COMMUNICATION SKILLS-LECTURE NOTES-MMU

WRITING A RESUME
1. Include a summary statement
Resume objective statements,
Where you state exactly what career goals you wish to achieve, have mostly fallen out of
fashion. This is largely because you want to focus on what you can do for the employer, not what
the employer can do for you. A resume summary statement, on the other hand, sums up who you
are professionally at the top of the page in a sentence or two and serves as the first impression
you give a hiring manager to entice them to keep reading.
2. Decide on a resume format
There are a few dominant resume formats in use today: chronological, functional, and hybrid,
which is a combination of the two. A chronological resume format lists a candidate’s work
experience in reverse-chronological order. A functional resume format focuses on highlighting
the candidate’s skills and achievements, rather than work experience. While the functional
resume format can be an attractive option for job seekers with little experience, most employers
prefer a chronological or hybrid resume format. Whatever resume format you decide to use, be
sure that your format remains consistent throughout the document.
3. Pay attention to technical details
When editing your resume, make sure there is no punctuation, grammatical, spelling, or other
errors that will make your resume look unprofessional. Then, have a friend or family member
read it again to catch any mistakes you might have missed — you can’t afford a typo or missing
word. Also, be sure to vary your language and utilize action verbs throughout your resume to
keep your reader engaged.

4. Take stock of your achievements and activities

Make a list of absolutely everything you've done that might be useful on a resume. From this list,
you'll then need to narrow down what to actually include on your resume. Different things might
be relevant to different jobs you apply for, so keep a full list and pick the most relevant things
from it to include on your resume when you send it out.
5. Focus on your education and skills
In lieu of work experience, it's best to expand and focus on your education and skills you’ve
developed on your resume. What can you do well that this job requires? What will be useful to
the hiring company? What have you done in school and what have you studied that has prepared
you for assuming this job? This is generally a little easier if you're a college graduate with
specialized education, but even a high school graduate can talk about their electives, why they
wanted to take them, and what they learned from the class.
6. Internships, internships, internships
Paid and unpaid college internships are one of the best weapons you have against "experience
required." Not only do they give you some real-world work experience, they also allow you to
network and make connections that can put you in a job later. When applying for a job without
experience, be sure to list any internships you completed. If you haven’t had one, consider
applying as a step before an entry-level job.
7. Include any extracurricular activities or volunteer work
When surveyed, the majority of employers say that they take volunteer experience into
consideration alongside paid work experience. So any volunteer work that highlights your talents
or where you learned a new skill should be put on your resume. Only include hobbies if they are
relevant to the position and have equipped you with transferable skills that would be useful for
the job role.

8. Never include these certain elements

While there are many elements you should consider adding to your resume, there are a few
things you should never include on your resume because they waste space, don't tell the
employer anything relevant, or could damage your personal brand. This list includes, but is not
limited, to references, writing samples, and photos of yourself. Do not add this information to
your resume unless an employer or recruiter asks you to provide them. In addition, make sure
you’re not using an unprofessional email address. “Kegmaster2017@email.com” may have
sounded great when you were younger, but it’s not the right message to send to prospective
employers. It's easy to create a free, professional-looking email address for your job-search
activities with platforms like Gmail.
9. Keywords, keywords, keywords
Most employers use some form of an applicant tracking system (ATS) to scan and sort resumes.
This may seem unfair, but it is the reality of modern-day hiring. To combat this, you will want to
come up with and include a list of keywords in your resume when applying for any job. The best
place to find these keywords is in the job ad itself, or in ads for similar jobs. One caveat: Don't
use meaningless, annoying "buzzwords," such as "go-getter," "team player “and“detail-oriented."
Unfortunately, sometimes these buzzwords are the only keywords listed in the ad. If that's the
case, you'll need to sneak them in alongside your detailed accomplishments.
10. Add a cover letter
Even if one is not required, it's generally a good idea to send a short cover letter along with your
resume. Cover letters are where your personality comes out, and you need to use them to make
the case for why you're the perfect candidate for this job. A standout cover letter can convince an
employer to bring you in for an interview, even if your resume itself doesn't have all the things
they'd like to see.

11. Customize your resume for each job you apply to

The last and most important thing to remember when creating a good resume is to customize it
for every job to which you apply. Different job postings are going to have different keywords,
different job duties listed, and so on. Appealing to each individual employer’s needs and job
requirements is the best strategy for getting your application noticed.
At the end of the day, there's no magical formula for how to write a winning resume — the only
perfect resume is the one that gets you the job. Be prepared to tweak and update your resume,
even when you're comfortably employed. Utilize a hybrid resume format and focus on your skills
and education when you don't have any work experience to show. Sooner or later, you'll land that
job — and gain that much-coveted experience.
How to Build a Resume Using College Involvement as Experience
Entering the workforce as a professional is one of the most exciting moments after graduation.
You’ve worked hard for your degree and are now ready to put those skills to the test. However,
you may find yourself feeling as though those daunting job ads appear to seek more qualified
team members. No need to pass the job over; when deciding how to build a resume, look to your
college activities for unexpected experience.
Internships and fellowships
Most academic advisors tell their students to seek internships early in their academic career.
While this is sound advice, if you must choose between a freshman internship and a senior
internship, go for the latter. Employers are looking for candidates who recently used their skills.
They will often choose a candidate who just completed their internship rather than one who
earned an early placement, regardless of participation and achievements.
When adding internships to the resume writing, place the information under your other
employment history, in chronological order. When choosing the title or position, clearly indicate
this was an internship. However, choose an additional title that is closest to your actual
involvement. For example, if you built websites for the company, your title would be “Computer
Graphics Artist, Internship” or “Web Designer, Internship.” Never imply this was not an
internship.
Clubs and organizations
Clubs and organizations are an excellent way to earn skills and job experience. This also can be
tricky. The general rule of thumb is to not list organizations and clubs unless you are an officer
or major team member (i.e. president, vice president, event coordinator, etc.), the organization is
a chapter for the national division (i.e. national Greek organizations and honor societies), student
sector of a larger professional organization (PRSSA/PRSA, SPJ, Veterinarian Association, etc.)
or you participated in a large-scale event.
Try to stay away from listing religious, political or social organizations unless you know the
employer supports these topics or you held a position equivalent of what you are applying for.
Also be careful about listing Greek organizations. Some of these entities have bad reputations for
partying. When deciding how to build a resume, don’t list anything that appears controversial or
non-important.
Entry-level and minimum wage jobs
We all know college students have to work low paying jobs during their academic career. It’s
just a part of life and paying your dues. Many students question whether they should list the
cashier job at Walmart or dishwasher at Applebee’s. The short answer is yes, list any
employment experience that is not over ten years old. Instead of listing those menial job duties,
try to find ways to word the information so it fits with your career aspirations. Cashiers have
client retention and communication skills. Shift supervisors can mentor and train team members.
Re-wording your job description with your resume writing helps to keep the positions relevant.
Volunteer activities
Volunteerism is one of the fastest methods to learn new skills, earn valuable experience and give
back to the community. Employers look for students who are a part of something bigger and
want to help their fellow brothers and sisters. However, there are a few simple rules when listing
volunteer ventures while building a resume. First, never call yourself a volunteer. Instead, come
up with a position that closely fits the job you volunteered for. For example, if you are helping
design posters for the Red Cross, you can call yourself a Graphic Designer. But do clarify in the
job description this was a volunteer project. List all volunteer activities separate from job
experience, unless the volunteer opportunity is directly applicable to your career path.

Putting it all together

Now that you have all the necessary experience and skills in hand needed to build a resume, what
do you do next? Create a resume of course. It is advisable to hire a professional resume writer to
organize, design and write your first-time resume. This prevents you from making fatal errors or
misrepresenting some of your information. If you want to do your own resume writing, place
education first, followed by experience, engagement, and development. Recent graduate resumes
should never exceed one page, and focusing on skills and abilities is more advisable than
focusing on experience.

HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

Reports generally involve presenting your investigation and analysis of information or an issue,
recommending actions and making proposals.
There are many different types of reports, including business, scientific and research reports, but
the basic steps for writing them are the same. These are outlined below.
Step 1: Decide on the 'Terms of reference'
To decide on the terms of reference for your report, read your instructions and any other
information you've been given about the report, and think about the purpose of the report:
 What is it about?
 What exactly is needed?
 Why is it needed?
 When do I need to do it?
 Who is it for, or who is it aimed at?
This will help you draft your Terms of reference.

Step 2: Decide on the procedure

This means planning your investigation or research, and how you'll write the report. Ask
yourself:
 What information do I need?
 Do I need to do any background reading?
 What articles or documents do I need?
 Do I need to contact the library for assistance?
 Do I need to interview or observe people?
 Do I have to record data?
 How will I go about this?
Answering these questions will help you draft the procedure section of your report, which
outlines the steps you've taken to carry out the investigation.

Step 3: Find the information

The next step is to find the information you need for your report. To do this you may need to
read written material, observe people or activities, and/or talk to people.
Make sure the information you find is relevant and appropriate. Check the assessment
requirements and guidelines and the marking schedule to make sure you're on the right track. If
you're not sure how the marks will be assigned contact your lecturer.
What you find out will form the basis, or main body, of your report – the findings.
Step 4: Decide on the structure
Reports generally have a similar structure, but some details may differ. How they differ usually
depends on:
 The type of report – if it is a research report, laboratory report, business report,
investigative report, etc.
 How formal the report has to be.
 The length of the report.
Depending on the type of report, the structure can include:
 A title page.
 Executive summary.
 Contents.
 An introduction.
 Terms of reference.
 Procedure.
 Findings.
 Conclusions.
 Recommendations.
 References/Bibliography.
 Appendices.
 The sections, of a report usually have headings and subheadings, which are usually
numbered

Step 5: Draft the first part of your report

Once you have your structure, write down the headings and start to fill these in with the
information you have gathered so far. By now you should be able to draft the terms of reference,
procedure and findings, and start to work out what will go in the report’s appendix.

Findings
The findings are result of your reading, observations, interviews and investigation. They form the
basis of your report. Depending on the type of report you are writing, you may also wish to
include photos, tables or graphs to make your report more readable and/or easier to follow.
Appendices
As you are writing your draft decide what information will go in the appendix. These are used
for information that:
 is too long to include in the body of the report, or
 supplements or complements the information in the report. For example, brochures,
spreadsheets or large tables.

Step 6: Analyze your findings and draw conclusions

The conclusion is where you analyze your findings and interpret what you have found. To do
this, read through your findings and ask yourself:
 What have I found?
 What's significant or important about my findings?
 What do my findings suggest?
For example, your conclusion may describe how the information you collected explains why the
situation occurred, what this means for the organization, and what will happen if the situation
continues (or doesn't continue).
Don’t include any new information in the conclusion.

Step 7: Make recommendations

Recommendations are what you think the solution to the problem is and/or what you think
should happen next. To help you decide what to recommend:
 Reread your findings and conclusions.
 Think about what you want the person who asked for the report should to do or not do;
what actions should they carry out?
 Check that your recommendations are practical and are based logically on your
conclusions.
 Ensure you include enough detail for the reader to know what needs to be done and who
should do it.
Your recommendations should be written as a numbered list, and ordered from most to least
important.

Step 8: Draft the executive summary and table of contents

Some reports require an executive summary and/or list of contents. Even though these two
sections come near the beginning of the report you won't be able to do them until you have
finished it, and have your structure and recommendations finalized.
An executive summary is usually about 100 words long. It tells the readers what the report is
about, and summarizes the recommendations.

Step 9: Compile a reference list

This is a list of all the sources you've referred to in the report and uses APA referencing.

Step 10: Revise your draft report

It is always important to revise your work. Things you need to check include:
 If you have done what you were asked to do. Check the assignment question, the
instructions/guidelines and the marking schedule to make sure.
 That the required sections are included, and are in the correct order.
 That your information is accurate, with no gaps.
 If your argument is logical. Does the information you present support your conclusions
and recommendations?
 That all terms, symbols and abbreviations used have been explained.
 That any diagrams, tables, graphs and illustrations are numbered and labelled.
 That the formatting is correct, including your numbering, headings, are consistent
throughout the report.
 That the report reads well, and your writing is as clear and effective as possible.
You might need to prepare several drafts before you are satisfied. If possible, get someone else to
check your report.