So I feel like a total failure when typing up my resume?

[melindawarren]

My resume is a little different for job applications vs. my recruitment application and rec writing resume. That one had all of my activities, the years, and a brief description of each activity underneath it. It helped me figure out how to explain bigger commitments in a small space.

Example:
Activity--Position--Years
Description
(of course, I formatted it using tabs and all)

I also included awards (EVERYTHING), my GPA and SAT scores (I broke it down--in addition to listing the totals--because I got an 800 on the writing section!) and some other academic accomplishments (Principal's Honor Roll, 8 semesters, for example).

In retrospect, I could have included interests as well, but I think that a) my resume made my main interests super-clear (based on the activities) and b) 2 pages was enough (the descriptions made it longer).

[DubaiSis]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

Rule #1 of participation AND resumé writing...learn to use "apart" and "a part".

And the easy way to remember that is the "a part" you're looking for doesn't require the "a." Make a habit of saying you want to be part of something instead of a part of something and you won't make the mistake again.

Originally Posted by melindawarren

My resume is a little different for job applications vs. my recruitment application and rec writing resume. That one had all of my activities, the years, and a brief description of each activity underneath it. It helped me figure out how to explain bigger commitments in a small space.

Example:
Activity--Position--Years
Description
(of course, I formatted it using tabs and all)

I also included awards (EVERYTHING), my GPA and SAT scores (I broke it down--in addition to listing the totals--because I got an 800 on the writing section!) and some other academic accomplishments (Principal's Honor Roll, 8 semesters, for example).

In retrospect, I could have included interests as well, but I think that a) my resume made my main interests super-clear (based on the activities) and b) 2 pages was enough (the descriptions made it longer).

As is always true, MelindaWarren is right. And your resume will change over time. As a 46 year old woman, if I put that I am a sorority member, worked at a summer camp in college and walked in The 3 Day on my resume it would be 82 pages long. You can start now by having a resume that has all that little stuff on it - it's important now - and then whittle that stuff back as it becomes less important in the big picture. And do yourself a favor. Date your resumes and don't overwrite them over and over again. Some day you'll want the information you had on a resume from a hundred years ago and won't remember. Same thing goes with boss'es phone numbers and addresses for the places you worked.

[Katmandu]

All great advice above.

Don't forget what you do for your family and friends, too. Anyone can join clubs. In the end, they can easily turn into a meaningless laundry list.

My god daughter, who had a great recruitment in an SEC school had a typical high achiever resume: clubs, sports, grades, but the most impressive item on her resume was the fact that she read the newspaper and the mail every day, day in and day out, since she was 10 or 11 to her father, who is legally blind. That spoke volumes about her character, her loyalty and her ability to be a fantastic sister.

Think about who you are and how you interact with people. Your life is more rich and unique than you realize.

[Texas20_12]

Originally Posted by Katmandu

All great advice above.

Don't forget what you do for your family and friends, too. Anyone can join clubs. In the end, they can easily turn into a meaningless laundry list.

My god daughter, who had a great recruitment in an SEC school had a typical high achiever resume: clubs, sports, grades, but the most impressive item on her resume was the fact that she read the newspaper and the mail every day, day in and day out, since she was 10 or 11 to her father, who is legally blind. That spoke volumes about her character, her loyalty and her ability to be a fantastic sister.

Think about who you are and how you interact with people. Your life is more rich and unique than you realize.

Oh wow, that's amazing on her part. That's really sweet on her part.

[Texas20_12]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

And the easy way to remember that is the "a part" you're looking for doesn't require the "a." Make a habit of saying you want to be part of something instead of a part of something and you won't make the mistake again.


As is always true, MelindaWarren is right. And your resume will change over time. As a 46 year old woman, if I put that I am a sorority member, worked at a summer camp in college and walked in The 3 Day on my resume it would be 82 pages long. You can start now by having a resume that has all that little stuff on it - it's important now - and then whittle that stuff back as it becomes less important in the big picture. And do yourself a favor. Date your resumes and don't overwrite them over and over again. Some day you'll want the information you had on a resume from a hundred years ago and won't remember. Same thing goes with boss'es phone numbers and addresses for the places you worked.

Thanks for the tip haha. I guess I've never paid attention to apart versus a part.