Resume 101

Communications professor Quentin Schultze shares the secrets to crafting strong, impressive resumes and cover letters for students and recent grads with minimal job experience. Hordes of anxious college seniors show up at Professor Schultze’s office door each year, unsure of how to cast their life experiences in a way that will make them stand out to hiring managers. Dr. Schultze, who has taught a resume-writing course for the past 15 years, has become attuned to the unique concerns of those writing their first-career resumes. Coauthored by teacher Bethany Kim, this practical guide helps students identify their passions, key transferable skills, and applicable experiences, write compelling resumes and cover letters, and score those interviews.

Quentin J. Schultze, PhD, professor of communication at Calvin College, has written several academic books and more than a hundred articles for general-interest periodicals. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, US News and World Report, and Fortune and interviewed by CNN, NBC, and NPR. He speaks at and consults for businesses, nonprofits, trade associations, and universities. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Visit quentinschultze.com and resumes4collegestudents.com.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTs
 
FOREWORD by Richard N. Bolles
 
INTRODUCTION: Why This Book Will Help You Land Interviews and Jobs
 
 
1  The Naked Truths of Résumé Success 
 
Be Courageous
 
Be Creative
 
Be Unconventional
 
Be Vulnerable 
 
Be Organized
 
 
2  Where to Begin 
 
What’s a Résumé? 
 
Use Great Résumés  
 
Get Your Name and Numbers Right 
 
Recall Your Stories 
 
Look Beyond Work  
 
 
3  Highlight Your Life Experiences
 
Create Your Master List 
 
Expand Your Experiences 
 
Develop Your Entries  
 
Identify Your Skills 
 
Assess Your Knowledge 
 
Know Your Personal Traits 
 
 
 
4  Write for Your Audience
 
Know Your Audience
 
Organize Your Content  
 
State Your Experience  
 
Summarize Your Education
 
List Your Activities 
 
Add Special Categories
 
 
5  Fine-Tune Your Résumé 
 
Use a Summary Statement 
 
Use Words Honestly and Well 
 
Format Entries
 
Edit, Edit, Edit 
 
Make It Scannable
 
 
 
6  Add References and Cover Letters 
 
Identify Your References 
 
Write Persuasive Cover Letters 
 
 
 
7  Go with the Flow 
 
Don’t Sweat It 
 
Circulate Your Résumé Strategically 
 
Create a Support Network
 
 
 
 
 Appendixes    
 
A Master List Form 
 
B List of Positive Traits as Adjectives 
 
C Summary Statement Worksheet
 
D List of Action Verbs 
 
E Sample Résumé Entry Edits 
 
F Common Grammatical Errors
 
G Sample Résumés with Cover Letters
 
H Résumé Checklist
 
 
 
WORKS CITED
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
 
INDEX