Resume Hints

Can't think of anything to write down about what you do in your job?

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. We guarantee that you will come up with some new ideas about your job responsibilities and skills.

• What experience, skills, aptitudes, or traits do you have that could be of some use to some employer?

• Do you have any Sales experience?

• What were your Production numbers?

• Do others, at work or elsewhere, come to you for any particular kind of help? What kind?

• Do you have military experience (include Coast Guard and merchant marine)? Branch, grade, Specialty? Active duty, reserves, national guard? Discharge? Duties? Accomplishments? Medals, citations, commendations? Promotions ahead of schedule? You can treat military experience either here, as general background, or list each position as an employer in the Resume Questionnaire. Don't forget, military training can be particularly useful in private industry if it is relevant to your objective.

• Have you ever published an article, report, or anything, even as a volunteer, even in your company professional association newsletter?

• Have you ever given a talk, speech, or presentation, or provided training to anyone at work or elsewhere? Give the specifics.

• Computer literacy and related skills: What platforms can you use (PC, Apple, Atari, etc.)? Which one are you most comfortable with? What operating systems are you familiar with (DOS; Windows 3.x, NT, or 95; OS/2; Unix; Apple; other)?

• What foreign languages do you know at least somewhat, and what is your level of skill in each. I.e. native speaker; fluent; moderate; phrase-book; write easily for professional purposes?

• What planning or analytical tools are you familiar with?

• What experience have you had as a manager?

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Give a brief description about every position you have had in the last 15 years.

  • Sales or production numbers

  • Management responsibilities

  • Projects you spearheaded

  • Product development

  • How many people did you supervise? Orient? Hire? Train?

  • How large a budget did you manage?

  • Title and Who do you report to?

  • Did you coordinate anything?

  • Did you do, or participate in, strategic planning?

  • Did you set or evaluate or participate in the setting or evaluation of policy?

  • Did you evaluate any individual or group performance, or any task or project research?

  • Were you on any proposal teams with a customer? Did the proposal succeed?

  • What was your function on the team, or your contribution to winning? Your team's percentage of wins?

  • Did you back up someone? Who?

  • Prepare recommendations or presentations?

  • Design or manage any Portfolios?

ACHIEVEMENTS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• How much reduction in costs or increase in profits did you contribute to?

• Production / Sales Numbers

• What did you do?

• Any concrete or specific signs of the gain you achieved?

• Did you propose, suggest, or initiate any programs, changes, or improvements that were implemented at least partly because of your initiative?

• What positive results occurred?

• What did you do as a volunteer, beyond the regular duties of your position?

• Whether you were paid for it or not, what were you particularly good at that made a difference in how the office (job, project, assignment) progressed from day to day?

EDUCATION:

• Education?

• Licenses?

• Designations?

• Foreign languages?

AWARDS, RECOGNITION:

• Were you praised, recognized, or given a pat on the back for anything-Production, a particular assignment, a method of working, a trait of character? How? By whom? (ie President Circle, Rookie of the Year…)

• Were you promoted ahead of schedule?

• Selected for any special responsibilities or programs?