Writing a Right Resume!

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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• Can you put everything about yourself on one or two sheets of paper?

You will have to when you write your first résumé. Well, not everything, but enough to get your foot in the door!

The first step of the process is learning what a résumé is.

• What is a résumé?

A résumé summarizes your skills, education, experience, and accomplishments. It is a snapshot of who you are professionally.

The point of the résumé is not to show what you've done but what you've accomplished!

• Do you understand the difference?

• Are you wondering why a high school student may need a résumé?

There are many reasons why a high school student should have a résumé.

• It will be a foundation for future résumés.
• It helps display your accomplishments and apply for a job.
• It helps to complete college applications or may help in a college interview.
• It will help if applying for an internship.

Brainstorm some other reasons you might need a résumé.

• How often should you update your résumé?

You should update your résumé any time you have something new to add, e.g., experience, education, accomplishments, volunteer work, etc.

Also, each job opening requires a custom résumé, so be sure to craft and save a great master one you can easily copy and modify!

Creating a résumé can seem overwhelming at first. Still, it’s important to understand the main goal of the résumé: to pique the interest of the potential employer and communicate your strengths. The résumé is the tool that gets you an interview.

• What is an interview?

An interview is a meeting between an employer and a job applicant to discuss possible employment.

Review this example of a really bad résumé for Sally Sad.

• Why do you think it's bad?
• What did Sally Sad accomplish?
• Would Sally's personality fit your workplace?

Once you are done laughing at Sally's résumé, please read Writing a Good Résumé: Student Critique and Practice Exercise to review what Sally did wrong. (You'll have to scroll down to Sally's Missteps.)

Review more Good and Bad Résumés: Want to See the Difference?

Now, it's time to look at good résumés, so continue to the Got It? section to view a detailed manual.