[Solution] Customizing Your Résumé
Created at:
Author: Emily Carter
After developing job leads, focus on customizing your résumé. This means preparing a résumé for each position you would like to hold.
Read the scenario and answer the question.
You are entering a new field of employment.
What résumé format should you use?
- Functional
- Chronological
View Explanation
A functional résumé format is the best choice if you are entering a new field of employment because it focuses on skills rather than past employment.
Who will likely have a one-page résumé?
- Those who have more than 10 years of experience
- Those who have less than 10 years of experience
- Those who are senior-level managers and executives
View Explanation
Make your résumé as long as needed to sell your skills to recruiters and hiring managers. However, you are more likely to have a one-page résumé if you have less than 10 years of related experience.
Your résumé's main heading should include your name with .
View Explanation
Your main heading should always begin with your name. You can add your middle initial for a more professional look.
When composing a career objective, what words should you omit?
- Entry-level
- Proven communication
- Interpersonal skills
View Explanation
Be careful that your career objective doesn't downplay your talents. Using the term entry-level may emphasize lack of experience.
A summary of qualifications ensures that your qualifications are .
View Explanation
Including a summary at the top of your résumé makes it easier to read and ensures that your most impressive qualifications are not overlooked.
The education section of your résumé should include .
View Explanation
If your education is more noteworthy than your work experience, include it directly after your career objective or summary of qualifications. Make sure to list the degrees you've received.
Read the scenario and answer the question.
You are looking over a candidate's résumé for a marketing position in your company. The position requires a strong sense of teamwork.
What phrase could you look for that would illustrate this skill?
- Helped provide
- Proficient in
- Collaborated with
View Explanation
Make sure your list of job duties shows what you have to contribute and how you are qualified for the position. Use action verbs to describe your work experience and include verbs that illustrate your ability to work well as part of a team.
Recruiters want to know specifically what you can do for their companies.
Which of these action verbs would provide a recruiter evidence of creative skills?
- Clarified
- Collaborated
- Designed
- Translated
View Explanation
Words such of designed, fashioned, illustrated, and integrated all indicate creative skills. Words such as translated, collaborated, and clarified indicate skills in communication.
Read the scenario and answer the question
Shun recently graduated from college and is updating her résumé.
How should she approach the Capabilities and Skills section?
- Provide an updated version of her references
- Include high school information
- Provide evidence of her potential
View Explanation
If you are a recent graduate, this section can be used to give recruiters evidence of your potential. Instead of labeling this section Capabilities and Skills, you might call it Skills and Abilities.
Why would you include school, community, and professional activities on your résumé?
- To highlight dangerous pastimes
- To highlight your personality
- To demonstrate that you are a well-rounded individual
View Explanation
Include school, community, and professional activities to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded individual. This might also be a good way to highlight leadership positions you have held.
With so much riding on its outcome, your résumé demands careful polishing, proofreading, and critiquing.
What can you do to compose an honest and ethical résumé?
- Submit your résumé as a plain-text document
- Avoid inflating your education, grades, or honors
- Look for ways to condense your data
View Explanation
Never claim degrees from colleges or universities at which you just attended classes without earning a degree. Also, don't increase your grade point average or claim fictitious honors.
Which of these are ways employers typically accept résumés? Check all that apply.
- as a functional document
- as a Word document
- as a customized document
- as a PDF document
- as a plain-text, ASCII document
View Explanation
Make sure you know how the employer wants you to submit your résumé. Not following the prospective employer's instructions could eliminate you as a candidate before you are even considered. Some employers may still want candidates to send résumés by snail mail. Others prefer you to attach a plain-text document to an e-mail or to convert your document into a PDF file. Some may want you to attach your résumé as an MS Word document to e-mail messages, despite the potential for viruses.
Before you submit your résumé to recruiters, it must be .
View Explanation
Your résumé should be well written, clearly formatted, and meticulously proofread. You should always send your résumé in the format the potential employer requests. Regardless of the requested submission format, in most cases, you should submit a cover letter with your résumé.
