Writing Specific Documents

I plan to fill this space up with tips on different types of writing assignments that have not already been discussed on this site, such as a technical report, a resume, business letters, a business proposal, etc. Keep checking back as it may take me awhile.

Resumes:

There are three steps to writing a resume: gathering information, doing research, and designing the resume. I will give you tips to help you to successfully write a resume for each of these three steps.

To write a resume, you must first gather information about yourself. The information will appear under certain categories within your resume and will give your employer an overview of your educational and work background an of the skills you have master.

Below find a list of the information you need to gather to complete a resume

1. Educational background information:

	Name, address, and dates of your high school (if you have graduated in the last year or two)
	Names, address and dates of any institutions of higher learning you have attended or are currently attending
	Names and dates of any trainings, seminars, workshops related to your career that you have attended

2. Work History

	Names, addresses, phone numbers, and dates of the places you have worked
	Your titles, if you had one
	A description of the duties and responsibilities of each job
	The names and titles of one supervisor for each job

3. Honors/Awards

Any honors or awards you received in school, on the job, or in any other activities in which you participate and the dates you received them

4. Clubs/Organizations

Any clubs or organizations to which you belong and the dates you belonged

5. A list of the skills you have mastered that are important to your employment and are not reflected within your job descriptions. Such skills might include:

	information processing skills
	writing skills
	teamwork skills
	communication skills
	computer skills
	management skills
	critical thinking skills
	problem solving skills
	conflict management skills
	self-assessment skills

Research:

Once you have gathered all the information you think you will want to include in your resume, you need to research different formats for resumes. To do this, you might want to go to the library to any career planning section. In the reference section of the MATC library (behind the help desk), there is a career section, and in this section, there are many books on developing resumes. Look through some of these books to get ideas on how effective resumes are arranged and written. You can also talk to your teachers and people within your particular field to get further ideas on the criteria for the resumes that are used within your field. For example, some fields want a resume that is no longer than one page; others want a vitae that includes everything you have done professionally. It is a good idea to know what is the accepted format within your particular field before you move on to the last step which is designing the resume.

Designing the resume:

The last step of putting together a resume is to design and write it. This is the fun part! To do this, you need to choose a format based on the research you have gathered or design a resume that combines ideas from the resumes you have viewed. The resume should be easy to read, pleasing to the eye, and professionally done. You don't want the resume to look too cluttered or too outlandish; you want to highlight your skills in the best way possible using a professional design. Also, you don't want any grammatical or spelling errors on your resume, so make sure that you have someone edit it.