Resume

One characteristic of writing is that it communicates something about the writer--about what sort of person the writer is. Most of the time, this works on an unconscious level, with neither the writer nor the reader paying much attention to it. But there are a few situations in which the purpose of the writing is to focus the reader's attention directly on the writer. Autobiography does this. So do love letters.

Another writing of this sort that most of us will need to do from time to time is the personal or professional resumé. You probably won't have to use a resumé much more than half a dozen times in your entire life, but you can probably see that those times will be important to you. And so this is as good a time as any to get a little practice at resumé-writing. (Besides, it's required in all sections of English 111.)

Your resumé is in effect a paper version of yourself, a facsimile of you. It's the "you" that a prospective employer will probably see before ever meeting you in person. And if the impression that your facsimile makes is favorable--well, you'll probably get an interview, and you may even get the job.

Producing an effective resumé takes some time, so you probably won't be inclined to make a different one for every prospective employer. Instead, you make up a solid resumé that fits the general type of employment you're aiming for. (And if you're smart, once you get a job you'll update your resumé at least once every year, even if you're satisfied with that job. You never know...)

There are several common variations of the resumé. They differ mainly in format--but nearly all of them are written in the third person, as if someone else were writing about you. But the odd thing is, the personal pronoun is usually omitted. So you say about yourself "Directed three other workers." Or "Took telephone orders and sent out bills."

Most resumés are written in the form of a list, usually subdivided into categories such as work experience, education, and perhaps some personal data that make you seem like a real person. But remember, it's a list--not an explanation. Save your explanations for the cover letter that you'll send with it. (More on that later.)

One effective resumé format is to state the category of information in the left margin and the specific data to the right, in the main body of the page. (What you put in the margin was originally called the "para graph," which meant "beside the writing.")

But what data should you include? What would you want a prospective employer to know about you? More to the point, what would that person want to know about you? That's where you'll probably need to start.

And how to proceed? There are at least two approaches to the job. The "hands-on" approach is just to jump in and do it, and shape it up later. The analytical approach will probably do it by the numbers:

Longhand will NOT do for a resumé, so the best plan is to compose it on a computer and print it out on paper. That way you can revise it easily whenever you need to. (I update mine every year, even when I’m not looking for a new job.)

We'll take a look at your resumé in class a week from today. But you should plan on revising it later as often as will be necessary to get it perfect. In other words, this is one assignment that will probably go on for some time, while you're also working on other pieces of writing.

Remember to make your resume brief, factual, and attractive-looking. And remember your audience: what will a prospective employer want to know about you?

Here are some sample resumé layouts. First, a generic one with category "paragraphs" in the left margin and the other information aligned in columns and in reverse chronological order

Here's a WordPerfect resume template. You can find it and several others in WordPerfect's Templates folder. You just fill in the blanks and WordPerfect supplies the format, the lines, and the fonts.

And here's a Microsoft Word resume template with the writer's address and phone number at the very bottom:

Several other formats are also commonly used. Most office supply stores carry several books of good examples.