EDITOR'S POST

How do I come up with things to put on my resume? (What's a personal inventory?)

Q. How do I come up with things to put on my resume? (What's a personal inventory?)

A. There is no single right answer to this question, but some entry-level candidates find it helpful to take an inventory of things that make them proud, and also make them good job candidates. The purpose of this is to make you feel good about yourself as well as help you write a resume. Open a file in your favorite word processor and create these sections:

Education. List colleges and graduate schools, exchange programs, off-campus study, etc. List the coursework that distinguishes you from other candidates and is relevant to the work you seek. Recent graduates can also list their school projects here, in lieu of experience. (Indicate the complexity of the projects, such as the number of pages or lines of course code.) Most college graduates don't mention their high school here, except to list singular achievements or achievements that show a pattern. Activities such as raising money for a charitable cause may bring skills to an employer's attention which are not prominently displayed elsewhere on your resume. Also, there is some advantage to indicating a longstanding commitment to an interest, such as journalism, by tracing that interest back to high school. However these belong under "Activities", not "Education".

Experience. List all jobs held-full or part time, paid or unpaid. (Presumably, not much, or else you wouldn't be doing this.) Note your responsibilities (such as "purchasing authority") and accomplishments (such as "cut costs"). For supervisory experience, note the number of people you supervised.

Activities. List your participation in organized groups, teams, clubs, community involvements, etc.

Honors and Awards. List scholarships, class standing, special recognition and academic achievements. Explain the meanings of more obscure honors that may not be known to most people. E.g., "Received the Random Q. Hacker Award, granted to only one undergraduate in ten years." If you only have a few academic honors, group them with "Education".

Interests. List hobbies, travel experiences, special talents.

Other areas. List everything you left out thus far that you're proud of, such as the knowledge of foreign languages. Some recent college graduates mention the percentage of college cost financed through employment.

Now identify the information that may relate to a possible job or show different positive aspects of your personality or strength. These are the items you want to include on your resume.

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