1. careers
2. resume writing and advice

Qualified Undergraduate
Interview Candidate
(QUIC)
Resume Tutorial: helping you
prepare a quality resume
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
Producing a Quality Resume
Producing a quality resume can be a relatively simple process. The
key is to approach the process step by step.
This tutorial will give you the information to include in your resume, how
to organize the information, and then give you some sample formats to
follow as you organize that information to produce an attractive and
informative resume.
After producing a resume, you will want to move onto the section on
cover letters to learn the basics of writing a targeted and effective cover
letter
Career Resources also has staff and career coaches available to
critique your resume or cover letter once you have completed this
module.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
Gathering the information
The first step is to gather the necessary information to include on your
resume. That information will fall into the following categories:
Contact information
Your Career Objective
Education
Work Experience
Extra-curricular Experience
Other topics such as:
Skills
Awards and Accomplishments
Interests and Hobbies
References
As you begin, you can draft the information on index cards, by hand in a
notebook, or as a Word document but for now DO NOT worry about
formatting, simply collect the information – Okay, let’s get started.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
CONTACT INFORMATION
How can an employer contact you? Simply write down your addresses
(include local as well as any permanent address you use), and the
phone number and website address that you REGULARLY use.
Remember: Employers may keep your information on file for a year or
longer. If you are using a cell phone or hotmail.com account now but
change to another number or account, you may miss valuable emails.
Our recommendation: use your osu.edu account regularly and simply
forward as necessary to other accounts. Your osu.edu account is easy
and professional.
TIP: When conducting a professional job or internship search, leave a
professional greeting on your cell phone and use a professional email
address -- stay away from cute email names such as
[email protected]
The next slide will give you samples of contact information.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
CONTACT INFORMATION
sample formats
If you have two addresses:
SRIRAM RATHAKRISHNAN
[email protected]
Permanent Address:
201 E. Shoreline Drive
Cleveland, OH 44144
(216) 555-1234
Local Address:
657 North Starr #D
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 555-9876
If you have only one address:
ELIZABETH WILSON
657 Dreamweaver Blvd. #D
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 555-9876
[email protected]
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
YOUR CAREER OBJECTIVE
• You need to include a one sentence statement that answers the
questions:
“Why are you writing this resume?” and “What do you want?
Stating your objective immediately helps the reader know exactly
what you are looking for.
• Often the objective is a combination of:
• type of position you want: internship or full time
• functional area in which you want to work
• industry in which you want to work
• skills you wish to apply
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
OBJECTIVE
samples
To obtain a marketing internship
Seeking a full-time career position in the commercial
insurance industry
An internship where I can apply my computer skills in the
areas of banking and/or finance
To apply my leadership, analytical, and communication skills
in management consulting
To obtain an entry level career position in Transportation
and Logistics
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EDUCATION INFORMATION
•
List only those institutions where you received or will receive a degree along
with the graduation dates. Once you are a sophomore or junior, you will not
need to list your high school education.
•
List your majors and also list Grade Point Average. You know your overall
GPA because it is on your advising report, however you will need to do the
calculations for your major GPA. For the most part, list your overall GPA but
as you gain more coursework in your major and if it is better than your overall
GPA, then you can use your major GPA.
•
Also list study abroad under the education section. You may also find it to
your advantage to list courses you have taken. You might even want to list
significant projects you completed. Now is the time to begin that list and to
keep a copy of each project in case you need to talk about it in an interview.
TIP: No need to put the range of dates you attended, just include your anticipated
graduation date (and even then, no need to put the words “anticipated” or
“planned.”)
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EDUCATION INFORMATION
sample formats
Basic Information:
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Major: Marketing Major GPA: 3.1
Columbus, OH
June 2010
Including the Fisher College of Business:
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
Fisher College of Business
June 2011
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting
GPA: 3.71/4.00
Honors Accounting Program
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EDUCATION INFORMATION
sample formats
Including information on study abroad:
The Ohio State University, Columbus OH
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration September 2010
International Business/Finance (Major GPA: 3.5) Minor in Spanish
El Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agrarias, Texcoco, Mexico
Agricultural Trade and Rural Development Study Abroad Program June - August 2009
Including information on coursework:
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY,
Columbus, OH
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration June 2010
Major: Marketing Major GPA: 3.1
Relevant Coursework:
Promotional Strategy
Consumer Behavior
Marketing Research
Managerial Marketing
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EDUCATION INFORMATION
more sample formats
Including information on projects:
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Columbus, OH
Fisher College of Business
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
December 2005
Transportation and Logistics
GPA: 3.71/4.00
Classroom projects:
•Integrated Logistics Systems: A Case Study of Limited Brands
•The Financial Impact of Homeland Security Legislation on Import Trade
•Hard Times, Hard Tomatoes: Logistics Challenges in the Produce Industry
TIP: As you draft your information, list everything you can think of and then
select the information that best describes your skills and abilities.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EXPERIENCE SECTION
•
List your experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent
experience listed first; you break up your experience into sub-sections, for
example, have a “Related Experience” section and then an “Other
Experience” section; then have it be in reverse order within each section
•
Be consistent with formatting; if you list the company first and then the city,
do it that way with each position
•
Use bullets and describe your job duties in detail – try not to have brief three
word descriptions (such as: handled cash transactions)
•
Use numbers and quantify whenever possible
•
Value the work you have done and remember experience is not only work
experience
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
WORK EXPERIENCE
You now need to let the reader know the types of jobs and internships you
have held. The main points to include are:
name of the company, location
position title, dates
duties and tasks you preformed
When discussing your duties and tasks, you want to use ACTION VERBS that
really convey an idea of the work you did. Use the present tense for any job
you are currently doing and past tense for jobs in the past.
Some action verbs are:
Administered
Developed
Initiated
Planned
Analyzed
Directed
Managed
Produced
Authorized
Established
Organized
Scheduled
Coordinated
Handled
Oversaw
Supervised
And there are many more!!
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
WORK EXPERIENCE
sample formats
A1 Marketing Group, Columbus, Ohio
Marketing Assistant, September 2003 to June 2004
•
•
•
•
Reviewed restaurant product lines and wrote summary comparison report
Analyzed demographics of restaurant patronage and created typical profiles
Organized fund raising event including creating mailing list and handling registrations
Solicited feed back from event participants and submitted recommendations for improvements
Merck & Co, Inc.
Materials Management Intern
•
•
•
•
•
West Point, PA
June – December 2004
Planned daily Teamster road Work Operations for the West Point Plant Site Logistics Department
Prepared and maintained the required records for a D.O.T. inspection of Teamster Operation
Performed a cost analysis of the Merck fleet operations
Rectified department warehouse inventory discrepancies by conducting cycle counts
Served as co-chair of the 2000 Fall Merck Internship Community Service Committee
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
WORK EXPERIENCE:
additional tips
As you gain more experience, you may want to use different categories to
separate and highlight your experience. Some examples of different names for
the work experience section of your resume:
Internship Experience
Related Experience or Relevant Experience
Marketing Experience (or Finance Experience, Accounting Experience,
Logistics Experience, etc.)
Professional Experience
Other Experience (for the other jobs you have held)
TIP: When you list your experience DO NOT emphasize the dates – just put the
date after the job title – instead emphasize where you worked and what you did. If
you use different categories, your experience may no longer be in chronological
order and there is no need to draw attention to that.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EXTRA CURRICULAR EXPERIENCE
Often you will develop skills and make significant contributions in areas
that are not actual work positions. For example you may be extremely
active in a professional fraternity, in a sorority, in student government or
another student organization.
We recommend that you treat these experiences as seriously as any
job and therefore format them to emphasize your contributions. This is
particularly valuable when you have not yet had time to do an
internship but you have devoted considerable time to campus activities.
You can also use unique categories titles for these such as:
Leadership Experience
Campus Involvement
Community Activities
Extra-Curricular Activities
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
EXTRA-CURRICULAR EXPERIENCE
sample formats
Alpha Kappa Psi, The Ohio State University
Publicity Chair, Career Day Job Fair, September – November 2009
• Worked with team members to organize publicity campaign
• Created fliers, overheads, and newspaper ad to promote event
• Spoke in targeted classes encouraging students to attend
• Over 1400 students attended the 2010 Career Day Job Fair
LEADERSHAPE TRAINING INSTITUTE
Columbus, OH
Co-Coordinator-The Ohio State University
(September 2009 - Present)
• Oversaw all aspects and logistics of the event including selection of participants
• Coordinated and conducted orientation meetings and reunion events
• Collaborated and promoted Institute to over 60 organizations via network of personal advertising
You can simply list your involvement in various organization and elaborate in the interview:
American Marketing Association, 2008 to present
•Membership Chair in 2008-2009
•Programs Chair in 2007-2008
Finance Association Member, 2008 - 2009
•Team leader of 2008 Race for the Cure Service Project
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
OTHER INFORMATION TO INCLUDE
You may want to include other categories of information such as:
Computer, Language, Skills
Honors, Awards, Accomplishments
Interests, Hobbies, Travel
Any of these are good to list and especially if they help convey more about you
and why they should interview you.
List computer skills if you have a variety of skills and you think they will be
helpful on the job (a marketing major that knows several types of desktop
publishing and graphics programs).
List travel if you have traveled extensively and you want to convey your ability to
relocate or travel on the job.
List hobbies and interests that help demonstrate that you are a team player
(sports), that you interests outside school (play an instrument, are a
photographer, enjoy home improvements)
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
OTHER INFORMATION
sample formats
Skills
Computer: Microsoft Office including Publisher, PageMaker, PhotoShop
Web Design: Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Macromedia Flash
Language: Fluent in Spanish, Intermediate ability in French
Photography: Proficient in darkroom techniques as well as digital photography
Awards and Honors
•Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
•Graduate Summa cum laude at The Ohio State University
•American Business Women’s Scholarship
•Fisher College of Business Pace Setters Award 2004
Interests
Playing music (bass & guitar), tennis, snowboarding, disc golf,
mountain biking, gourmet cooking
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
REFERENCES
References: Available Upon Request
This is often seen at the bottom of your resume but you do not need to include this
wording on your resume. Most employers know that if they want a list of your
references, you will provide them. But you may want to develop a list just in case.
You should have 3-5 people who can talk about your skills and it can be a variety of
people: professors, supervisors, organization advisors, volunteer coordinators,
coaches. You want to list people who have seen you at work and can talk about your
abilities. You will not include personal or family friends unless specifically asked to do
so by an employer.
Before you list someone, ask their permission and give them a copy of your resume.
Also ask which address they would like you to use and make sure you have complete
mailing, phone, and email information.
You will list your references on a separate piece of paper with your name at the top
and a notation “References For.” Once you have a reference page, you should take it
to interviews just in case they ask for your references. If they do ask, you will appear
extremely prepared. However, do not offer the references if they don’t ask as it may
appear a bit presumptuous on your part.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
REFERENCES Sample
References for
Tiffany Washington
Dr. Elizabeth Jones-Richman
Professor, Marketing, Fisher College of Business
555 Fisher Hall 2100 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
614-292-5555 [email protected]
Robert Van Hoesen
(formerly Manager of Bon Vie Restaurant)
Senior Operations Manager, Wendy’s International
4288 W. Dublin-Granville Rd Dublin, OH 43017
614-764-8401 [email protected]
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
PUTTING IT ON PAPER
Once you have the information collected, then begin to actually word process the
resume. While templates can be easy, we have rarely seen many that work well as
they often force you to do things contrary to our advice. Rarely will a template work if
you have lots of information to put on one page. If you have decent word processing
skills, just format it as you go. If you don’t have good word processing skills, maybe
now is the time to develop those skills!
You should strive to keep your resume to one page.
Be sure to proof read your resume!
Be sure your printer creates a good crisp copy -- no smears.
Print it on white, cream, light gray good quality paper.
Have some extra paper for the cover letter
And come into the Career Management Office to have someone look it over. We have
career coaches that will see you on a walk-in basis. Check our website at
http://fisher.osu.edu/career/careercoach/ for dates and hours.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
COVER LETTERS
Good cover letters have the following qualities:
•
•
•
•
formatted as a professional business letter
well written with no grammatical or spelling errors
written to a specific company or organization for a
specific position – NO MASS MAILINGS PLEASE
contains detail that makes the reader want to read your
resume more closely and interview you
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
Before you begin . . . .
Collect information that will help you write your cover letter:
• Try to have a job description so you know the skills they are looking
for – if you can’t find a job description for that job, have you found
descriptions for similar jobs?
• Do some research on the company -- look at their web site, look
through their literature. Why are they a good organization to work for?
• Make a list how your experiences match their qualifications
• Make sure you have the person’s name and his/her title spelled
correctly. If you don’t have a name, address the letter to the title such
as “Dear Internship Coordinator” (stay away from “Dear Sir or Madam”)
• Then write a cover letter with three good paragraphs
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
COVER LETTER: Paragraph 1
In the opening paragraph, you want to:
• Explain the position are you applying for – either you are applying for
a specific posted position or if you have done your research you know
the position that interests you.
• Let them know how you found out about the position. “ . . . the Tax
Staff Consultant position (#108454) posted on Fisher Connect on 9/6/2005.”
or “”The Financial Development Program listed in the careers section of your
web site.”
• Tell them why you are interested in their company. What is it about
their services or products that attracts you? You will notice that at this
point it is about the company or organization!
• Be direct, detailed, and specific so there is no doubt in the reader’s
mind as to what it is you are writing about and why they should take
the time to read your letter. They also have enough information to
pass it along to the next appropriate person.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
COVER LETTER: Paragraph 2
In the first paragraph you talked about the company, now tell them why
should they be interested in you – now it is about you!
• Throughout this paragraph be detailed in your statements.
• Explain how your experiences match their requirements.
• Don’t just make vague statements such as “I have excellent
communication skills” -- back up those statements with concrete
evidence -- “that I developed in the two years I was with Banc One in
their customer service call center.”
• You really thought about your skills and abilities as you wrote your
resume, now think how can you add value to their company.
• Don’t just restate your resume but find new things to talk about. This
section of the cover letter can contain information not suited for the
resume. For example, “I have excellent time management skills that I
developed by balancing work (30 hours a week), school (full-time courses with
a 3.4 GPA), and involvement in my sorority (with leadership positions the last
two years).”
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
COVER LETTER: Paragraph 3
This paragraph talks about next steps – specifically steps you will be
taking.
• Restate your interest in the position and in their company
• Let them know how they can reach you especially if there are any
extenuating circumstances. “I will be in Tempe, Arizona, January 1st
through 5th but you can reach me on my cell phone at . . . .”
• But you should be the one to indicate how you will follow up “I will
contact you the week of . . . . “
Then:
• Make sure you follow up as promised which may mean that you make
sure you have a telephone number BEFORE you indicate that you will
call them.
• Check your voice mail greetings – are they professional enough for
your future employer to hear?
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
FINAL ADVICE
• Don’t forget to sign your cover letter
• Proof read it once again – and then again
• Keep good records as you conduct your search so you know when to
follow up, who to talk to, whom to thank
• Start your job/internship early, look for good opportunities, network,
and use the career management office
• Like everything else, practice does make perfect – begin to search out
internships and jobs that interest you
• Make full use of career management – you will rarely have so much
career advice available from people who want to help you be the best
you can be – we want you to be an extremely well qualified
undergraduate as you conduct your job or internship search.
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program
OTHER RESOURCES:
For samples of resumes and other resources go to:
fisher.osu.edu/offices/career-management/undergraduate-students/
On the job search website, look at:
• Vault Guide Resources
• Effective Resume Writing (has four sample resumes)
• Cover Letters
• And more!
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Office of Career Management
QUIC -- Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate Program