HUM 102

REPORT WRITING SKILLS

Lecture 25

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Previous Lecture

 Methods of Citation
 Referencing Styles

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Resumé/CV Writing

 About Resumé
• A document used to present your skills and abilities
• Not an autobiography
• A document stating your professional credentials
• Prepared for an interview to get a job

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé: An Advertisement
• A clearly defined purpose
• Reflects your achievements
• A summary of what you are and what you can do
• Data has to credible and accurate
• An attractive package
• Focuses on employer’s needs, not yours

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Formats
• Chronological: Work history in reverse chronological order
• Functional : Work history not directly related with the job selected
as a profession, resume organized on different types of skills
• Combination: Difference types of skills placed in reverse
chronological order

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Identification:
o Name
o Postal Address
o Numbers
o Email Address (Professional)

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Identification Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Objective/Personal Statement:
o Stating your desired job/field
o What can you contribute in a field
o How will it add value in the organization
o The material following should support your objective
o The objective should be as short as possible, and not include such
phrases as “challenging position”, “utilizing my skills”, “growth
potential”, “room for advancement”, etc.
o For a specific job opening, always use the employer’s job title for
that position. 8
Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Objective Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Skills and Abilities:
o Any skills or those related to the job
o Computer system proficiency
o Language proficiency
o Research

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Skills Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Education:
o Include the degrees, you have received, in reverse chronological
order
o Be sure to include the name of each institution, its location, and
your date of graduation (or expected date of graduation)
o When applicable, include your major/minor fields, as well as your
GPA and any honors, publications, projects, etc.

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Education Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Work Experience:
o In reverse chronological order
o Jobs, internships, volunteer work
o Name of the company, position, date of employment
o You can include a volunteer experience section to convey your
leadership, communication skills, etc. List the name of the
organization, the dates of your volunteer work, and your
achievements.

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Work Experience Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Interest:
o You can also include a section on your hobbies and interests if
they relate to the position.
o For example, if you are applying to work at a sporting goods
store, you can mention your interest in that.

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Interest Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure
• Referee or references
• Colleague, team mate, teacher, supervisor
• Up-to-date contact details of referee
• Inclusion after permission
• Enclosed reference letters

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Structure: Referees Sample

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Guidelines [1/3]

• Length: one page or two pages max
• Font & size: Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri with 10-12 points, easy
to read
• Page margins: 1 from all sides
• Uniformity in layout
• Points to avoid: unless the position requires, avoid personal
information such as birthday, weight, height
• Check for accuracy
• Itemize your achievements with bullets to avoid the use of first
person I (egocentric) 20
Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Guidelines [2/3]

• Include all your contact information so that the employers can
reach you easily
• Your resumé keywords should match the keywords of job
description
• Select the resumé format which suits your background and
experience
• Most important experience should be listed first with key
accomplishments

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Resumé/CV Writing

 Resumé Guidelines [3/3]

• Objective should match the job you are applying for
• Use a resumé template as a starting point for creating your own
resume
• Follow the employer’s instructions for sending the resume either
MS Word or PDF
• Resumé example before preparing your own

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Resumé and CV Comparison [1/2]
• CV: An outline of a person’s educational and professional history
usually prepared for:
o faculty positions at colleges and universities
o research-intensive positions at, e.g., research institutes
o fellowships, grants, or awards, etc.
• One difference is of length because a CV is detailed
• CV provides a summary of
o Educational background
o Teaching/research experience
o Publications/presentations
o Academic awards/honors 25
Resumé/CV Writing
 Resumé and CV Comparison [2/2]
• Usually expected to be received by employers in Europe, Middle
East, Africa, Asia
• In US, CV is used to apply for academic, scientific or research
positions
• Concise, accurate and truthful
• A CV needs to be ordered according to the job description
(teaching vs research)

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Resumé/CV Writing
 What to include in CV? [1/3]
• Complete contact information
• Professional/research objective
• Education/academic background
o Postgraduate work
o Graduate work/degree(s), major/minors, thesis/dissertation
titles, honors
o Undergraduate degree(s), majors/minors, honors

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Resumé/CV Writing
 What to include in CV? [2/3]
• Scholarship/Fellowships
• Research and Scholarly Activities:
o Journal articles
o Conference proceedings
o Books chapters in books magazine
o Articles papers
o Presented/workshops
o Work currently under submission or in progress
• Academic Certifications
• Professional Memberships 28
Resumé/CV Writing
 What to include in CV? [3/3]
• Technical and Specialized Skills
• Academic/Teaching Experience
o courses taught, courses introduced
o innovation in teaching
o teaching evaluations
• Academic and Research Interest
• Foreign Language Skills
• Volunteer Work
• References

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Checklist [1/4]
• I have listed awards, honors, certificates, licenses, accomplishments,
etc.
• Personal data is not included, e.g., age, marital status, etc.
• My degree title is spelled out and in bold, e.g., Bachelors of Science.
• The organization of my CV/resumé emphasizes the key points I want
to stress.

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Checklist [2/4]
• The content of my CV/resumé matches my career objective.
• I emphasize/highlight my abilities, skills and accomplishments.
• I use active power verbs to describe my work experiences/skills.
• I use proper text tense (current work/present tense, previous
work/past tense).
• An employer can quickly scan and find information easily.
• I have added a skill or related courses section to further support
my objective.

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Checklist [3/4]
• Dates of work and job titles are clearly highlighted/emphasized.
• Categories are clear with text bulleted or indented to create eye
appeal.
• Type style and font size is consistent throughout (no smaller than
11 point font).
• Margins, spacing, bolding, bullets, punctuation, date formats, and
abbreviations are consistent.
• I have avoided as much as possible using personal pronouns such
as “I” or “me”.

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Checklist [4/4]
• There is a nice balance of information (it doesn’t look crowded or
empty).
• I have proofread my CV/resumé for typos, spelling and grammatical
errors.
• List of references are on a separate page, to accompany my
CV/resumé if required.

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Online CV Resumé Builders
• https://cvmkr.com/
• https://www.resume.com/
• https://www.yourcvbuilder.com/

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Online CV Resumé Builders: https://cvmkr.com/

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Online CV Resumé Builders: https://resume.com/

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Resumé/CV Writing
 Online CV Resumé Builders: https://yourcvbuilder.com/

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References

• http://jobsearch.about.com/od/includeinresume/a/resume-guidelines.htm
• http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumetips/tp/resumetips.htm
• http://youthcentral.vic.gov.au
• www.bucknell.edu/alumnicareerservices

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Conclusions

• Basics of Resumé
• Basics of CV
• CV and Resumé Comparison
• CV and Resumé Guidelines

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