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Help Me Beef-Up My Resume So I Can Get a Job That Isn't Awful
Hexmage-PA
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
It's been several months since I graduated from college with my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, and I haven't had any luck in terms of finding a job. My dad helped me get a temp job, but it only pays eight bucks a hour, and that's not gonna cut-it.
The first thing I want to focus on is improving my resume. While I feel like I could be capable of performing administrative assistance or data entry, I don't really have any past job experience to vouch for me. Here's what I've got to work with:
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Sept. 2007-May 2011)
Familiarity with programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
Typing speed of approximately 80 words per minute.
Possessed of superb writing skills which allow information to be relayed in a clear and concise manner.
Ability to discern the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of solving given tasks.
Some basic knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles, including kaizen and 5S, gleaned from experiences with Lean coordinators at kaizen events.
Willing to take a leadership role and delegate responsibilities to individuals based on their skills and prior experiences.
Knowledge of investigative skills, such as survey construction and participant observation.
Understanding of the social needs of individuals in the workplace, such as camaraderie.
Amicable and patient in regards to others.
Tolerant of differing points of view.
Able to remain impartial when making decisions.
Able to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Willing to cooperate and compromise as part of a team.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Graduated Cum Laude at Piedmont College (GPA 3.4)
Dean’s List – Piedmont College
Member of National Art Honors Society in High School
HOBBIES
Drawing both from observation and from imagination.
Reading, both fiction and non-fiction.
General discourse concerning current events, television programs, and films online via message board.
EXPERIENCE:
Tenneco Automotive, Safety Technician
August 2011 – Present
Used painting and cleaning supplies to visually denote areas where caution should be exercised. Contributed in Kaizen events convened for the purpose of improving production line performance.
Piedmont College, Maintenance
October 2010 – May 2011
Aided in construction efforts by transporting building supplies, removing walls, and applying paints to damaged surfaces. Performed landscape detail, weed removal, and leaf collection. Carried-out general housekeeping and repair duties, including the removal, cleaning, and replacement of window blinds, the replacement of electrical outlet covers, and the cleaning of dirtied tables and other surfaces.
Dial America, Sales Representative
October 2009 – May 2010
Answered phone calls made by prospective customers. Recorded information pertaining to the product orders of customers, including their billing information. Provided customer service support in response to caller inquires. Forwarded information to supervisor and other superiors when required.
Last Deed Monument Company, Monument Painter
May 2007 – September 2007
Carefully applied paints to etched designs as directed by supervisor. Set-up and cleaned work area.
Lavonia Foods, Stock Clerk
October 2004 – May 2005
Assessed the quantity and quality of products on the sales floor. Restocked items when necessary. Provided various services to customers, including answering questions and assisting with the transport of purchases. Performed nightly clean-up protocols, which included waste disposal, recycling of cardboard containers, sweeping, and mopping.
The first thing I want to focus on is improving my resume. While I feel like I could be capable of performing administrative assistance or data entry, I don't really have any past job experience to vouch for me. Here's what I've got to work with:
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Sept. 2007-May 2011)
Familiarity with programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
Typing speed of approximately 80 words per minute.
Possessed of superb writing skills which allow information to be relayed in a clear and concise manner.
Ability to discern the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of solving given tasks.
Some basic knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles, including kaizen and 5S, gleaned from experiences with Lean coordinators at kaizen events.
Willing to take a leadership role and delegate responsibilities to individuals based on their skills and prior experiences.
Knowledge of investigative skills, such as survey construction and participant observation.
Understanding of the social needs of individuals in the workplace, such as camaraderie.
Amicable and patient in regards to others.
Tolerant of differing points of view.
Able to remain impartial when making decisions.
Able to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Willing to cooperate and compromise as part of a team.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Graduated Cum Laude at Piedmont College (GPA 3.4)
Dean’s List – Piedmont College
Member of National Art Honors Society in High School
HOBBIES
Drawing both from observation and from imagination.
Reading, both fiction and non-fiction.
General discourse concerning current events, television programs, and films online via message board.
EXPERIENCE:
Tenneco Automotive, Safety Technician
August 2011 – Present
Used painting and cleaning supplies to visually denote areas where caution should be exercised. Contributed in Kaizen events convened for the purpose of improving production line performance.
Piedmont College, Maintenance
October 2010 – May 2011
Aided in construction efforts by transporting building supplies, removing walls, and applying paints to damaged surfaces. Performed landscape detail, weed removal, and leaf collection. Carried-out general housekeeping and repair duties, including the removal, cleaning, and replacement of window blinds, the replacement of electrical outlet covers, and the cleaning of dirtied tables and other surfaces.
Dial America, Sales Representative
October 2009 – May 2010
Answered phone calls made by prospective customers. Recorded information pertaining to the product orders of customers, including their billing information. Provided customer service support in response to caller inquires. Forwarded information to supervisor and other superiors when required.
Last Deed Monument Company, Monument Painter
May 2007 – September 2007
Carefully applied paints to etched designs as directed by supervisor. Set-up and cleaned work area.
Lavonia Foods, Stock Clerk
October 2004 – May 2005
Assessed the quantity and quality of products on the sales floor. Restocked items when necessary. Provided various services to customers, including answering questions and assisting with the transport of purchases. Performed nightly clean-up protocols, which included waste disposal, recycling of cardboard containers, sweeping, and mopping.
Hexmage-PA on
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So crazy stuff first, then something that would be pretty cool, then what you think people like you normally do. Or alternatively, give us a region you want to work with in your ideal job and we can look at what those people want.
My current job consists of scraping 20 years of grease and grime off of a machine for 8 hours a day (7 days a week for the first three weeks, but now only 5 days a week) in a poorly-ventilated part of a factory. I'm not too picky.
Ideally, I would like some kind of data entry job close to home (Franklin County, Georgia) so that I could continue living with my uncle and not have to worry about paying rent anywhere. My current job is located in Hart County. I do have family out in Athens (Clarke County), though, that I might could live with.
No one cares if you are "familiar" with programs, they care whether or not you are "proficient" or you are an "experienced user of" programs.
Drop every bit of experience that you can't describe as somehow relevant to the jobs you are applying for. You're a recent grad going for entry level.
As the guy reviewing your CV, I don't know you, I don't trust you, and I've interviewed far too many people to take your self-qualified skill-assessments at face value.
Tasty has the heart of it. Itemizing your skills is most effective when underscoring examples that you note in your experience. Without those examples they are almost meaningless. I'm going to hire the person who tells me about a clever solution they came up with (provided I also think it's clever), not the person who just claims to be good at coming up with clever solutions.
That said, some itemized criticisms from a guy who hates reading CVs, but has no choice:
Familiarity with programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
Ok, good start, but qualify how. If you didn't know formulas existed you might think you were pretty familiar with Excel: the fancy table maker, but in practice you are less than useless.
Frame it as "Experience" rather than "education" and tell me what you've done.
Word 2007: Basic word processing, form building, whatever the hell else.
Excel 2007: Data Entry, basic functions, maintaining relational worksheets.
Typing speed of approximately 80 words per minute.
[Edit] Whoops. I thought that said 30.
Concise, quantified: An excellent data point.
Possessed of superb writing skills which allow information to be relayed in a clear and concise manner.
If this is true, then your resume will reflect it. If your resume doesn't, then I'll assume you're just puffing yourself up.
Ability to discern the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of solving given tasks.
Good to know you think this is important, but it will be help you more if you include an example of this in your experience.
Some basic knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles, including kaizen and 5S, gleaned from experiences with Lean coordinators at kaizen events.
No idea what this is, not my industry, but same advice applies. Give me an example of this experience.
Willing to take a leadership role and delegate responsibilities to individuals based on their skills and prior experiences.
Provide an example, if you can. If you have no real experience, leave it as is.
Knowledge of investigative skills, such as survey construction and participant observation.
Too vague, hammer the point home in your work experience or get rid of it.
Understanding of the social needs of individuals in the workplace, such as camaraderie.
Amicable and patient in regards to others.
Tolerant of differing points of view.
Willing to cooperate and compromise as part of a team.
These are important, but you've wasted 4 lines to tell me you're good team player. Every other resume in this pile says that. No one is going to tell me they're a bad team player. Besides which, I really don't care because right now I'm just trying to assess your skill sets. I'll assess how well you fit the team when I call your references, and if/when we get to the interview phase.
Suggestion: You don't have to take it out, just tighten it up because right now 33% of your talents appear to be 'nice guy'
Able to remain impartial when making decisions.
This is one of those things that everyone thinks, but often it's only true until it gets difficult, and that's when it really matters. If you can't cite an good example of your cold-hearted pragmatism, leave it off. If you aren't applying to a job which requires cold-hearted pragmatism: Leave it off.
Able to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Many people also think this. Those who don't claim it may simply not have thought to itemize it. Expand on this in your experience, or get rid it.
Got good advice above, but mostly this.
Like, "Ability to discern the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of solving given tasks." doesn't tell me anything. Or rather it doesn't tell me why you'd be especially suited for this job.
"Provided a daily reduction of 30% in filing time by redesigning Microsoft Word templates." tells me you're skilled in Ms Word, that you're interested in saving time, and you can use it at the interview on how you took initiative.
Make your hobbies either interesting or relevant, or cut them entirely. Reading "both fiction and nonfiction" is vague and boring, and is wasted space. No employer is going to care that you post on message boards except to worry that you'll do it at work. If at all possible, be specific about something you do or have done in your spare time that makes you seem like a good match for the type of work you'd be doing. On my resume, it states that I did mod work and wrote a tool that was packaged and published with the Polish localization of a game. That's never failed to get a follow-up question (that I'm 100% prepared for).
ArbitraryDescriptor's got pretty good advice about your skills line items and such. Specific is almost always better than vague on a resume, because it lets them ask better questions that in turn you can use to prove that you are not full of shit.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Ideally these points are expressed in the context of actual work experience. Continuing with the excel example, is that how you did data entry in your call center work? Explain that.
The reaction the people reading your resume need to have (in addition to "this person seems to have basic professional communication skills") is "this person will be able to understand and do the work with minimal training/hand-holding." Like paladin said, tailor your experience to the position for which you're actually applying, then include the rest of the information in order of relevance and cut whatever's too far out there.
Does somebody hiring a data entry clerk care if the clerk is widely read? No, probably not, so that can go (for example.)
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
For data entry as well a lot of folks look for excel so if you have any experience with some of the more advanced things like pivot tables, charts, etc. you should definitely mention it.
"I made COUNTIF my bitch, and Conditional Formatting her pimp"
Anything specific is good, but yeah if you have more advance skills, work them in somehow.
Quantitative results and impact. "Applied kaizen skills to X projects; saved $Y over Z years."
Quantitative results and impact. How can you help them, specifically?
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
1. THIS IS A BUNCH OF STUFF THAT MAKES ME AWESOME
2. THIS IS THE WORK I HAVE DONE THAT PROVES THAT I AM AWESOME
3. THIS IS WHERE I LEARNED SOME THINGS ON HOW TO BE AWESOME
4. THESE ARE SOME OTHER PLACES WHERE THE STUFF THAT MAKES ME AWESOME COMES FROM
The critical error that many people make is not providing a summary at the beginning of the resume. Lots of people don't do this because their resumes are long and do not have space, but this does not mean a summary does not have value (in fact, I actually leave OUT a lot of my work experience so that I have room for a summary). As an example, see below for how I laid out most of my clients' resumes back when I worked in recruitment (sample text is from my actual resume):
SECTION 1: CONTACT INFORMATION - your name, current contact information, etc; this should not take up very many lines
SECTION 2: SUMMARY - aka "this is a bunch of stuff that makes me awesome"
This is where you basically list all the shit that you can do that you believe are your key, core, or most notable strengths. Some sample text can read like this:
Multifaceted, bilingual social work graduate (completion of coursework Nov 2012) with multinational background. Strong experience in facilitating communication and understanding with or between groups of differing cultural perspectives. Strong interpersonal skills. Demonstrated capacity for self and critical reflection. Extensive professional and personal experience across Asia, Australia, and North America. Driven by challenging cases that require strong cross-cultural communication skills, organisational skills, self-management and collaborative teamwork. Seeking opportunities for professional development in mental health, family therapy or relationship counselling.
USE THE SUMMARY TO SET THE TONE OR THEME OF YOUR "STORY" (the story being: why I should get this job). A note on how to write a good summary: list your strengths and your demonstrated abilities (and if you use the term "demonstrated capacity" you need to back this up in the body of the resume or in your cover letter). Note any important experience that you feel is relevant to the job you are applying for. Then state what YOU'RE looking for. A friend or peer should be able to read your summary, nod at you, and say "yeah, that really IS you!"
SECTION 3: KEY SKILLS - a very simple and short list that draws the reader in, as such:
Multicultural Communication; strong interpersonal and empathic skills
Self and Critical Reflection; generates professional and continually improving practice
High Adaptability; strong ability to manage change in different contexts
So, what you've done with Sections 2 and 3 are basically set the tone for your resume. The REST of your resume should serve to tell the reader HOW, WHY, and WHEN the claims made in Sections 2 and 3 came to be true.
SECTION 4: PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - if you are targeting a very specific job that requires a very specific list of skills, order your experience in terms of what's most relevant. If you are going for a more "general" resume or simply do not have a LOT of relevant experience, list your experience chronologically. However you order this, the MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU MUST DO is ensure that you use the bullet points to say WHAT you learned from the job. To demonstrate "tying in" Section 4 with previous sections, see a couple of examples below:
Position: Fieldwork Practicum Student (Full-Time)
Worked in the hospital's Acute Services department, specifically Ward 4H (inpatient psychological medicine ward) and the Acute Community Intervention Team (ACIT).
Led interviews with clients and client families for the purposes of assessment, risk management and short-term intervention.
Supported multidisciplinary team members in clinical reviews, therapy work and interviews for inpatient and outpatient cases.
Case managed outpatient cases from admission to discharge, with involvement in each case averaging 4 to 6 weeks.
...<stuff cut out>...
DATE 2008 - DATE 2009 XXX Recruitment; Shanghai, China
Position: Associate Consultant
Assessed the need for, designed and led a comprehensive training program that emphasised the improvement of staff performance, professionalism, accountability and efficiency.
Managed cases in the health and education industries with local and international clients seeking expatriate workers to fill positions in mainland China and Hong Kong.
The way I worded the above supports the theme and tone set by my summary. These examples serve to demonstrate WHY I want the work I want and HOW I got the skills I am boasting about in the summary. And be SPECIFIC where possible. Cite, if you can, specific projects you worked on, specific contributions you made, and specific (good) results you may have obtained.
SECTION 5: EDUCATION - this is where you list your qualifications. If this is your first ever job out of an undergraduate degree, then add your high school. If not, leave out your high school. List any awards you may have received and your final GPA if it is complementary.
From this point the resume basically becomes what you need it to be to show off who you are. If you have any qualifications that are interesting, relevant to the content of your resume, or just plain impressive, this is the time to list them (e.g., "CPA", "NACS Volleyball Coach - Level 1", "AASW Member" etc). My final few sections of my own resume are as below... and these are not exhaustive, just examples!
SECTION 6: LANGUAGES - wherein I list, briefly: English - Native Language, Mandarin - Fluent, Cantonese - Intermediate
SECTION 7: ACTIVITIES - do not add this section unless there is a specific activity that demonstrates or further proves something you've claimed earlier in the resume. For instance, I talk about how I have experience working with people from different backgrounds and how I seek cases that require teamwork, so in MY activities section I mention that I play volleyball, am on the committee for my volleyball club, and also COACH a volleyball team. I do NOT mention any awards or achievements I've received; if the employer is curious, they can ask about it at the interview.
SECTION 8: COMPUTER SKILLS - you will never be able to articulate how GOOD you are with software until you are asked to prove it, but even so there is language that you can and should use to at least note what you can do with a computer, as I did below:
HTML (highly proficient)
Adobe Photoshop 7, CS, CS2, CS3 (intermediate)
Adobe In Design CS3 (intermediate)
JavaScript (intermediate)
What ACTUALLY gets listed is what I believe is not already EXPECTED of me. I add MS Office because I AM very highly proficient in its use (moreso than most other people in Social Work, heh) and I add all the other things because I know they are value-adding skills that most other Social Workers would not have. I do not list anything I cannot immediately prove to use effectively; i.e., if they sat me down and loaded up InDesign, I would be able to work right away.
SECTION 9: INTERESTS - we all have interests. Again, what goes in here should SUPPORT, AFFIRM, OR OTHERWISE BE CONSISTENT with the other awesome stuff you've put in your resume. This section is totally optional and sometimes I drop it entirely depending on the job for which I am applying.
SECTION 10: REFERENCES - you can always tack on "references available on request" or leave it out all together if the job application software/website you are using requests references separately. But, if you have space, list TWO or THREE references. Their NAME, TITLE/COMPANY, RELATIONSHIP TO YOU ("Employer", "Instructor", etc), PHONE NUMBER, and E-MAIL ADDRESS is all that should be added and for space's sake should be compressed into as few lines as possible.
I hope this helps.
BOTTOM LINE: Your resume should tell a CONSISTENT story about WHAT YOU CAN DO, WHY YOU CAN DO IT, and PROOF THAT YOU REALLY CAN DO IT.
In fact, I would axe your existing "hobbies" section all together and start anew. Your "drawing" could just be doodling in a notebook and does not translate into any skill that your job could possible ask you to do, unless you are in fact a good artist, in which case it should be noted with more than "drawing by observation or from imagination"... because that's how ANYONE draws, it does not mean they can draw WELL.
And engaging in discourse on an online forum adds no value to your resume. As an employer I'd go, "okay, you can have a conversation on a message board... so what?" If nothing else, highlighting that it's on an online forum serves to make you look WORSE than you would if you'd left it out, because you've basically admitted to engaging in debate only where you cannot TALK OR INTERACT with someone face-to-face, which does not speak highly of your interpersonal skills.
If it does not make you look GOOD or if it does not better your chances of getting an interview, throw it out.
EDIT: oh, and as some people have already said, half the stuff you've listed under "Education"... you probably did not learn those things from getting your degree. I'd imagine being "tolerant of differing points of view" should really be a life skill and not something you are advertising, to a prospective employer, that you had to be taught. In university.
The problem is that I don't have any way to give specific work-related examples of these things; I might if I mention projects I did in college, but so far my work experience hasn't really given me the opportunity to do anything impressive. So far my professional work experience has consisted of:
* Stocking groceries on shelves, bagging groceries and cleaning the floor.
* Coloring-in the etchings for tombstones.
* Answering phone calls and recording very basic information in pre-made fields that the callers could have easily done themselves online.
* Raking leaves, pulling weeds, taking-out trash, and painting walls.
* Cleaning grime off of machinery and painting said machinery.
As for team leading, the most experience I have is suggesting to my co-workers "Hey, if you clean these electrical boxes while I get the paint ready I can come behind you and paint them."
My father is one of the two people who focus on improving efficiency throughout the plant we work at. Maybe I can ask him if there's anything I could do in my off-time to help them (like develop some concepts for forms and processes to standardize inventory management) and prove to higher-ups at the plant that I'm capable of such work?
I initially didn't have this section at all. One of my father's co-workers suggested it, saying that a hobbies section makes a resume stand-out in a person's memory.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
1) are actually unique enough to matter
2) demonstrate how cool you are
3) are relevant to the job or skills you have
Your currently listed hobbies do not do this.
To put it harshly, when is the last time the co-worked looked for a job?
But yeah, it can be good if it's something really unique or job-related. For example, I volunteer at my library doing PC classes - I include that because that's my profession.
As for your background, you don't have to say you're saving the planet, just that you stand out from the rest of the dregs. Like, anyone can answer the phone, but did you follow-up with the messages? Did you try to improve the form or find ways to encourage callers to do it on-line, thus saving the company money? It's all relative to the position.
Dunno.
Education
Put the name of your undergrad, your year of graduation, your major, GPA (and major GPA, if higher) your thesis if applicable, and RELEVANT (i.e. change it depending on the sort of job you are applying for) coursework. That's it; don't go overboard here.
Additional Education and Certifications
If you did study abroad, put it here. Any relevant extracurricular/evening classes, put them here. Obviously report any technical certifications you might have.
Awards
Self-explanatory. You did fine with this.
Leadership
This is where you list any and all leadership positions that you have held. If you were the captain of your college's debate or track teams, put it here. Editor-in-chief (or even section editor) of a campus publication, put it here. Any leadership seminars or classes, put it here. Again, don't puff yourself up too much, but don't give yourself short shrift either. Say concisely what you did as a leader in your campus organization, what your responsibilities were, major projects undertaken, etc.
Work
Honestly with your experience, your primary goal with this section is to demonstrate that you are a good worker and that you haven't gone too long unemployed, which you seem to do. If you can tie ANYTHING to a skill -- e.g. "Used Microsoft Excel to compile and track personal sales statistics" or whatever -- then do it.
Volunteer
If you weren't in a leadership role in a campus organization but still performed legitimate functions, list them here. E.g. "Campus Newspaper, Contributing Writer and Copy Editor."
Do you have any volunteer work to your credit? If so, put it here. If not, go and do some volunteer work you selfish bastard :P! In all seriousness, volunteering is a really good way to get leadership experience and skills in this economy. Check out the local library or museum and see if you can volunteer at the info desk for a few hours a week, find your nearest GED Learning Center and see if you can volunteer for an hour or two as a tutor, join a political campaign and canvas some neighborhoods (and ask for a role as a canvas team leader, if you can!). Non-profit organizations are always in the market for free labor, and it can be a really good way to pad your resume and, if you're aggressive, get some marketable skills and leadership experience under your belt.
Languages and skills
Anything that didn't go into one of the categories above goes here. DON'T INFLATE YOUR SKILLS. "Proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign is a skill." "Proficient in research databases such as LexisNexis and EBSCOHost" is a skill. Typing speed is a skill. "Able to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously," not so much.
All this stuff...
Possessed of superb writing skills which allow information to be relayed in a clear and concise manner.
Ability to discern the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of solving given tasks.
Willing to take a leadership role and delegate responsibilities to individuals based on their skills and prior experiences.
Understanding of the social needs of individuals in the workplace, such as camaraderie.
Amicable and patient in regards to others.
Tolerant of differing points of view.
Able to remain impartial when making decisions.
Able to handle multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
Willing to cooperate and compromise as part of a team.
... need to be taken out of your resume and go into your cover letter.
ALWAYS WRITE A COVER LETTER, even if they don't ask for it. The only time you shouldn't write a cover letter is if the ad explicitly says "No cover letters." Cover letters are just good form, and they're the best vehicle by which you can discuss the "intangibles" that don't fit in your resume.
Pro-tip: use the cover letter to connect these intangibles to your work/school/leadership experience. For example, "My liberal arts education at Piedmont College greatly developed my critical reading and writing skills; by my graduation I was able to process difficult texts quickly and carefully, then summarize and synthesize their concepts into concise analytical compositions." And bam, you've also proven that you have "superb writing skills" -- always remember, "show don't tell" is the mark of a good writer!
SUMMARY
Piedmont College alumnus and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with strong reading comprehension and writing skills. Experience utilizing computerized databases such as GALILEO and properly citing scholarly resources in APA and ASA style. Seeking opportunities to utilize skills in a productive and professional manner.
EDUCATION
* Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Sept. 2007-May 2011)
* Graduated from Piedmont College with a 3.4 grade point average.
* Employed computerized databases to locate research materials in the Piedmont College library at the Athens campus and the University of Georgia library.
* Employed GALILEO as a tool to locate and access computerized databases.
* Read, analyzed, and interpreted scholarly texts.
* Properly cited physical and computerized resources in APA and ASA style.
* Learned and utilized investigative skills, such as survey construction and participant observation, for the purpose of obtaining, quantifying, and interpreting the opinions of fellow students concerning given topics.
SKILLS
* Typing speed of approximately 80 words per minute.
* Strong reading comprehension and writing skills.
* Experienced in properly citing research reference materials in the APA and ASA formats.
* Experienced in formatting and word processing in Microsoft Word and Open Office Writer documents.
* Capable of discerning the most practical, efficient, and least time-intensive methods of resolving given tasks.
* Willing to take a leadership role and delegate responsibilities to individuals based on their skills and prior experiences.
* Able to retain professional composure even when under considerable stress.
* Accepting of others' ideas and willing to value their contributions as highly as my own.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
* Graduated Cum Laude from Piedmont College
* Dean’s List – Piedmont College
* Member of National Art Honors Society in High School
* Gold-Level Work Ready Certification
EXPERIENCE:
Tenneco Automotive, Safety Technician
August 2011 – Present
Taught new safety department hires what duties were expected of them and how best to perform those duties with the tools available. Contributed in events convened for the purpose of improving production line performance. Aided efficiency coordinators in inventory location and placement time management efforts by suggesting alternative methods of product marking and storage. Learned standardized work principles aimed at minimizing wasted effort and increasing productivity. Used painting and cleaning supplies to visually denote areas where caution should be exercised.
Piedmont College, Maintenance
October 2010 – May 2011
Aided in construction efforts by transporting building supplies, removing walls, and applying paints to damaged surfaces. Performed landscape detail, weed removal, and leaf collection. Carried-out general housekeeping and repair duties, including the removal, cleaning, and replacement of window blinds, the replacement of electrical outlet covers, and the cleaning of dirtied tables and other surfaces.
Dial America, Sales Representative
October 2009 – May 2010
Interpreted customer requests to identify the best method to fulfill their needs. Recorded information customer contact and billing information in a specialized database. Provided customer service support in response to caller inquires. Placated irate customers by identifying how to resolve issues to their satisfaction. Forwarded information to immediate supervisor and other superiors when required.
Last Deed Monument Company, Monument Painter
May 2007 – September 2007
Carefully applied paints to etched designs as directed by supervisor. Set-up and cleaned work area.
Lavonia Foods, Stock Clerk
October 2004 – May 2005
Assessed the quantity and quality of products on the sales floor. Restocked items when necessary. Provided various services to customers, including answering questions and assisting with the transport of purchases. Performed nightly clean-up protocols, which included waste disposal, recycling of cardboard containers, sweeping, and mopping.
Hexmage, my school gave me these great packets to help outline what should go in a good resume and cover letter. If you'd like me to scan it for you just shoot me a PM! They're just outlines and many of the others forumers have mentioned a lot of big stuff already but its got some great sample resumes.
Good use of verbs, but I might change the "placated irate...". Customers are never 'irate', they're 'escalated issues' or 'opportunities to provide excellent service through the use of objection-handling and resolution techniques'.
Also would like to see your formatting - there's a lot of variations, but some basic rules apply. One school is to keep it purely .txt only with no formatting at all, which makes scanning easy.
Lines like this: Aided efficiency coordinators in inventory location and placement time management efforts by suggesting alternative methods of product marking and storage.
That needs to be a story in a line. Suggested X to Y, therefore awesome thing Z happened.
Contributed alternative product marking and storage methods to inventory coordinators which "describe this end result, even if vaguely"
When you have specifics on the result, starting with the end result will usually force people to read the rest of the line. If someone said they reduced a product costs by 10%, I'm going to stop skimming and see how exactly they did that.