Resume for Recruitment

Alrighty, I will be attending Formal Fall Recruitment. I'm in the process of writing (and rewriting) my resume to send to the Alumnae who will be providing me with recs and letters of support. My problem is that I have been involved in so many activities that I'm not sure what to include! Someone PLEASE help me out here.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by Pandora2011

Alrighty, I will be attending Formal Fall Recruitment at Oklahoma State University. I'm in the process of writing (and rewriting) my resume to send to the Alumnae who will be providing me with recs and letters of support. My problem is that I have been involved in so many activities, especially public speaking contests and leadership summits, that I'm not sure what to include! Someone PLEASE help me out here. I've looked at samples online but nothing really seems to apply to my situation.

Name
Address
Phone
Education
GPA
Work Experience
Activities
Service
Leadership positions
Awards
Interests/Hobbies/Sports
References (usually at least one academic and one personal)

I'm not sure what is so different about your situation?

I understand that I need to include the personal info, etc., but if I include all of my extracurriculars and activities my resume is over two pages long... Should I only include what I think are the highlights? I'm afraid that I might leave off something that someone else might find important even though I don't think it is.

[karalang89]

Originally Posted by Pandora2011

I understand that I need to include the personal info, etc., but if I include all of my extracurriculars and activities my resume is over two pages long... Should I only include what I think are the highlights? I'm afraid that I might leave off something that someone else might find important even though I don't think it is.

I recommend a bulleted one liner of your extra curricular activities. That way, if the employer wants more info, they can ask you about it. It will take up a lot less space than a full description and give you something to point out or discuss if asked.

Thanks, I appreciate your advice but would that apply to resumes going to sorority alumnae who are writing recs and letters of support, too? I understand that much of the info would be the same but if someone was class president for 2 years, should they bullet the line and say "Class President-2 years?" Also, what if a person participated in the same event every year and had a different outcome, i.e. placing, or was in the same event multiple years, but in a different category every year?

[shirley1929]

One page front and back is great - just make sure to save paper and print it front and back.

[karalang89]

Originally Posted by Pandora2011

Thanks, I appreciate your advice but would that apply to resumes going to sorority alumnae who are writing recs and letters of support, too? I understand that much of the info would be the same but if someone was class president for 2 years, should they bullet the line and say "Class President-2 years?" Also, what if a person participated in the same event every year and had a different outcome, i.e. placing, or was in the same event multiple years, but in a different category every year?

I would prioritize them. List the ones you are most proud of at the top and give them maybe two lines of info. Then follow up with smaller accomplishments or positions you've held.

This is all going to come down to how much information you want to provide. Personally, I like reading about things that people have accomplished as this gives insight into how they think and what they think is important. I wouldn't sell yourself short to save space.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Pandora2011

Thanks, I appreciate your advice but would that apply to resumes going to sorority alumnae who are writing recs and letters of support, too? I understand that much of the info would be the same but if someone was class president for 2 years, should they bullet the line and say "Class President-2 years?" Also, what if a person participated in the same event every year and had a different outcome, i.e. placing, or was in the same event multiple years, but in a different category every year?

List the activity as a bullet, and the major accomplishments as a sub-bullet. Choose the three or four biggest accomplishments to list. Like so:

-- Wilson High School Forensics Team
--- State champion, Impromptu Speaking, 2011
--- Junior varsity Conference Champion, 2009

[ChioLu]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

Name
Address
Phone
Education
GPA
Work Experience
Activities
Service
Leadership positions
Awards
Interests/Hobbies/Sports
References (usually at least one academic and one personal)

In addition to the above, I always tell PNMs to list:
* rank in HS class (like, 7th out of 320 or Top 10)
* SAT or ACT score
* major / minor
* scholarships (name of scholarship, not how much)
* what year they'll be (i.e. Incoming Freshman) -- if you're an upperclassman, also list your college info (school, GPA, activities, etc., just like HS)
* if they have any Greek affiliations (like Aunt was in XYZ sorority @ State College or Dad was in AAA fraternity @ a certain university)
* and add a photo to the resume

Thank you guys! These are really helpful suggestions. I guess I'm feeling overwhelmed that I'm not going to "do it right." Unfortunately, I'm a visual person so I like to see an example of how someone else has done it in the past, and I haven't been able to find something like that online (just templates). It seems more simple now.

[FSUZeta]

you could say: junior class president, senior class president

[carnation]

Two major things: first, if you have an award or club that's a huge big deal in your area but women at OSU may not know what it is, enlighten them! Our kids' high school had a multiracial dance team that was really hard to get into and they were so good that they were in the 1996 Olympics opening ceremonies. Now if a PNM had just put "Color Connection" on her resume, the sorority women may have wondered what it was and ignored it. If she had briefly explained about CC, that surely would have been a major item in her favor.

Another thing: eliminate the little fillers, like 1 year of I don't know, the Birdwatching Club or a semester of Spanish Club. They'll only detract from your major activities.

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by carnation

Another thing: eliminate the little fillers, like 1 year of I don't know, the Birdwatching Club or a semester of Spanish Club. They'll only detract from your major activities.

Even if you participated in them for FOUR years, some activities look like filler. At my school, Spanish/French Club pretty much consisted of having a meeting once a month... no real activities, no impact. So if you were so involved that you're trying to figure out what to cut, cut those in general and it will free up some space for more involved activities.

[AnchorAlumna]

I say - when in doubt, put it ALL down!

I do like things divided by class years, though I tend to discount the 9th and 10th grade activities.

Don't forget to list church activities, if you have them...and I always like to see part-time jobs.

[deltasigmakkg]

I will be a sophomore at Oklahoma State next year and it looks like you are off to a great start with your recruitment! Don't let your nerves get the best of you, it's easy to get overwhelmed right now (especially with things that you're unfamiliar with like sending in the resumes) but everything will work itself out. I wish I could help more but since I am only a sophomore I'm not even sure what is the best way to format it. Good luck!