Entry Level Resume Examples
What is the Purpose of a Resume?
A resume's purpose is to highlight your strengths and accomplishments and display why you would be the best man or woman for the job. You should always have a basic draft of your resume available, even if you aren't currently looking for a job.
A resume should be tailored to the job you are applying to. Do not make just one single resume and expect it to work for every job you apply for. The more specific your resume is to the exact position you are applying to, the better. This makes it look like this is the exact job you are looking for and that you put the time, energy and effort into looking your best for this job opening.
Below are the most important components that almost all resumes will need to have incorporated into them. Make sure to keep your resume simple and to the point. Employers will lose interest if it is too lengthy and beats around the bush. Most employers or human resources workers will skim resumes first and weed out the horrible ones. After that, they will actually read the ones they have narrowed it down to. Make sure yours makes the first cut by making it look organized and easy to understand and highlight the important parts.
Personal Information
Things to include:
- First name and Last name
- Address
- Phone Number
- E-Mail Address
Make sure the e-mail you provide is professional. You're not going to get a second look if your email is something like hotsugarmama@yahoo.com. If you need to, create a separate email specifically for job searches and professional correspondence. Your best best is something like firstname.lastname@yahoo.com.
Do not include:
- Marital Status
- Age
- Height or Weight
- Pictures
- Hobbies (unless they relate to the job)
Personal Information Example
Job Objective
You need to tell your potential employer what you are looking for. This could be as focused as one specific job in the company. If you are willing to accept multiple different positions within the company, you need to make that apparent as well.
This part does not need to be long. Make a direct statement of what you are looking for. You can expand on your job expectations at the interview. The job objective basically just needs to say that you are looking for a position in "X, Y or Z".
Job Objective Example
Work Experience
This is the part of your resume that can sometimes look overwhelming. Do not clutter it up by adding every place you have ever worked at. Only include those places you worked that will help you to get the position you are working towards.
Make sure you get across your main responsibilities including those related to the job you are applying for. You don't need to list every single task you completed in that job position. But, make sure you include any that highlight skills needed for the job you are currently applying for.
List any relevant jobs you held in order starting from the most recent. Include the title you held, the name of the company, the dates you worked there and a brief description. If you have been out of the workforce for a while due to being a stay at home mom or dad or any number of other reasons; listing your jobs in reverse chronological order will not benefit you. The best option in these situations is to showcase your best experience first followed by the next most significant and so on. Do not worry about the date order.
Work Experience Example
Educational Background
List your highest degree first with the school attended, dates and major. Include any educational experience that may relate to the job, such as certification, licensing, advanced training, intensive seminars or summer study programs.
Don't list any individual classes. You can mention those in your cover letter if they directly relate to the job you are applying for.
Educational Background Example
Awards and Honors
This is the section you need to brag about yourself in. List any awards and honors that relate to the job or any that indicate excellence. If you are fluent in another language, this would be the place to mention it.
Campus and Community Activities
List any activities that show leadership and involvement.
Professional Memberships and Activities
List any professional memberships, speeches or research projects that are related to the profession.
References
You want to have three to five references that include academic, employment and character references.
Don't print your references at the bottom of your resume. The best thing to do is to list them on a separate sheet of paper and provide that list if asked to do so. If possible, have letters of recommendation from these people available as well. Make sure, at the bottom of your resume, you do include "References available upon request."