Professional blog

 You’ve learned how a resume can help you achieve your career goals. Now it’s time to build your own. In this , you will use the tools, templates, and examples to create your own professional resume that highlights your skills and experience for potential employers.

Use the template and sample below to assist in the creation of your resume.

In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.

A. Directions

Step 1: Preparations
Before you create your resume, complete the following steps:

a. Collect the personal information needed (such as dates of jobs, graduation, etc.) to complete your resume.b. Review the rubric to see the specifics for each grading criteria.c. Review the Sophia tutorials provided in the course for tips and guidelines:

Resume
A Targeted Resume

Step 2: Creation
Open the resume template and add your details. When creating your resume, pay attention to your formatting. Formatting is usually the first thing someone notices about a resume. Despite what you may have heard, having a colorful, elaborate resume is not required, nor is it preferable except for in a few unusual industries. All that extra design and color makes it difficult for an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to read, meaning your resume could be thrown out without being considered. An effectively-formatted resume is concise and uses a consistent style throughout the entire document, which makes it easy to read. Clear presentation ensures that your most important information will stand at first glance.

Once you have created your resume, you can use Jobscan to scan your resume. After you upload your resume and a related job posting, Jobscan will analyze your resume and give you a score to help you see how well you’ve tailored your resume to the role.

Refer to the checklist below throughout the Touchstone process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

Visual Appeal
❒ Does your resume use an 11-12 point professional and legible font, such as Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Verdana, or Tahoma?
❒ Does your resume use consistent fonts and font sizes throughout (larger, uniform fonts for headers; smaller, uniform fonts for descriptions)?
❒ Do you consistently format text using bold, italics, or underlining for emphasis (e.g., bold job titles, underline key information)?
❒ Did you avoid the use of color or graphics? Traditional resume styles are preferred for most fields.
❒ Did you set up your page margins at 0.75 to 1.25 inches on all sides?
❒ Did you use single spacing throughout, with a blank line between each section of content?
❒ Did you use bullet points instead of paragraphs of text when describing your accomplishments in your experience sections?
❒ Did you utilize the touchstone template to create and customize your own resume?
❒ Did you use a format that is formatted for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)?
❒ Did you include your full name in the file name?

Content
❒ Is your resume written in the first person?
❒ Are verbs in the correct tense?
❒ Is your contact information complete?
❒ Did you make sure that there is no inappropriate information?

Experience Scope and Detail
❒ Did you list your experience in reverse chronological order?
❒ Does each listing have a title, organization name, and the scope of the role?
❒ Does each listing include dates of employment, such as 05/2020 – 06/2021 or May 2020 – June 2021?
❒ Does each listing have bullet points to detail specifics?
❒ Does each listing include positive content?
❒ Does each listing have consistent verb usage and correct punctuation?

Summary/Objective
❒ If you chose to include a summary, is it 3-4 sentences? If you instead chose to include an objective, is it one concise sentence?
❒ Is your summary/objective present at the top of the resume?
❒ Does your summary/objective clearly state the target position, relevant skills, and benefits that you would bring to the position?

Conventions
❒ Did you carefully proofread your document to ensure that it is error-free? Your resume is a chance to make a strong first impression, as it serves as a sample of your writing, and demonstrates your attention to detail.
❒ Is your document the correct length of 1 pg