Revise your resume

  • Due Nov 4, 2024 by 7am
  • Points 4
  • Submitting a text entry box or a file upload
  • File Types pdf, docx, doc, gif, jpg, jpeg, and png

 Dilbert resume.gif

dilbert.com Links to an external site.

 

As a UW-Madison student you have access to a wide range of career advisers and writing tutors right here on campus. In this assignment you will identify and use of one of these resources to provide an outside perspective on your draft resume. And you will also get advice from your social network of peers in your discussion section.

 

Read this first

 

Complete these steps

1. Complete this self-guided resume tutorial from SuccessWorks. Go to https://go.wisc.edu/du8900 Links to an external site. and complete the self-guided Canvas module "SuccessWorks Resumes & Cover Letters." The whole module should take about an hour to complete.

resume module screen shot.png

2. Create an "encyclopedia" version of your resume based on what you have learned. This is a version of your resume that is just for your use behind the scenes – it should contain everything you could imagine putting on a resume when you actually apply for a job. Pay special attention to the activities/accomplishments you list – whether they are paid jobs, volunteer positions, or class projects – and make sure you have interesting and detailed bullet points for each one you choose. It is OK if the "encyclopedia" version of your resume runs more than one page long! (Make a copy of this file once you're done, for the next step.)

Pro Tip: Remember that your undergraduate major does not "speak for itself" – you need to be able to use your resume to tell a story about what you learned in college and why.

3. Now craft your one-page resume. Especially for college students without a lot of previous formal full-time work experience, a one-page resume is standard. Starting with a copy of your "encyclopedia" resume, winnow down to the most important and impressive activities/accomplishments, and the best two or three bullet points for each, to try to make your resume fit on a single page.

Pro Tip: To help in winnowing down to a one-page resume, imagine a job, internship, volunteer, or research position you are likely to apply for in the near future. Keep this example in mind as you polish your resume. You should always revise your resume before you use it to apply for any job, to make sure the information you include is relevant and persuasive to that specific organization.

4. Review and proofread your work. This is extremely important. Recruiters often spend very little time reading through your resume, and if they catch a misspelling or grammar error, they might pass you by. Proofread your resume for errors and, ideally, ask someone else to proofread it as well! Look for clichéd terms ("Self-starter") or hyperbolic phrases ("Amazing") to eliminate and rewrite. 

Finally, review this handout "Building a Resume Download Building a Resume" one more time to make sure your resume comports with expected standards.

5. Print your resume as a PDF and upload it to Canvas for this assignment. Your TA will provide detailed feedback on your resume before you revise it one more time into a final version. (NOTE: you do not need to follow these formatting guidelines Download these formatting guidelines, unlike other assignments.)

6. Print your resume on paper before you go to your discussion section this week. You will trade resumes with a fellow student in section and peer review each other's work, so you need to bring a printed copy. 

 

For extra help

Get your resume reviewed. If you are stuck or have a question not answered by our course materials, reach out to your home department or a writing tutor to take a look at your resume. Here are some options to get you started.

(a) For students who have a major already: Try your department first! Reach out to the academic or career adviser of your chosen or intended major to ask if they would be willing to review your resume over email or in person. (Let them know that you are doing this for a class assignment – their advising hours may be limited and they may need to prioritize more urgent student appointments.) 

(b) For all students, declared major or not: Consult the UW Writing Center. Options available include:

      • in-person meetings (6171 Helen C. White Hall)
      • satellite locations in College Library and elsewhere
      • a virtual meeting
      • asynchronous written feedback

Find out more about which option is best for you and how to make an appointment: https://writing.wisc.edu/make-a-writing-appointment/ Links to an external site..

 

Notes on this assignment

  • Do you have a professor or a TA from another class who is experienced in the field you're interested in working in? They can give useful resume advice as well.
  • Before you edit your own resume, and before you conduct your peer review, you may want to review some samples: click these links to check out an Download example of a strong resume, and an Download example of a weak resume.
  • What did the peer who reviewed your resume notice that you had missed? Was there anything on your resume that was unclear that you had to explain or contextualize?
  • What should you do if different people give you differing or even contradictory advice about your resume?
  • Are there any preconceptions, stereotypes, assumptions, or biases that you think employers might bring to your resume? What can (or should) you do about this? 
  • Is there anything you have decided to add, remove, or alter on your resume as a result of this assignment?
  • Remember that there is no single, perfect, universal way to construct a resume – you will likely get conflicting advice from people as you show them your draft resume (you may even get differing advice from various UW advisers). That's to be expected – the point is that you have to be comfortable with how your resume represents you, after understanding how a wide variety of different readers might interpret it.
Pro Tip: Try this role-playing exercise: Pair up with another student and trade resumes. Taking turns, pretend to interview each other for a job, asking your partner about one specific point on their resume that might be intriguing or unclear, so make sure that each student has a story in mind (part of an overall career narrative) to accompany everything listed on the resume. You might also ask how any particular point relates to the student's major, or to the student's career goal.

 

To learn more

 

1730725200 11/04/2024 07:00am