Career Services

College Services Building 106

360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

Building a Rsum

A solid rsum is the first step in conducting an effective job search. A rsum is a structured,
written outline of your education, employment background and skills that identifies your
qualifications for a position.

The goal is to highlight your skills and qualifications enough to catch an employers attention
for an interview. An effective rsum is brief, to the point, professional and helps the employer
quickly identify what you can offer to them.

Your rsum is also a marketing tool and is often the first impression of you to an employer. It
will sell you when you are not there in person and it can also be a talking point in an
interview.

Be accurate! It doesnt take much for an employer to determine if you have elaborated a little
too much about your skills. It is okay to leave off anything that may seem unfavorable, but
honesty is essential. Keep in mind that you need to be prepared to answer any question an
employer may have after reading your rsum.

Getting started on your rsum
Target your rsum. Know what you are applying for so you can understand what the
employer is looking for in a good candidate.
Identify your skills. Brainstorm a list of the experiences you have had (paid and unpaid
jobs, internships, education, classes, projects, etc.). From there, determine the skills
and knowledge you have obtained to create a solid list of related or transferable
content. Organize this information in such a way that clearly indicates how you meet
the position qualifications. Keep in mind that it is sometimes just as important to
identify your technical skills as it is your non-technical or soft skills. *See the end of this
packet for an activity to create your skill statements.
Decide on a style. Depending on how you meet the qualifications and your
experience, there are different formats of rsums to write (chronological, functional,
combination)

Rsum Styles
The style of your rsum may differ depending on your situation.

Chronological
This style is well known and very straightforward. Your employment and education history are
listed in reverse chronological order. The best time to use chronological is for a position
change within a field that you have substantial, related work experience. It also highlights the
longevity you have in the field. The bulk of this style is focused on your employment history, so
it is best to use a different format if you have unrelated experience or scattered employment.
Career Services
College Services Building 106
360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

Functional / Skill Based
The functional format works well for students and recent graduates. Rather than focusing most
of your rsum on past employment, a functional rsum highlights your skills, abilities, and
accomplishments from a variety of sources. For example, you can draw upon your education,
internships, volunteering, projects and other ways you have gained related and transferable
skills. The best way to list these is in some kind of Experience section with bulleted skills. It
can be helpful to categorize and break these down if you have several. By writing a functional
resume, it is much easier for the employer to understand what you have to offer them by
reading exactly what your skills are. Employment history is not a large section in this style.

Combination
This style of rsum is probably the most common as it combines elements of both
chronological and functional rsums. You can include an experience section with skills, as
well as provide some detail about previous positions you have had if they are somewhat
related. This style can be helpful to employers because they can easily see your skills and
learn more about the jobs you have had.

Rsum Sections
Contact Information / Heading.
This is like your letterhead so it should be the same on your rsum, cover letter and
reference page.
1. Name should be slightly large text size and bold so it stands out.
2. Current address if you dont plan on moving soon.
3. Phone numbers including home and cell, if you have one.
4. Email address because many employers like to contact people this way and it
also shows you are computer literate. Please make sure your email address is
professional and that you consistently check it. Some people will create email
accounts simply for job searching.
Objective.
An objective is a short, powerful statement located at the top of your rsum that tells
the employer exactly what you are looking for. The goal is to immediately grab the
employers attention to read the rest of your rsum.
1. An objective is focused on how the company can benefit from your skills, not
how you can benefit from the company.
2. Be specific with the position and/or industry.
3. The objective is optional, especially when you have a cover letter and have
already communicated your goal to the employer in your cover letter.
4. Consider starting your objective with Seeking a position or To obtain a
position
5. Example: Seeking a position to utilize my education and skills to contribute to
ABC Company.

Career Services
College Services Building 106
360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

Highlights of Qualifications / Skill Summary / Etc.

1. This is a brief bulleted section toward the top of your rsum which identifies
for the employer how you meet the major qualifications of their job.
2. This is often a summary of major points used to catch the employers attention.
Education.
1. Education should be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with your
most recent.
2. Education should be located toward the top of your rsum when it is the most
related experience you have to the position.
3. Spell out your degrees or certificates. Welding Associate in Applied Science
or Practical Nursing Certificate
4. Make your degree or certificate stand out by listing it first.
5. Indicate the month and year of graduation or expected graduation. If you took
classes or pre-requisites at another college and transferred them, it is not
essential to list that initial college.
6. Consider listing the related/technical courses you have taken.
7. Include your GPA if it is 3.0 or above.
8. High school is not necessary unless it is required for the position in which you
are applying. If you do include high school, the year is not necessary.
Work History / Employment / Professional Experience / Etc.
1. You can choose the title of this section to somehow reflect the work or
experience you have gained in the working world. If you have done an
internship, work-study or volunteer experience, Professional Experience can
be a better term to use because it is more encompassing.
2. List positions or experiences in reverse chronological order.
3. Be sure to use past tense with jobs you had in the past and present tense for
jobs you are currently working.
4. Include employer name, your job title, month and years of employment (or just
years if it was extensive), city and state. Supervisor name, phone and address
are not necessary, as these often are included in the application.
5. Try to highlight the transferable skills and tasks you did that relate to the
position you are applying for. List these in order of importance and use bullets.
6. Use action verbs to strengthen what you did.
Related Knowledge and Skills / Related Experience and Skills / Etc.
1. This section is very important when writing a functional or skill based rsum
because it lists your related skills and competencies.
2. This section can be general and draw out skills and knowledge from your
education, internships, work experience, projects, etc. It tells the employer how
you meet their qualifications in detail.



Career Services
College Services Building 106
360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

Optional Categories.
Computer Skills. Include a section on computer skills if you have several and
they are essential for the job. If not, they can often be embedded in other
sections.
Language Skills. Include if applicable. Often employers like to know if
applicants speak multiple languages and it can be a great qualification.
Honors / Awards / Accomplishments. These are important to highlight because
they show your successes.
Certification / Licenses. Many fields require employees to have specific
certifications or licenses.
Volunteer / Community Activities / College Involvement. Even if these activities
are unrelated to the position, they show your dedication, commitment,
willingness, leadership, teamwork, communication and other skills.
Hobbies / Interests. If related, these can show the employer you have a strong
interest in the field.
References.
See References handout for details.

Formatting Tips
Keep it simple and to the point with NO spelling or grammatical errors.
Stay consistent with formatting: spacing, font size and type, tense, etc.
Use 8.5 x 11 white or beige paper which will make your rsum stand out.
Try to limit it to one page, unless you have extensive experience or education directly
related to the position. If it goes onto two pages, be sure your name and page 2 are
at the top of the second page.
Use a paper clip instead of a staple to not damage the paper.
If mailing, use a large envelope so you will not have to fold the paper.
Use standard fonts of Arial or Times New Roman.
Use font sizes 10-12 for main text and headings can be slightly larger to stand out.
Avoid using graphics or photos to distract from your content.
Keep your margins at a standard size (1 to 1.25).
Use underlining and bolding to make headings stand out.

Final Recommendations
Proofread! Have several people look over your rsum or access BTC Career Services
for more help to ensure you have an error free document. You cant always rely on
computer spell-check.
Keep your information professional and omit personal information. For example, dont
include your birth date, social security number, marital/parental status, etc.).
Avoid using the word I. Instead, start phrases and sentences with action verbs
Career Services
College Services Building 106
360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

If possible, use MS Word when typing your rsum so it is more compatible with other
computers. Saving your document as a .pdf is also a good way to make sure the
recipient will be able to open it successfully.
Always keep a backup copy on a disk or USB drive.
Action Verbs
To strengthen your rsum content, it is good to use action verbs when explaining your
experience. Below are some examples.

Accomplished Achieved Adapted Administered Analyzed
Arranged Assembled Built Collected Communicated
Complied Completed Conducted Controlled Contracted
Coordinated Created Demonstrated Determined Developed
Directed Documented Earned Edited Established
Evaluated Expanded Facilitated Gained Gathered
Generated Hired Increased Influenced Implemented
Improved Installed Led Maintained Managed
Operated Ordered Organized Oversaw Participated
Performed Planned Prepared Produced Programmed
Provided Recorded Researched Reviewed Scheduled
Served Set up Simplified Solved Spearheaded
Structured Suggested Supervised Supported Taught
Trained Translated Typed Updated Used

Tracking Your Rsum
Job searching can be an overwhelming process if you are applying for several jobs. To help
you keep track of what you have applied for, keep a log of what action you have taken. This
also provides a good tool for following up if you have not heard back from an employer yet
about a job you applied for.

Company Address/Phone Contact
Person
Date Notes / Follow Up














Career Services
College Services Building 106
360-752-8396

www.btc.ctc.edu/CareerServices

Creating Your Skill Statements

Your Skill _____________________________________________________________________

Describe the time/situation you used this skill ________________________________________





What were the results? What did you learn?_________________________________________




Your Skill _____________________________________________________________________

Describe the time/situation you used this skill ________________________________________





What were the results? What did you learn?_________________________________________




Your Skill _____________________________________________________________________

Describe the time/situation you used this skill ________________________________________





What were the results? What did you learn?_________________________________________