Resume Assignment

   Due date: September 12 (Monday), 2pm  (by email)

Assignment: Your next graded assignment for Junior Colloquium is to produce a resume suitable for use in seeking an internship. Very soon you will use this resume as the basis for the one in your electronic COMM Professional Portfolio.

●   Begin this project by reviewing some resource materials on the course resources page. Try the Evergreen State site for some basic starting points  (The links to helpful locations are below)

• Developing the Professional Resume -- advice from the Evergreen State Academic Advising office.
  • Preparing your Resume -- detailed advice from MonsterTrak.com (download as a Word document)
  • Resume and CV Resources for Job-Seekers - multiple resources on resumes and cover letters for job seekers from Quintessential Careers

   

• Look at the resumes from COMM seniors over the last couple of years for models and ideas and, when in doubt, use the categories in the JOE COMM resume as the basis for your resume.

●   Use the list of "current skills" you created for the Professional Goals assignment last week as a starting point for what you might include under the category of "Professional Skills" (see the Joe Comm resume for an example) on your resume.  What you are attempting to show on your resume is that you have skills, experiences, courses, activities and/or previous work which might interest prospective employers and internship providers. Don’t worry if you list too much or some items that seem trivial. You can edit out material later. 

●   Select the resume categories you will use.  These - education, professional skills, (work-like) experience, awards and honors, activities - are probably ones you will include.

●   Next, create a rough draft of your resume.  Make everything on the resume relate to and support evidence of your ability to accomplish the goal you have for this resume.  (In this case most likely you will be using the resume for seeking an internship.  Use your best audience analysis skills to imagine and display what a potential internship employer is looking for.)

●   Keep the format simple at this point. Avoid fancy graphics, columns, unusual spacing, etc.   Keep the length to no more than 2 pages.

●   Share your draft resume with your academic advisor and/or some other faculty member whose advice you value. Consider their suggestions.  Here is some additional advice.

"Resumes and cover letters are often required to vary with each position application.  A common misconception about resumes: “mine is good, it got me the job!”  Sometimes, connections, no qualified opposing candidates, a tight job market, or other factors can explain hiring decisions.    An important lesson to take away from this assignment is that, if a specific hiring process requires the presentation of material in a specific way, you are best advised to adapt directly to what is requested if you expect to be successful.  In general, a single error in spelling, typography, or wording will get a candidate eliminated from further consideration in a strongly contested job pool.  Resumes and cover letters are the first evidence of writing skill (or potential problems in work performance) in all positions requiring communication skill.  Resumes and cover letters are public relations documents you create for your first and most important client—yourself.

●   Prepare a “draft” version of your internship resume in the form of an MS Word .doc and email a copy to me by the due date, 9/12 by email, 2pm. You will use this draft resume to start creating the resume page in your electronic portfolio on Wed.

Be sure all information is correct and there are NO TYPOS. Be sure to save the file as we will use it to create a web version to place in your portfolio.  When you name the resume file you are sending me, use the following format for the file name:  < yourlastname-res.doc >