Description
Minimal job experience? No problem!
You’ve just graduated and are ready to land your first real job after college or high school. But how do you write the first résumé and cover letter of your career if you don’t have any previous jobs to list? How do you stand out above the other applicants--including people with more experience who are out of work--with your summer job at the diner, internship at the local paper, or spot on the Ultimate Frisbee team?
Dr. Q to the rescue! For two decades, communication professor Quentin Schultze has been teaching résumé-writing to college students and recent graduates, helping them identify their strengths and transferable skills from their unique life experiences--from extracurriculars to part-time jobs to internships to volunteering. With Résumé 101, you’ll discover the secrets to composing strong, impressive resumes and cover letters, such as:
What to include when you lack professional experience
How to get great references and recommendations
Why to use a summary rather than objective statement
When to include hobbies, travel, and technology skills
What to do if your GPA isn’t sky-high
Which designs and basic formats work the best
Where to find the perfect verbs and adjectives for a specific job
With Dr. Q’s help, you’ll soon have a résumé and cover letter that will show hiring managers who you really are, why you’re prefect for your dream job, and why they should choose you.
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTs
FOREWORD by Richard N. Bolles
INTRODUCTION: Why This Book Will Help You Land Interviews and Jobs
1 The Naked Truths of Résumé Success
Be Courageous
Be Creative
Be Unconventional
Be Vulnerable
Be Organized
2 Where to Begin
What’s a Résumé?
Use Great Résumés
Get Your Name and Numbers Right
Recall Your Stories
Look Beyond Work
3 Highlight Your Life Experiences
Create Your Master List
Expand Your Experiences
Develop Your Entries
Identify Your Skills
Assess Your Knowledge
Know Your Personal Traits
4 Write for Your Audience
Know Your Audience
Organize Your Content
State Your Experience
Summarize Your Education
List Your Activities
Add Special Categories
5 Fine-Tune Your Résumé
Use a Summary Statement
Use Words Honestly and Well
Format Entries
Edit, Edit, Edit
Make It Scannable
6 Add References and Cover Letters
Identify Your References
Write Persuasive Cover Letters
7 Go with the Flow
Don’t Sweat It
Circulate Your Résumé Strategically
Create a Support Network
Appendixes
A Master List Form
B List of Positive Traits as Adjectives
C Summary Statement Worksheet
D List of Action Verbs
E Sample Résumé Entry Edits
F Common Grammatical Errors
G Sample Résumés with Cover Letters
H Résumé Checklist
WORKS CITED
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX
