Your Resume

Your resume plays a crucial role in any job search.  You should consider aligning your resume to your new audience.  Make sure you consider the following elements of your resume (see our examples section for illustrations):

Objective:  

Make sure your objective is clear and concise.  Stay away from vague objectives.  Use this formula:  “To utilize (recently completed education/specific experience/specific skills) toward a new position as a (position you are seeking).

Summaries of Qualifications: 

Usually 4-6 bullet points in length. Think of this section as, “Here are my specific qualifications for this position.”  In this section, you should include more ‘hard skills’ than ‘soft skills.’  Hard skills are skills, experiences and abilities that you have either learned on the job, or that someone has shown you.  Some examples are:

• “Knowledge of real-time ultrasound and 3D reconstruction technology”
•  “Able to evaluate radiographs for image quality, clarity and correct positioning”
•    “Familiar with various lifting devices and techniques”
•   “Experienced in post-operative wound care including:  Flushing, bandaging, sterilization and observation of healing.”
•  “Expert user of MS office products including Excel, Word and Powerpoint”

Soft skills on the other hand are more things that you ‘just are.’  While these are things that are important, they are much less so and should only take up one or two bullets.  Some examples of these are:

• “Skilled at providing excellent service to both internal and external customers”
•  “Strong communication skills with a professional phone manner”
• “Able to multi-task and provide crucial attention to detail”

Technical Skills Summaries: 

 This section details your specific technical skills for the position you are applying for.  This is generally used for candidates that are applying for, or have a background in, fields that require a proficiency in a technical specialty (ex:  Radiological Technician; Nurse; Respiratory Therapist, etc.).  You should also break down your skills by section to provide a quick and easy-to-reference summary.  This section also provides some crucial keywords that improve your ability to show recruiters, ‘this is what I know.’  See the examples provided for layout and content ideas.

 When to lead off with education: 

When designing a resume, decide how to order your sections by asking yourself, “what do they need to know about me first, second, third, etc.?” Keeping this in mind, the first section after your qualifications and technical skills should be the next most relevant thing for the job.  Is it your education?  Well, if you had just recently completed a course or degree, then education is the most important thing.  If, however, you have actually worked in the position you are considering moving into, say in an internship, you might want to consider putting your work experience before your education.