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How to Write the Perfect Resume 

Student CEC Spotlight
CEC Today, Vol. 3 No. 9, April/May 1997

By Cheryl Lynn Houtwed

Congratulations graduates--you are about to wear that hard earned cap and gown, burn your old notebooks, and beg your parents to let you move back home. And in the middle of this hectic and exciting time, one question hangs over your head--what do I do now? Transition from school to work can be overwhelming, but writing a good resume is an important place to start.

Make a Good First Impression

Career counselors agree that only neat, typed, easy-to-read resumes are worth sending. What they do not seem to have a single answer for are questions like what needs to be included? How many pages should it be? And in what order should topics be listed? These questions are debated even among experts.

"The first thing I look for in a resume is neatness and organization," said Keith Waters, principal of Sumrall Attendance Center in Sumrall, MS. "After that, I check for experiences that will promote the individual in the position they are interested in."

"The specific areas in which applicants have experience interests me the most because it gives me an idea of how they will work with certain children and their disabilities," said Rosemarie Bricketto, principal in Princeton, NJ. "If an applicant just graduated, I look at what type of field experiences they have had in student teaching, practicum settings, or internships."

Organizing Your Resume

Typically, the headings included in a resume are your name, address, education, and experience. Other headings you may want to add include honors and awards, scholarships received, and community service. You may also want to state a career objective at the beginning of your resume that explains your desired position. The most important thing to remember when choosing these categories is to put them in an order that best reflects your strengths.

Another common question deals with what order content should be placed under each heading. If your headings can be organized chronologically, include the date and the accomplishment. These accomplishments should be arranged from most recent to least recent. Sounds backwards, but employers care less about what you did in 9th grade than they do about what you did last summer. If a topic cannot be arranged in chronological order, put the most important accomplishment first and filter down from there.

Page length is up to you and the experiences you’ve had. Many people will tell you employers only look at the first page, so do not bother adding additional pages. But your resume should include all your accomplishments, so add pages accordingly. However, the most valuable information should go on the first page. References do not have to be included on your resumes as they are often asked for on the application.

It is a good idea to put your resume on a computer disk so that you can add or delete information as needed. This allows you to always have an updated resume at a moment’s notice. The Career Center at your college or university can assist you with ideas and usually has computers and printers available for you to access. The center may even sell disks with a resume format already on them. You want your resume to stand out, so these disks may get you started, but spend some time adding different fonts and type size to personalize your resume.

Resumes in the Electronic Age

Many larger school systems are now opting for a resume scanning system that downloads resumes into a large database. In Virginia, the Fairfax County School system requires a resume to be sent first before any other information such as college transcripts. Basically, your resume is scanned into a database, then, if you have the qualifications needed for a particular job, your resume is printed out and sent to the principal with the job opening. The principal will contact you for an interview if he or she is interested.

Unlike the traditional filing system, which keeps a resume active for a year, the computer-based data system will purge the information after six months. With this new system in place, your resume will need to stand out, contain as much information as possible, and be updated every six months. You want to include enough information so that your resume will be selected in case the qualifications necessary are very specific, said Barbara Wozney, CEC Virginia Federation Governor and Fairfax County Administrator. She says that this database system is simple and easier to manage, but it may change the way you develop your resume.

No matter how you set up your resume, make sure it reflects your accomplishments and attributes and not those of someone else. Personal resumes are exactly that--personal. Only you can sell yourself.

Cheryl Lynn Houtwed is a graduate student at Old Dominion University and a member of CEC Chapter #883.