[MUSIC] Did you know creating a personal brand is critical to any career development process? And crafting an impressive resume is just one of the main components. So, what exactly is a resume? It's a document that tells prospective employers exactly what you want them to know about you and why you would be a good fit for their open position. In a sense, it's a way for you to put your best foot forward, a way to sell yourself on paper to a potential employer. In order to sell yourself effectively, I'm going to run through a checklist of what you should keep in mind. Bear in mind, everyone has a different opinion on what works, but there are some overarching principles that seem to work well in most industries. First, let's talk about formatting. You'll need to creat the framework of your resume by creating effective headings. These can be your education and experience type sections, but could also include Leadership, Scholarships, or Honors. It really just depends on what you want to present to potential employers. Once you know which sections you'll use, you'll also want to consider putting the sections in an order that best links your skills to an employers opportunity. It's also good to keep in mind some general formatting rules. You might want to have margins that are half an inch to one inch, all the way around. It's also good to choose just one or two fonts and to keep the font at a 10 to 12 point size. Once you've gotten the framework set, you'll start filling in the gaps. Starting at the top, you want to provide your name and your accurate contact information. Some people also choose to include a link to their Linked In or other online profile. I'd recommend this, if your online presence is up to date, and really helps to enhance your resume. The next section of a resume is often a summary of skills or an objective statement. This section can be really useful in providing context for the reader. Why are you applying? Why are you the best fit? You can use this section to paint that picture effectively and give context for what's to come in subsequent sections. After the summary of skills or the objectives statement, you will often see an education section or an experience section, depending on which is more relevant to the position. If you've been in a degree program recently, and honed in on new relevant skills, you might lead with your education section. If you've been working in the field for many years and want to take a step in the field you're already in, the experience section may make the most sense. In either case you'll want the experiences outlined to be listed in reverse chronological order, highlighting your most recent education or experiences first. When you begin to work on your experience section, be sure your bullet points include action verbs in tenses that reflect past or ongoing work. Try not to exceed two to four bullet points per position. Though this of course varies depending on your length of tenure at the position. Bullet points should demonstrate key skills and major accomplishments using numbers and percentages rather than routine tasks and duties. After education and experience it is a good idea to add in other sections to flesh out one complete or two complete pages. Often students will have volunteer opportunities to highlight or skill sets to describe. If you find yourself without enough to fill a page, you may even consider a section called relevant coursework and projects to draw out some meaningful work completed within the classroom setting. [NOISE] Finally, and perhaps most importantly, your resume is the first impression you get to make on someone who could possibly hire you. So proofread, you're looking for consistency of formatting and error-free content. Often our worst enemy is having looked too long at our own work. So ask a friend or two to give your resume a once-over. Does it look complete? Does it look informative, professional? And is it pleasing to the eye? Does it make a compelling case for your candidacy for the position? If so, you're ready to go. [MUSIC]
