For jobs at UCSB, resumes are not required, but you have the option of attaching one to your application. Your resume is your opportunity to display your experience and qualifications and add more details than you listed in your application. As you write your resume, keep the job you are applying for in mind. The online system allows you to attach a different resume for each job that you apply for.
A resume generally contains these parts:
- Contact Information
- Objective or Summary (optional)
- Work Experience
- Education
- Skills
Contact Information
Resumes in any format should prominently state your contact information at the top of the page. Do not use nicknames on your resume. Make sure all the contact information is correct. If possible, list a phone number where you can be reached during the day. If you have an answering machine or voice mail, make sure that the outgoing message is professional. If you leave a work phone number, you can ask that messages not be left. Provide an email address, but make sure that your email address sounds professional. You can set up an email account through sites such as Hotmail and Yahoo. Include a personal web address only if it reflects your professional ambitions.Objective or Summary
The objective or summary section is optional. If you decide to use an objective, make it specific to the job you are applying for. For example, if you are applying to an administrative assistant position, your objective might read: “To obtain an administrative position in higher education requiring strong analytical and organizational skills.” Make sure that your objective stresses what you have to offer the university (i.e., analytical and organizational skills), not what you want from the university (i.e., salary and benefits). If you need more room on your resume for work or education history, omit the objective section, and make your objective clear in your cover letter.Employment and Work History
The next section lists your employment and educational history. There are several different formats to choose from. The most popular format among recruiters and applicants is chronological. This format lists the most recent employment and education history first, and then works back through the years, highlighting job duties and accomplishments.If you have recently graduated, you may want to list your education first. List the most recent institution attended and the degree earned as well as the major or concentration. List your GPA if it is higher than 3.0. Be sure to include all awards, special projects and any other accomplishments. List all other education in reverse chronological order.
If you feel that your work history is more relevant to the position, list work experience first. Start with the title of your most recent position, the name of the organization, the location (city and state) and the dates of employment (month and year).
For example:
Human Resources Director: K-Mart
Goleta, CA
9/01-10/02
Next briefly describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Be sure to use action words such as achieved, implemented, coordinated, etc. and list specific quantifiable results if possible. For example, “increased enrollment 20 percent” is more powerful than “responsible for enrollment.” As you tailor your resume to the job you are applying for, highlight the duties that transfer to the duties of the job by listing them first. Be concise, and do not use long paragraphs, as they are difficult to read quickly. Bullet points can be useful to make information easy to read. Again, work history entries should be listed in reverse chronological order.
Skills
The last section of your resume lists the skills that you posses. List skills relevant to the position first, especially those listed in the Minimum Requirements for the job. List other skills that may not directly relate to the position last. These can be helpful for showing your versatility.View a Sample:
Sample Resume
More Tips for Resumes
DO...
- Stress accomplishments
- Provide examples
- Quantify results, show cause and effect
- List work history and education in reverse chronological order
- Proofread
- Have another person read and correct spelling, grammar
- Create separate resumes for each job
- Emphasize most important or most relevant responsibilities to the job you are applying to
- Use active voice, rather than passive voice
- Highlight initiative in descriptions
- List computer skills, programs, applications, etc
- List soft skills (communication, foreign languages, etc)
- Include memberships in professional organizations
- Be concise
- Use action words in your descriptions
- Be positive and specific
DON’T...
- Use too many abbreviations and acronyms
- Use personal pronouns
- Use negative words (ex. arrested, boring, fired, etc.)
- Lie, exaggerate, or list skills you don’t have
- Use jargon, buzzwords or words you don’t fully understand
- Include references (these are listed in the application)
- List irrelevant details or be too verbose
- Use long paragraphs
- Disclose personal information
- List salary needs