Creating a Résumé

Goal: Understand the parts of a résumé and build your own

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Parts of a Résumé

Header

Education

Relevant Experience

Skills

References

1. Header

What goes in the header?

First and Last Name (the name you want your employer to use), Pronouns

Phoebe Bridgers

she/her

310.555.2328

phoebe.bridgers@gmail.com

Los Angeles, California

Spotify Artist Profile

Example

Phone Number

Email Address (Professional or School)

Town and State of Residence

Optional: LinkedIn, Online Portfolio, or relevant social media link

2. Education

Education Information

School Name

Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth, ME, 2024

​

Portland Area Technical High School, Portland, ME

Biomedical & Health Science – 2024

Example

School Location (City, State)

Graduation Date

Major/Area of Study

Optional: GPA

3. Relevant Experience

Work Experience

Lifeguard | YMCA Of Southern Maine

Every Summer 2021 - Present

• Supervising swimming activities at the aquatics facility and ensuring that policies, guidelines, and safety procedures are followed.
• Administering first aid, CPR and/or artificial respiration, if necessary.
• Supervising and assisting in cleaning pool, facilities, and equipment, including chlorine residual water tests and records and charts of water tests and records of accidents, and adding chemicals to pool water as directed.

Example

Start with your most recent experience, move backwards chronologically.

State your position, the company, and how long you worked there.

If you have only had part time jobs that feel irrelevant to the job you’re applying for, that’s okay! Listing work experiences can highlight a number of skills.

Use action verbs to describe your experience.

3. Relevant Experience

Volunteer Experience

Community Garden Volunteer | City of Yarmouth

2019 - 2021

• Aided in maintaining community gardens, including picking up trash, weeding, clearing annual plants at the end of the season, deadheading, and watering.
• Planted annual and perennial plants, fruits, and vegetables, harvested crops.
• Assisted in harvesting and donating fruits and vegetables to the local food bank.

Example

List your volunteer experiences in a separate section, but write about them how you would a job.

Start with your most recent experience, move backwards chronologically.

State your position, the organization, and how long you worked there.

Use action verbs to describe your experience.

3. Relevant Experience

Educational Experience

Website Production | Southern Maine Community College – Spring 2022

Network Fundamentals | Southern Maine Community College – Spring 2022

Fundamentals of Network Security | Southern Maine Community College – Spring 2022

Example

Some jobs you apply for, you may not have relevant work or volunteer experience but you might have taken classwork that is closely related.

If this is the case for you, you can list classes in their own category.

4. Skills

How to list your skills

These can be soft or hard skills that are relevant to the position for which you’re applying.

Fast Learner

Project Management

Time Management

Creative Thinking

Leadership

Spanish (Limited Working Proficiency)

Example(s)

If you’re at a loss: ask your teachers, peers, family members

Be honest!

Writing & Editing

Google Suite

Zoom

Bright Space

Canvas

Canva

Microsoft Suite

5. References

How to list your references

Their First and Last Name

Madalyn Shircliff

JMG Teacher – Yarmouth High School

207.846.5535 x 61220

madalyn_shircliff@yarmouthschools.org

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Example

Their relationship to you, where they work

Their contact information

Make sure you ASK someone to be a reference and let them know an employer might be contacting them.

How to Write a Résumé with No (or Little) Work Experience

Read the article and answer the questions on the handout

Your Turn

Build Your Own Résumé

Resources

Action Words

Tips and Tricks

Templates:

How To Write A Résumé With No Work Experience

Use this article and site to find further information on what works and what doesn’t in a modern résumé.

Canva

Google Docs

Word bank of strong verbs that can help you describe your experiences