Home Schoolers Choose Activities 10 Dynamite Tips to Build College Application Resume
As you start high school, join youth and adult clubs in your community that you would really enjoy. Participate as an appointed or elective officer on the clubs and other groups you belong to. Most groups look for youth representatives, and you have the time to do an excellent job. Look for activities and sports that will make you look your best to the college you eventually want to attend. If you have many talents and interests, be sure to keep your grades up, and achieve at high levels in your activities.
During your high school years, some of the special activities that show you have special talents and abilities include:
Writing
Join the club newsletter staff. Enter writing and essay contests. Compose speeches for contests and debate tournaments. Write a teen column for your local newspaper.
Art, Photography and Drama
Enroll in special design, drawing, painting, ceramic, and pottery classes through your city’s recreation department, continuation or adult school. Act in community plays, or musicals, and work backstage in the community theater. Volunteer to work on the photo staff of local newspaper. Publish in city or local newspapers. Win awards at local art shows and county fairs.
Music
Participate in community orchestras, bands, choirs, madrigal groups, musicals, junior symphonies, summer music camps, music award competitions, and church choirs.
Science
Join the adult radio, science, math and engineering clubs. Participate in regional and national math tournaments and science competitions and fairs. You can win prizes and awards. Subscribe to science magazines or read them at the library.
Sports
Be an active team player in the recreation department sports you like best. Follow a regular training program to develop above average skills.
Agriculture
Join Future Farmers of America, FFA, or 4-H Clubs. Enter state and county fairs to gain awards, prizes, and recognition.
Home Economics
Work hard and compete for awards and prizes at county, state and national fairs. Offer to help a local business in your area of interest.
Technical Arts
Volunteer for experience at auto and body shops, metal shops, manufacturers, and engineering or architectural firms. Schools offer job training through Regional Occupational Programs, ROP. These may be open to you at the Community College .apprentice training programs.
Business
Try out some prospective business careers by working as a volunteer or intern. Be sure to ask for letters of recommendations.
Become an Eagle Scout.. Apply to be a legislative page. Volunteer for your senator, congressman, assemblyman, city councilman, or for local civic and charitable organizations.
Keep track of your high school courses and activities A scrap book for newspaper clippings and awards will give you a wonderful diary for your future life, and will help you fill out your resume your senior year.
Helen Heron-Karnes is a dedicated educator, author and publisher. She graduated from Pomona College, received her teaching credentials from UC Berkeley and is a Reading Specialist. She taught high school in Livermore, CA for thirty-five years, and retired as “Teacher of the Millennium”! She has given presentations all over the world, including talks at the World Council on Gifted and Talented Children at The Hague and Hong Kong. Her most recent presentation on “Creative Problem Solving with Gifted Students” was at the Mensa World Gathering in Orlando in August, 2006. She is the Gifted Children Coordinator for San Diego Mensa. She has just published the newly revised 5th edition of College Countdown, A Planning Guide for High School Students, Contact her at info@heronpub.com or through http://www.heronpub.com
Tags: Activities, admission, college, High School, Home School, resumeHow to Turn Your Resume or CV into a Website
With the many job sites out there, as web professionals, one probably has one, two or several resumes online from which prospective employers can peruse. It’s getting to be a challenge to stand out from the crowd. Why not take it one step further and turn your resume or CV into a website.
Find Webspace
The first step is of course, finding webspace. There are many free web hosts. The downside is that most of them have advertising on the pages. It’s a good starting place since most of them allow you to build and publish the pages on the spot.
However, if you are more experienced you could opt for no ads web-hosting and a URL. The good news is that web-hosting rates are coming down. They are even as low as $5.00 US a month. Some web-hosts have What-You-See-Is What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) builders to help beginners establish their web presence.
Domain names (also known as URLs or web addresses) prices are also coming down as well. Some web hosts can handle the registration as well.
Back to the resume
Take a look at the resume and see how many visible sections there are. Those sections can be your pages. A sample listing of sections can go as follows:
- Experience
- Education
- Activities
- Contact information
This is already four sections that can turn into 4 webpages. As the experience grows, the website can branch out to be more pages. Also feel free to provide external hyperlinks(links that are not a part of your website.) This will enable people to visit the external website without closing or navigating away from your website. One can link to employers, educational institutions, etc. so that the resume can have an interactive feel.
Don’t forget the main page or the homepage, the first thing that visitors see when they arrive on your website. Think about a headline that will grab someone’s attention that in a few words summarizes the website. It can be your name or your function. It’s also a good idea on the homepage to have a paragraph summarizing who you are and what you do. Another recommendation is to have a full-page version of the resume as well. This gives people a choice if they want to view a section or the full version.
Its is also a good idea, if you have the webspace to have multiple versions of your resume accessible by linking to them on your site. .DOC and .PDF formats are widely known followed by .RTF.
Lastly, as we all know, a resume is always growing and changing; such as a website and the nature of the Internet. Always take the time to review and enhance your website. It’s important that your online resume should show growth and evolve to meet new challenges and opportunities.
As the owner of NextSTEPH (http://www.nextsteph.com), Stephanie M. Cockerl helps organizations define and implement goals for their websites. She also works with clients and audiences to effectively and safely harness the power of the World Wide Web for information gathering, information sharing, marketing and career pursuits.
Over the years, Stephanie has become an award winning web designer, developer, professor and web consultant. She is a Certified Webmaster, awarded by the International Association of Webmasters and Designers; listed on Who’s Who on the Web, has been featured as “Webgrrl of the Week” by Webgrrls.com, an international networking organization for Women in New Media; Silicon Salley, a magazine that recognizes women in technology; in iVillage.com, a leading online community for women as a “Featured Technodiva”.
Tags: resume, self marketing, web siteIs Your Resume Too Long
The length of your resume is less important than its substance. If your resume is properly worded, you can inject it with your accomplishments, expertise, skills and talents without having to wear out the reader with an abundance of unnecessary words.
What you write on your resume is more important than how long it is. Write what matters. Hit the employer between the eyes with your effective use of language. Convey your qualifications in vibrant prose so the reader cannot help but want to read more.
How long should your resume be? The length of your resume should be in direct proportion to your success in reaching your career goals and in pursuing related educational objectives. What does that mean?
Well, it means:
- Show your accomplishments
- Target your resume to the job and the company
- Don’t pad your resume
- Be honest
- Use action keywords
- Only list what applies to the position you are seeking
- Never use two words when one will do
- Add enough white space to allow natural breaks in reading
- Do not list references
Most experts suggest you keep your resume to two pages. If you can fit your skills and accomplishments on one page, that is even better. If you are a professional or executive, three pages may be required to tell the whole story, but be sure you are using only what best supports your career goals.
Write your resume in such a way that the reader knows exactly what you want and your credentials support that goal. Anything more becomes tedious and takes away from the impact of your true purpose. Anything less and your goal become unsubstantiated by your past experience and education.
The goal of the resume is to get the interest of the prospective employer to the extent that you are sought out for an interview. Whatever the length of your resume is, make sure that you are including the information that the employer needs in order to make an informed decision about whether or not to bring you in for an interview.
Remember that an employer doesn’t have a great deal of time to devote to reading resumes, so make it easy and include what matters most in your resume. This is a time to show off, ok?
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: make a resume, resume, resume advice, resume keywords, resume length, resume tips, resume writingResume Tips for Human Resource Assistants - What You Need to Know
If you are wanting to break into the field of Human Resources, you will most likely have to start at an entry-level position and work your way up. A Human Resource Assistant is a position that does not require a great deal of experience. Since the main focus of the job is maintaining records, there are many possible ways to gain this experience without having to be directly employed in an HR position.
For the purpose of this article, the resume tips listed below will help in writing a resume that provides prospective employers with the information they need to make a good decision about whether or not you will fit in with their organization.
In short: You will learn how to create a resume that employers WANT to read.
If you want to impress prospective employers, you have to make the most of your credentials. Here are some excellent tips for creating a resume that sells your skills and accomplishments to employers.
Human Resource Assistant Resume Tips:
1. Make sure you are include the main sections within your resume. Typically, they are: Heading, Objective, Education, Experience, Activities/Awards and References. Employers like to know where to find the information they are seeking. Choose a common resume format, such as: Chronological or Functional.
2. If you do not have much work experience, consider listing volunteer work and/or school-related experiences, such as laying out copy for a yearbook, tracking equipment for a sports team, creating programs for school event or something similar. Anything that might be considered a task associated with the work environment is fine to use on your resume.
3. Accomplishments are probably the most important things you can list on a resume. This is true regardless of how old you are or how much experience you have. The reason is that accomplishments show that you worked hard, were involved and got things done.
4. Proofread everything until you are certain that your resume contains no mistakes. Also, have someone else read your resume in an effort to ensure it is error-free. Typos and grammar errors are the first things an employer looks for when weeding out the good resumes from the bad ones.
These resume tips will not guarantee that you get a job immediately, but they will make it more likely that an employer will read your resume. That is the first step toward getting a call for an interview.
A resume is the one tool that can help you realize your future employment dreams. It does not matter if your first job is working for an automobile dealership or at a printing company. A good resume will lead you toward job success.
If you want to find a great job, do what it takes to ensure you are looked at more favorably than your competitors. Lead the crowd by using the resume tips listed above and make your career as fantastic as possible. You deserve the best, right?
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: creating a resume, hr, human resource assistant, resume, resume advice, resume tips, resume writingDoes Your Resume Have Any Personality
Sure, you have plenty of personality, but are you able to convey that in your resume?
Take a look at your resume and read it through like a professional hiring manager would. Is it interesting? Is it boring? Would you fall asleep if you had to read your own resume at 10:00 p.m. at night (like some human resource professionals have to do)?
Creating a resume that gets read from top to bottom is not easy. To do so means you have to interject active, vibrant language throughout your resume. That doesn’t mean you need to use a lot of jargon or slang; quite the contrary. Flowery speech will get your resume tossed out. Words that show enthusiasm, confidence, responsibility and accomplishments are what will keep a reader glued to your resume.
Let your personality show through your resume and your cover letter. So many resumes are dull and lifeless. No wonder they’re so painful to read sometimes. Let the prospective employer know that you enjoy your line of work and that you feel great about going to work each day. (If that isn’t the case, you probably need to evaluate the possibility of a career change).
Your resume has to be professional, but it does not have to be boring. Add some interest by changing out a few words here and there. Show some energy and excitement about your chosen career field. By doing so, you will let the employer know that you want the job and that, by inference, you’ll work hard and be successful.
After all, happy employees are productive employees. If you like what you do, you’ll probably do a much better job than someone who hates it, right?
So, show your personality in your resume. Make it interesting. The employer will thank you.
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: creating a resume, make a resume, making a resume, professional resume, resume, resume writingMaking Your Resume Stand-Out A Lesson in Professionalism
Sorting through resumes is a necessary evil. It’s a simple fact that translation companies can’t operate without translators. If we’re the butter, they’re the bread, and we simply couldn’t do business without them. From this standpoint, you’d think independent translators had it made–that they’re the ones who call the shots instead of us. But that’s not how it works. The basic principle of supply and demand rules that out. While there are hundreds of them, from my standpoint, there’s only one of us–one company, one HR inbox, one database they can go into. And, with the recent growth in sites such as ProZ, Translators’ Caf
Tags: applying for a job, professionalism, resume, translating, translation industry, translatorsThe Four R’s of Resume Writing
If you want to get a prospective employer’s attention, you need to write a resume with the Four R’s of Resume Writing in mind. These tips will help you create a resume that conveys the appropriate information to an employer in a way that shows confidence and enthusiasm.
Remember that you are competing against a lot of other job candidates, so take the time to create an excellent resume and you will already have an easier time of landing that perfect job.
The Four R’s of Resume Writing are:
- Relate - Relate your skills in your resume to the position you are seeking. This is often called targeting your resume. An employer is less concerned about your job title and more concerned about what you did while you were on the job.
- Research - Research the company so that you can relate your skills in a meaningful way. If the company has been headed in one direction and is undergoing a shift in marketing, management or mission, then you need to be aware of this and create your resume to reflect the current company direction.
- Refresh - Refresh any tired old language with vibrant, energetic action words. This will attract the attention of the employer and make a much better impression.
- Read - Read your resume as many times as necessary to ensure there are no typos, grammar errors or spelling issues. You may only get one shot at a particular job, so make sure everything the employer sees is top notch.
If you want to get a great job, you have to have a great resume. Keep these resume writing tips in mind as you work on your resume.
Carla Vaughan, Owner/Webmaster Professional-Resume-Example.com
Carla is the owner of Professional-Resume-Example.com, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B.S. in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored several books.
For more information about writing Professional Resumes, follow this link to: Resume Examples
Tags: get a great job, great resume, resume, resume advice, resume tips, resume writing, writing a resumeDown with Generic Resumes!
One popular strategy for job hunting is to build a nice generic resume (or have some resume agency build it for you), then blast it out to all the employers that you can find. If you think about it for a moment, you’ll realize that this is about the worst strategy you could adopt. Think about it:
- the hiring manager has a particular job in mind
- that job needs a particular skill set
- he or she gets 10-20 resumes per day for the job
- they’re all generic resumes that sort of address his job, but not well
- why should he choose yours over any of the others?
Instead, try building a semi-custom resume that has the boilerplate stuff like your work experience and education in place, but leaves blank the “career highlights” section. Now, read each job description carefully and ask yourself,
“What problem is the hiring manager trying to solve with this requisition, and how can I make myself look like the perfect person for that job?”
Try to think like the hiring manager and try to imagine the resume that would make him or her sit up and say, “At last! I’ve found a 10-for-10 match!” Now you know what to write in the rest of your resume and in your cover letter. Believe me, this will get your resume to the top of the manager’s stack and make all the other generic resumes fade into obscurity.
So stop thinking that one size fits all when it comes to resumes and become efficient at writing resumes that are custom-tailored to fit the job you’re applying for. Trust me on this, it’ll work much better than blasting out your luke-warm generic resume.
About the Author
Bruce Taylor is the Owner and Principle of Unison Coaching, and provides corporate and executive coaching to a wide variety of businesses including engineering, human resource, consulting, and recruiting firms. Mr Taylor has extensive background in Psychology, Human Resources, and Software Engineering. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from Duke University, a Masters in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, and a Certificate in Job Stress and Healthy Workplace Design from the University of Massachusetts. He can be reached at http://www.unisoncoaching.com or bruce_taylor@unisoncoaching.com
Tags: hiring, job, job description, job search, manager, recruiter, recruiting, resumeIs This On Your Resume It Should Be!
One of the most overlooked ways in using a resume to sell yourself is failing to identify the companies for which you have worked.
“Identify the companies?” You say. “But I do! How could I write my resume and not name the companies?”
Right. But unless you worked for UPS or Macy`s or FedEx, the company name indicates nothing.
The majority of job seekers neglect to describe their employers. Even professional r
Is Your Resume Screening You Out Here are 3 Simple Rules to Follow
We all know the great benefits a well-written resume can provide for you. For instance, done correctly, a good resume can:
1. Be your calling card.
2. Help you win an interview.
3. Set your agenda during the interview.
4. Continue to sell for you after you’ve left the interview.
But did you know that far too often your resume could be killing your chance to even get you a phone call. Worst of all, you may not even know it’s happening. In the job search world of today, your resume will often work AGAINST you, knocking you out of the search process before you’ve even had a chance to begin.
Here’s what’s happening: resumes are being used as a screening-out tool. Used by lower level staff looking for a quick way to weed candidates out of consideration, your resume can work against you as much as for you.
You can minimize the chances of this happening with your resume by following these three simple rules:
1. Less is More: Don’t tell too much. A good resume should leave the prospective employer with a whetted appetite, a desire to know more. They will be likely to call and phone screen you. So don’t fill in all the details just yet. Save that for the interview. Do, however, paint a big picture of who you are and what you can offer. This way the document can stand on its own. So skip the hobbies and personal info. Avoid mind-numbing detail that will cause a reader’s eyes to glaze over. One page is ideal, two pages only if you are a 15 to 20-year veteran with a significant growth and promotion history.
2. More Keywords: You want the computers to flag your resume for closer examination. Do this by including as many keywords as possible that are relevant to your job and your job skills. Also you might include major companies you worked with/for, as well as specific industry buzzwords that may be appropriate.
3. Be specific: Don’t just tell them what you did. Move beyond that and tell the benefit of your accomplishment. A good way to do this is to include several specific ways you helped your employer make money or save money. Remember, the only benefit you can bring to the table is past performance. When you interview (either phone or in person) this is what will be discussed. But set the groundwork now in your resume. Think of all your jobs in the past and bring forth examples of some of your best work. How can an employer think of you as a problem solver? If at all possible, try to “monetize” your accomplishments (state them in terms of money). At the interview, you will be prepared to enlarge upon these successes.
Summary
By following these three simple rules, you will find your resume more likely to end up on the “to Call” stack than in the delete file.
Copyright (c) 2006 Joseph Turner
Joe Turner, the “Job Search Guy”, makes it easy to quickly land that next job. To claim your free 6-part Recruiter Secrets Minicourse, visit http://www.jobchangesecrets.com/Free_Job_Search_Tips.html
Tag: resumeNext Page »