UNIT III

RESUME AND CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

RESUME
A. Description
A resume is a brief document which highlights an individual's experience, qualifications, and skills, in the hopes of securing
a job interview. In some regions of the world, the term resume is used interchangeably with Curriculum Vitae (CV), while in
other places, the two terms refer to very different documents. A resume is a standard inclusion with any job or internship
application, and it may be requested for applicants into graduate and professional schools as well. As a general rule, a resume is
only one page long, although special circumstances may call for an additional page
The primary differences between a resume and curriculum vitae (CV) are the length, what is included and what each is used
for. A resume is a one or two page summary of your skills, experience and education. While a resume is brief and concise - no
more than a page or two, Curriculum Vitae is a longer (at least two page) and more detailed synopsis.
A good resume contains basic information about the applicant, organized in a way which is easy for the reader to
comprehend. Clear contact information is usually at the top, followed by work experience, educational achievements, a list of
skills, relevant certifications or awards, and contact information for references, though not necessarily in this order. The
organization of a resume is a fine art, and it requires some work to create a strong resume. In some cases, people ask for
professional help when assembling a resume.
Your resume needs to be professional and polished; because if you don't have a professional resume, your application
materials probably won't get second glances from any hiring manager.
B. Professional (and Unprofessional) Resumes
There are some resumes that are riddled with typos. Some of them are inconsistent - bullets in some places, dashes in
others, bold in some headings, plain text in others. One of the worst examples of a supposedly professional resume was a resume
on bright green neon paper. Your resume, to be effective, needs to be consistent, concise, and clear and easy to read.
C. Resume Format
First Section: Your Contact Information (Centre and Bold)
First Name Last Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone (Cell/Home)
Email Addressp
Objective (optional) (Bold Title)
What do you want to do? If you include this section it should be a sentence or two about your employment goals. A customized
objective that describes why you are the perfect candidate for the job can help your resume stand out from the competition.
Career Highlights / Qualifications (optional) (Bold Title)
A customized section of your resume that lists key achievements, skills, traits, and experience relevant to the position for which
you are applying can serve dual purposes. It highlights your relevant experience and lets the prospective employer know that you
have taken the time to create a resume that shows how you are qualified for the job.

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Experience (Bold Titles)

This section of your resume includes your work history. List the companies you worked for, dates of employment, the positions
you held and a bulleted list of responsibilities and achievements for each job.
Company #1
City, State
Dates Worked
Job Title
Responsibilities / Achievements
Responsibilities / Achievements
Company #2
City, State
Dates Worked
Job Title
Responsibilities / Achievements
Responsibilities / Achievements
Education(Bold Title)
In the education section of your resume, list the colleges you attended, the degrees you attained, and any special awards and
honours you earned.
College, Degree
Awards, Honours
Skills (Bold Title)
List your skills related to the position / career field that you are applying for i.e. computer skills, language skills.

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D. Resume Example For Engineer

Kenneth R. Zajac
8999 Lantree Dr ~ Howell, MI 48855
Home: (517)555-1111
Mobile: (734)666-1111
Email: krzajac@email.net
OBJECTIVE

To obtain an engineering management or senior engineering position in R&D, controls, test, continuous
improvement or quality at a growing, people-oriented, high-technology consumer, medical, electrical/electronic
or transportation corporation where I can use my strong analytical, detail-oriented and interpersonal skills along
with my exceptional common sense to improve services and products, reduce costs and lead times, delight
customers and help and mentor others. All the while engaging in new challenges and learning experiences.

SUMMARY of QUALIFICATIONS

Extensive experiences in engineering and management, research and development, leadership and mentoring,
test and problem-solving. My engineering forte is in electrical/electronic and automated test systems. To be
expert in analyzing and solving the most complex problems. My solutions have saved over $23,000,000 in costs
to date. Self motivated professional, capable of working independently or as part of a team.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Advanced Technology & Test 1979 to Present Stark Rd. Livonia, MI. 48150
Chief R&D Engineering Technologist 2001 to Present

Conduct Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma projects to reduce engineering rework, reduce project lead times, reduce
warranty costs, improve processes, and improve product quality and manufacturability.

Research, development and implementation of all technologies, products, standards, procedures and processes
including engines/transmission control, custom data acquisition and NVH testing systems.

Chief Controls Engineer 1984 to 2001

Managed a group of 20+ engineers including hiring, performance review, daily supervision, salary administration,
mentoring and training.

Evaluated work assignments and developed a master schedule for multiple projects to facilitate proper usage of

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Ford Motor Company 1977 to 1979 Dearborn, MI

Electrical Engineer

Service, repair and design engineering of controls systems for factory automation in the Metal Stamping Division.

Specify and approve the purchase of automation equipment from suppliers.

Designed and implemented custom electronic circuits for signal conditioning, data acquisition and control functions.

EDUCATION
Ferris State University 1973 to 1977 Big Rapids, MI
Bachelor of Science Electrical & Electronic Engineering

II. CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

A. Description
A Curriculum Vita includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience,
publications, presentations, awards, honours, affiliations and other details. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers
may expect to receive curriculum vitae.
In the United States, curriculum vitae are used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It
is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.
B. Tips & Tricks Make / Writing Curriculum Vitae
The Format of Curriculum Vitae (CV) in every country is different. This is because it is influenced by culture, habits, political
views, as well as the rules vary.
For example, the standard CV in the United States (USA) do not need to include things that are considered to be very personal such
as photos, marital status, place and date of birth. While in Indonesia is the opposite, in a CV, it must include marital status, place
and date of birth, and attach photos.
Here are some things that should be considered in making a Curriculum Vitae (CV), or Resume to the company / agency /
institution in Indonesia (both for companies and agencies of local, national, or international).
C. Writing Curriculum Vitae
1. Identity (Personal Data)
Include your clear identity, such as: Full Name, Gender, Place and Date of Birth, Nationality, Religion,
Marital Status, Height and Weight, Full Address, Phone, and e-mail address (if any). Especially for e-mail,
you should have it.
2. Education
Include formal education and training / courses you have attended, complete with year in and year
graduated, major, level of study, and the name of the institution. The Sequence starts from the formal
education first, then non-formal education (training, courses, etc.).
3. Ability
Briefly describe your skills that are relevant to the proposed field work. Suppose you apply for work in the
fields of accounting, then briefly explain that you understand accounting and administration, taxation
system, used to work using a computer, etc. Of course, the abilities that you write / put it you should really
have. Do not include the ability that you do not have.
4. Work experience

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Include a brief description of your job in previous company, complete with position, achievements (if any),
responsibility and work authority. As well as working period, i.e. month and year started and ended occupy
these positions.
Sequence starts from the last job (title or position).
5. Organizational Experience (if any)
Include the relevant organizational experience (appropriate or associated) with the type of job you are
applying it. If there is no relevant, just skip this number 5.
6. Job Reference (if any)
If possible, include references, that is, those who can be contacted by the selectors job application to ask the
important things about yourself (usually a boss where you worked before).
Important: In case the inclusion of names of people that will be used as a reference, you should be very
sure that these people really know about you and will give positive information about yourself. If you have
any doubts that the person will give positive information about you, then you do not need to include
references to such work (just skip this number 6).
7. Other support experiences (if any)
Include other experiences that support "your campaign." It should be relevant to the type of job you are
applying it. If you apply for the position of computer programmers, so your experience as a village chief or
badminton champion, of course, irrelevant. So if there is no relevant, just skip this number 7.
Paper, Letters, Photos, Supporting Documents

1. Use plain white paper

CV should not use a plain background image (image base). Better not use the CV form sold in stores.
2. Typed with a standard letter formal letter
CV should not be handwritten, but typed. Use the standard size and type letters (black colour), for example,
font type Arial or Times New Roman.
3. Latest Photos
Please attach a recent photograph in size 3x4 or 4x6. It is recommended to use a colour photograph, and
official dress (e.g., full suit with tie).
4. Supporting documents
Enclose documents or evidence about things that are written in a CV (resume), such as diplomas,
transcripts, certificates or awards, etc. (supporting documents in the form of photocopy). You should select /
sort the documents which are the most important and relevant to attach.

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Important: If your grade transcripts are not good, then you do not need to attach them because the CV or resume is your
self-promotion. However, if the company requested / required to enclose a transcript, then you are "forced" to enclose it.
Conversely, if the transcript of the value is good, you just have to enclose them.

D. Writing CVs with no career history or work experience

Experience is in everything we do - especially in the most important areas such as maturity (grown-up attitudes) and
emotional intelligence, communications, creativity, responsibility, determination, integrity, compassion, problemsolving, etc - these are the qualities employers really seek - so if you are leaving school or college or university and
putting together your first CV, then look for the relevant transferable experiences and learning in your life experience.
You'll not have a career history, but you can certainly illustrate and prove that you have qualities gained and learned
from your life experience, that employers will recognise and want.
Consider and show achievements and qualities from your life, relevant to the job, such as:

leadership

teamwork

creativity

initiative

problem-solving

self-motivation

discipline

reliability

compassion and humanity

love and care for others

Specific abilities with numbers, language, communications and ICT (information and communications technology especially computing and websites), fixing and making things, selling and marketing something, etc.

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In non-employed situations such as:

school or college projects and responsibilities

part-time jobs

sport

voluntary work

clubs

caring

supervising, teaching, helping young people

charity work

hobbies outdoor activities

holidays and travel

and any other personal interests which illustrate your strengths, capabilities and passions.

E. Curriculum Vitae Structure

(Other than 'Title', use these sub-headings or similar)
Heading
Simply your name followed by the word or 'CV' or 'Curriculum Vitae' ('Resume' is used more in the USA).
Personal Profile (and/or Attributes)
Five to seven high impact statements those describe you. These are effectively your personal strengths. Be bold,
confident and positive when you construct these key statements. Orientate the descriptions to the type of job you are
seeking. If you have a serious qualification and it's relevant, include it as the final point.
Experience (and/or Specialism or Capabilities)
This is not your career history. It's a bullet point description of your experience and/or your capabilities. Make sure you
orientate these simple statements to meet the requirements of the reader, in other words ensure the experience/strengths
are relevant to the type of job/responsibility that you are seeking. Again try to use powerful statements and impressive
language - be bold and check that your chosen language and descriptions look confident and positive. If you are at the
beginning or very early stage of your career you will not have much or any work experience to refer to, in which case
you must refer to other aspects of your life experience - your college or university experience, your hobbies, social or
sports achievements, and bring out the aspects that will be relevant to the way you would work. Prospective employers
look for key indicators of integrity, enthusiasm, passion, determination, initiative, creativity, originality,
organisational ability, planning, cost-management, people-skills, technical skill, diligence, reliability, depending

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on the job; so find examples of the relevant required behaviours from your life, and encapsulate them in snappy,
impressive statements..
Achievements
It is about high impact descriptions of your major achievements. Ensure you refer to facts, figures and timescales prospective employers look for quantitative information - hard facts, not vague claims. These achievements should
back up your Personal Profile claims earlier - they are the evidence that you can do what you say.
Career History
A tight compact neatly presented summary of your career history. Start with the most recent or present job and end
with the first. Show starting and finishing years - not necessarily the months. Show company name, city address - not
necessarily the full address. Show your job title(s). Use a generally recognised job title if the actual job title is
misleading or unclear.
Personal Details
Potentially this section enables sub-headings to provide details of full name, sex (if not obvious from your name),
address, phone, email, date of birth, marital status, number of children and ages if applicable, education (school,
college, university and dates), qualifications. Keep all this information very tight, compact and concise.
Education and Qualifications
Depending on the person and the job vacancy and the employer's expectations it is often better to show education and
qualifications in a separate section, rather than within the Personal Details, as a way of giving them greater emphasis
and clarity. If so then this section can be placed after or before the Personal Details, or given higher prominence if the
situation warrants it. The level of detail and type of detail in this section should change as your career progresses. For
example your school/college exams subjects and grades would be highly relevant when you are seeking your first job,
but after working for 5-10 years, especially if you've achieved further training and qualifications, your school/college
qualifications warrant far less detail and prominence. As ever include and emphasise details according to the jobs you
are seeking, and what the employers will find most relevant and useful.
F. CV words and phrases examples - personal profile, capabilities, etc
Use strong professional-looking phrases in describing your personality, capabilities, experience and achievements.
Here are some samples and examples of descriptive phrases and words for writing impressive and professional CVs.
Ensure that when you use or adapt or combine any of these descriptions that you are able to back up your claims under
questioning at interview, and ideally to provide examples or evidence if asked.

determined and decisive; uses initiative to develop effective solutions to problems

reliable and dependable - high personal standards and attention to detail

methodical and rigorous approach to achieving tasks and objectives

entrepreneurial and pro-active - strong drive and keen business mind

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identifies and develops opportunities; innovates and makes things happen

good strategic appreciation and vision; able to build and implement sophisticated plans

determined and decisive; uses initiative to meet and resolve challenges

strives for quality and applies process and discipline towards optimising performance

extremely reliable and dependable - analytical and questioning, strives for quality

methodical approach to planning and organising - good time-manager

excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, leadership, high integrity

strong planning, organising and monitoring abilities - an efficient time-manager

self-driven and self-reliant - sets aims and targets and leads by example

good interpersonal skills - works well with others, motivates and encourages

high integrity, diligent and conscientious - reliable and dependable

self-aware - always seeking to learn and grow

seeks new responsibilities irrespective of reward and recognition

emotionally mature and confident - a calming influence

detailed and precise; fastidious and thorough

decisive and results-driven; creative problem-solver

good starter - enthusiastic in finding openings and opportunities

creative and entrepreneurial networker - effective project coordinator

reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - hard-working

emotionally mature; calming and positive temperament; tolerant and understanding

seeks and finds solutions to challenges - exceptionally positive attitude

great team-worker - adaptable and flexible

well-organised; good planner; good time-manager

seeks new responsibilities and uses initiative; self-sufficient

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solid approach to achieving tasks and objectives; determined and decisive

excellent interpersonal skills - good communicator, high integrity

energetic and physically very fit; quick to respond to opportunities and problems

active and dynamic approach to work and getting things done

financially astute - conversant with accounting systems and principles

tactical, strategic and proactive - anticipates and takes initiative

systematic and logical - develops and uses effective processes

good listener - caring and compassionate

critical thinker - strong analytical skills; accurate and probing

good researcher - creative and methodical - probing and resourceful

facilitative project manager; develops and enables group buy-in

persistent and tenacious sales developer; comfortable with demanding targets

resilient and thorough - detached and unemotional

completer-finisher; checks and follows up - immaculate record-keeper

team-player - loyal and determined

technically competent/qualified [state discipline or area, to whatever standard or level]

task-oriented - commercially experienced and aware

excellent inter-personal and communications skills

sound planning and organizational capabilities

results oriented - focused on productive and high-yield activities

tolerant and understanding - especially good with young children/elderly people/needy people/disadvantaged people, etc

emotionally mature - calming and positive temperament - compassionate and caring

sensitive and patient interpersonal and communication skills

high integrity and honesty; ethical and socially aware

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energetic and positive outlook, which often inspires others

calm, reliable and dependable in meeting objectives - logical and numerate

seeks and finds good outcomes to challenges

adaptable and flexible; well-organised planner and scheduler

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