Professional Resume Advice and Sample ... - Career Services

WHAT ARE THE VITAL COMPONENTS OF A RESUME?The vast majority of resumes will have at a minimum four keycomponents: Professional Summary, Core Competencies, ProfessionalExperience, and Education. The Core Competencies can be presentedeither as a part of the Professional Summary or as a standalone sectionto draw visual attention.Of course, there are always exceptions to the norm, and not everyresume with have those four sections. A graduating student with anexceptionally strong educational background but no work experiencewill have no need for a Professional Experience section. Or consider thesenior executive who never went to college. That job seeker is betteroff omitting the education section completely and discussing it at aninterview. Why include something that’s immediately going to raisequestions or eliminate you from consideration?You can include other categories in your resume if they are relevantto you and your career objective. No need to list your membership ina local community-service organization if you’re looking for a job inpurchasing halfway across the country. It’s not relevant nor particularlyinteresting. Conversely, that same membership can be very important ifyou’re looking for a new position in your local community because othermembers of that organization might be just the contacts you need. Or,more likely, they know the people who know the people you want toknow!CHAPTER 1 : Welcome to the Craft of Professional Resume Writing16