Resumes for College Students by J. Gholson

1. Bryant & Stratton College

2. 1. Help improve and construct an effective resume
2. Provide tools to properly format your document
3. Suggest tips on making your content stand out, and assist you in
customizing your resume to each job for which you apply.
4. To discuss resources available on the Career Services‘ and
Optimal Resume websites that will support you as you work on
your resume.

3. What is a resume…
A resume is a short summary of skills,
experiences and education related to a
very specific position.
When to use a resume…
Almost all business, non-profit, and
government jobs require a resume when
applying.

4.  The resume is a SELLING document
 The purpose of the resume is to get the INTERVIEW
 The resume is NOT the story of your life
 IT must be EXCEPTIONAL, powerful & focused on
accomplishments & performance

5.  Select the proper format
◦ Chronological
◦ Functional
◦ Combination
 Base resume on…
◦ EXPERIENCE
◦ QUANTIFIABLE ACCOMPLISHMENT
◦ SKILLS
◦ COMPETENCIES
 Focus on your STRENGHTS

6.  Critically and honestly evaluate your strengths, skills and work history
 Major Course Assessments
 Strength Quest – Strengths as identified in this assessment
 Meyers Briggs or other standard skills assessment output
 Self Assessment & Career Information
 Occupational Outlook Handbook – career information
 O*Net – Great source of career information

7.  NO spelling errors – Resumes with Typos go into the trash
 Select one of the three resume styles based on your experience
 Be consistent with the layout, be neat and clean with appropriate
spacing
 Margins 1” x 1”, font size 12 or 14 for headings and 11 or 12 points
for content
 Select professional simple easy to read fonts such as, Arial, Times
Roman, Courier, Lucida Sans, Calibri, don’t get fancy or artsy with
the fonts
 Base the resume on skills and quantifiable accomplishments

8.  Use action words, Use strategic career/industry KEYWORDS
 Keep your language simple, omit “I”, “me”, “my”, “a”, “an” and “the”
 Include those valuable soft skills such as, communications, teamwork,
ability to multi-task, etc.
 Use bullets and bold fonts appropriately to draw attention to action
words
 Be consistent with date formats
 Organize the employment in reverse chronological order
 Do not include anything pertaining to; religion, race, gender, age,
marital status, family, hobbies or political affiliation
 Save resume as “resume lastname firstname position title”
(Brown Sara Medical Assistant)

9.  Laser print on a high quality bond fiber paper, use a conservative color
 Resume MUST be typed using Microsoft Word or if other software save
as Rich Text Format (RTF)
 Make sure all information is accurate – never lie or exaggerate
 Do not use a template as they do not store easily in electronic file
management systems
 Do not put “References Furnished On Demand” it is assumed you
will do this
 Resume should be limited to one page unless you have many years of
experience in your field
 Keep resume up to date with changes in your career
 PROOF READ – PROOF READ- PROOF READ- PROOF
READ

10.  Use the job posting as a guide for your document. Pay particular attention to the
specific requirements for the job, including education and number of years of
experience, and make it easy for the employer to see that you meet those
requirements. You can customize your summary statement to quickly show that you
are qualified for the job.
 Look at the job duties listed on the posting, and re-order your bullet points based on
what looks like important duties of the job. If giving presentations is listed in the job
duties, but is buried in on a long list of bullet points on your resume, move that to the
top of the list.
 Consider putting your Education section first if that is most relevant to the job,
especially if you are changing careers.
 If you have experience in two areas, consider using two experience sections on your
resume, such as “Education Experience” and “Other Work History” to highlight your
most relevant skills first on your document.

11. JOB DESCRIPTION APPLICANT’S RESUME
Triage Investigator
Qualifications:
Entry level opportunity that requires:
◦ A Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice,
Business, or a related field
◦ A minimum of 1 year of proven success
working in a related field or business
◦ Experience or education in the financial fraud
investigations discipline
◦ Proficiency in the utilization of Microsoft
Products.
◦ Strong relationship building skills
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATION
Motivated self-starter with education in Criminal investigations
and Security Administration. Currently pursuing a BS in
Criminal Justice. Proven ability to work with difficult situations
and provide a high level of service to clients.
RELATED COURSE WORK
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Criminology
Criminal Investigation
Criminal Justice Administration
INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
South Pointe Hospital 2011
Security Assistant (Internship)
Provided effective safety and security for patients, physicians,
employees, and visitors by patrolling and policing the hospital
facility and grounds to prevent fire, theft, vandalism and
illegal entry. Demonstrated a strong focus on providing
services to internal and external customers

12. In the past, many resumes began with an Objective statement; however
now it is recommended you use a Summary Statement. You can talk
about your objective more clearly in your cover letter.
The Summary Statement can be used to quickly show the employer
that you meet the qualifications of the specific job you are applying for.
It should be relatively short, 3-4 sentences, or you can use bullet points
in a Highlights of Qualifications section instead of writing in paragraph
form.

13. Motivated self-starter with experience in Information Technology
and Customer Relations. Currently pursuing a BS in Business
Administration in Information Technology. Proven ability to work
with difficult situations and provide a high level of service to clients.
Recent graduate and certified Medical Administrative Assistant
interested in medical billing and coding. Demonstrated ability to
easily develop rapport with patients, families, doctors, and staff.

14. ALL majors EXCEPT Criminal Justice & Medical Assistants
Associate of Applied Business – Networking Technology ( GPA 3.75)
Bryant & Stratton College, Cleveland, Ohio 12/2012
For Criminal Justice & Medical Assistants
Associate of Applied Science – Criminal Justice
Bryant & Stratton College, Cleveland, Ohio 12/2012
HELPFUL TIPS:
• DO NOT list High School or GED
• If a double major list in chronological order based on graduation date
• If you earn an advanced degree the Associate degree comes off
• Only list a college if you have graduated
• Recommend including GPA if 3.0 or better

15. 1. Student with experience multiple jobs with same company
2. Student changing careers
3. Medical Assisting student with No experience in field
4. Accounting students with No accounting experience
5. Student with experience in field
6. Business student with limited experience
7. Medical Assisting student with some experience in field

16. Heading 12 or 14
pt all CAPS &
BOLD
Formal Name
ALL CAPS &
BOLD 14 pts
Use Ariel or Times
New Roman Font 11
or 12 points in body
Margins 1” X 1”
List Work History
most current job
first
Use ACTION and
KEY words
Include at least
THREE ways you
can be reached Make sure email
address is
professional and
appropriate

17. Use Bullets
to highlight
information
Be consistent
with date
formats
Student with
experience multiple
jobs with same
company

18. List classes in your major
if lacking experience or
changing careers
Student Changing Careers

19. Use spaces between
major sections to give
clean look
Medical Assisting Student
with No Experience in Field

20. Focus on skills, abilities
and accomplishment
Accounting Student with
No accounting
Experience

21. Student with
Experience in Field

22. Business Student with
Limited Experience

23. Medical Assisting Student
With Some Experience in
Field

24.  Keep an updated resume (name, address, email address, phone numbers,
educational and work experience, professional reference information, etc.)
 Add your Internship experience
 Keep more than one copy of your resume (electronic copy, email a copy to yourself,
hard copy, send Career Services a copy)
 Keep in touch with Career Services once you have graduated
 Ask for help when needed
 Utilize Bryant & Stratton Library resources (www.bryantstratton.edu Student
Services>Virtual Library > Career Planning)
 Utilize Optimal Resume

25.  50 Resume Objective Statements -
http://blog.palladiancr.com/2008/07/50-resume-objective-statements/