14th Week: Resume / CV

A customized résumé emphasizes skills and achievements aimed at a particular job or company. It shows a candidate’s most important qualifications first, and it de-emphasizes any weaknesses. In organizing your qualifications and information, try to create as few headings as possible; more than six generally looks cluttered. Most writers consider including all or some of these categories: main heading, career objective, summary of qualifications, education, experience, capabilities and skills, awards and activities, personal information, and references.

1. Main Heading

Your résumé, whether it is chronological or functional, should start with a main heading that is as uncluttered and simple as possible. The first line of the main heading should always be your name; add your middle initial for an even more professional look. Format your name so that it stands out on the page. Following your name, list your contact information, including your complete address, area code and phone number, and e-mail address. Be sure to include a telephone number where you can receive messages. 

2. Career Objective

Opinion is divided about the effect of including a career objective on a résumé. Recruiters think such statements indicate that a candidate has made a commitment to a career and is sure about what he or she wants to do. Career objectives, of course, make the recruiter’s life easier by quickly classifying the résumé. Such declarations, however, can also disqualify a candidate if the stated objective doesn’t match a company’s job description. A well-written objective—customized for the job opening—can add value to either a chronological or a functional résumé.

3. Summary of Qualifications

A summary at the top of your résumé makes it easier to read and ensures that your most impressive qualifications are not overlooked by a recruiter, who skims résumés quickly. Job applicants must often capture a recruiter’s attention in 20 to 30 seconds. A wellwritten summary of qualifications, therefore, motivates the recruiter to read further.

4. Education

The next component in a chronological résumé is your education—if it is more noteworthy than your work experience. In this section you should include the name and location of schools, dates of attendance, major fields of study, and degrees received. If you have attended college, you don’t need to list high school information on your résumé.

5 Work Experience or Employment History

When your work experience is significant and relevant to the position sought, this information should appear before education. List your most recent employment first and work backward, including only those jobs that you think will help you win the targeted position. A job application form may demand a full employment history, but your résumé may be selective. Be aware, though, that time gaps in your employment history will probably be questioned in the interview.

For each position show the following:

● E mployer’s name, city, and state

● D ates of employment (month and year)

● M ost important job title

● S ignificant duties, activities, accomplishments, and promotions

6. Capabilities and Skills

Recruiters want to know specifically what you can do for their companies. Therefore, list your special skills, such as Proficient in preparing federal, state, and local payroll tax returns as well as franchise and personal property tax returns. Include your ability to use the Web, software programs, social media, office equipment, and communication technology tools. If you speak a foreign language or use sign language, include it on your résumé. Describe proficiencies you have acquired through training and experience.

7. Awards, Honors, and Activities

If you have three or more awards or honors, highlight them by listing them under a separate heading. If not, put them in the education or work experience section if appropriate. Include awards, scholarships (financial and other), fellowships, dean’s list, honors, recognition, commendations, and certificates. Be sure to identify items clearly. Your reader may be unfamiliar, for example, with Greek organizations, honoraries, and awards; tell what they mean.

8. Personal Data

Today’s résumés omit personal data, such as birth date, marital status, height, weight, national origin, health, disabilities, and religious affiliation. Such information doesn’t relate to genuine occupational qualifications, and recruiters are legally barred from asking for such information. Some job seekers do, however, include hobbies or interests (such as skiing or photography) that might grab the recruiter’s attention or serve as conversation starters.

9. References

Listing references directly on a résumé takes up valuable space. Moreover, references are not normally instrumental in securing an interview—few companies check them before the interview. Instead, recruiters prefer that you bring to the interview a list of individuals willing to discuss your qualifications. Companies are more interested in the opinions of objective individuals who know how you perform professionally and academically.

13th Week: Informal and Formal Business Report

To guide readers through the data, you need to provide the equivalent of a map and road signs. For both formal and informal reports, devices such as introductions, transitions, and headings prevent readers from getting lost.

1. Introduction.

One of the best ways to point a reader in the right direction is to provide a report introduction that does three things:

• Tells the purpose of the report
• Describes the significance of the topic
• Previews the main points and the order in which they will be developed

Remember that the introduction provides a map to a report; switching the names on the map will ensure that readers get lost. To maintain consistency, delay writing the introduction until after you have completed the report. Long, complex reports may require introductions, brief internal summaries, and previews for each section.

2. Transitions.

Expressions such as on the contrary, at the same time, and however show relationships and help reveal the logical flow of ideas in a report. These transitional expressions enable writers to tell readers where ideas are headed and how they relate. 

The following transitional expressions enable you to show readers how you are developing your ideas.:

• To present additional thoughts: additionally, again, also, moreover, furthermore
• To suggest cause and effect: accordingly, as a result, consequently, therefore
• To contrast ideas: at the same time, but, however, on the contrary, though, yet
• To show time and order: after, before, first, finally, now, previously, then, to conclude
• To clarify points: for example, for instance, in other words, that is, thus

In using these expressions, recognize that they do not have to sit at the head of a sentence. Listen to the rhythm of the sentence, and place the expression where a natural pause occurs. If you are unsure about the placement of a transitional expression, position it at the beginning of the sentence. Used appropriately, transitional expressions serve readers as guides; misused or overused, they can be as distracting and frustrating as too many road signs on a highway.

3. Headings

Good headings are another structural cue that assists readers in comprehending the organization of a report. They highlight major ideas, allowing busy readers to see the big picture at a glance. Moreover, headings provide resting points for the mind and for the eye, breaking up large chunks of text into manageable and inviting segments. Functional headings are useful for routine reports. They are also appropriate for sensitive topics that might provoke emotional reactions. Talking headings provide more information and spark interest. Unless carefully written, however, talking headings can fail to reveal the organization of a report. With some planning, though, headings can be both functional and talking.

The best strategy to help you create helpful talking headings is to write a few paragraphs first and then generate talking headings that sum up the major point of each paragraph. To create the most effective headings, follow a few basic guidelines:

● Use appropriate heading levels.

The position and format of a heading indicate its level of importance and relationship to other points.

● Capitalize and emphasize carefully. 

Most writers use all capital letters (without underlines) for main titles, such as the report, chapter, and unit titles. For first- and second- level headings, they capitalize only the first letter of main words such as nouns, verbs,adjectives, adverbs, names, and so on. Articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or, nor), and prepositions with three or fewer letters (in, to, by, for) are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning or ending of the heading. For additional emphasis, most writers use a bold font.

● Try to balance headings within levels.

Although it may not be always possible, attempt to create headings that are grammatically similar at a given level.

● For short reports use first-level or first- and second-level headings.

Many business reports contain only one or two levels of headings. For such reports use first-level headings (centered, bolded) and, if needed, second-level headings (flush left, bolded).

● Include at least one heading per report page, but don’t end the page with a heading.

Headings increase the readability and attractiveness of report pages. Use at least one per page to break up blocks of text. Move a heading that is separated from the text that follows from the bottom of the page to the top of the following page.

Source: Midge Gillies, Business Writing: The Essential Guide To Thinking And Working Smarter.