical errors
Tailor your resume to the particular job you are
applying for!
Use a cover letter to sell yourself and add value to
your resume.
Include a section for awards and activities if you are
some good achievements to show.
