Resume Tips

The purpose of your resume is to convince the hiring official that your skills will be of value to the company. Tailor your resume for each company that you apply to. Write your resume with their perspective in mind. In other words, why should they hire you? What innovations or improvements have you achieved during your current or former employment that will benefit a future employer? It is critical to briefly and clearly outline specific ways you have made a positive impact in such areas as process or safety improvements, production increases, cost savings, new product development, etc. Give them a good reason to hire you!!

SUGGESTED RESUME FORMAT…

YOUR NAME

Address, City, State Zip
Telephone number
Email address

Summary:
A summary reviews your relevant experience and skills related to the job you are applying for and should be no longer than four sentences. An example of a summary statement for a sales manager would be… “Results-oriented sales professional with 10 years of experience in wood products and a proven track record of exceeding monthly sales quotas. Highly skilled at providing strategic direction and building effective sales teams. Exceptional communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills.”

Education:
School attended; location. List degrees if applicable. Date of graduation.
GPA (only if you have graduated within the last five years, and your GPA was above a 3.4) List off-campus educational courses you’ve completed (i.e. safety training, lean manufacturing, etc.) If you are a military veteran, list dates of service, branch of service, courses and training, and separation rank status.

Professional Experience:
Your Job Title
(Most recent company first) Company Name – Company Location, Years of Service (i.e. 2011 – Present, or 2010 – 2016)
Brief description of the company’s business. Continue with your personal duties/responsibilities in this position. You may also want to list your accomplishments (i.e., money the company saved through your efforts, new/successful programs you may have implemented, products you have manufactured/supplied, new customers developed, more profitable customers, sales volume increase, etc.) If possible, include specific skills related to the job you are applying for.

Your Job Title
Previous Employer Company Name – Company Location, Years of Service
Brief description of the company’s business and then add your personal duties/responsibilities in this position. You can use bullets or just type it all into one paragraph. Avoid using the word I. Instead, start a sentence with a simple past tense verb, which usually ends in -ed. (Examples: Led a team, Developed a product, Increased sales by 20%, or Negotiated pricing.)

Your Job Title (with all the other info)

Your Job Title (etc.)

References:
Available upon request.

(Note: One or two-page resumes are most effective!)

MORE RESUME WRITING RESOURCES