How to Write a Technical Resume

1. How to Write a Technical Resume Before you view this PowerPoint, go to View, then Notes Page, so you can see all of the extra information that make the slides more helpful!

2. How to Write a Good Technical Resume And why is it important?

3. Why is a good resume important? • To prove that you are qualified for a specific job • To prove that you care about a specific job • It represents your ability to communicate • It is a tool Human Resources and hiring leaders use to sort out the good candidates from the bad applicants S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

4. Let’s Talk Basics First • Needs to be pleasing to the eye / reader • Include the skills they are looking for • Spelling and grammar are very important • Let’s talk about those capital letters • Format and use of space • Should be 1 page (most of the time) • Should not contain false statements S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

5. Template vs. Word Doc If you have never created a resume before a template might help you get started, however: • Templates will limit you in the future when you start to add sections and more content • Some company resume scanning systems misplace data when you are using templates or tables in your resume • Tables, headers and footers don’t always transfer or upload correctly. Avoid them if possible. S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

6. One More Basic Never use “I” in a resume • NEVER NEVERNEVER • They know the resume is about you. • Don’t use “My” or “We” either S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

7. New Resume for Each Job YES REALLY • If you really want the job you will put forth the effort • You need to show you are qualified for THAT SPECIFIC JOB • You are competing with 200 – 300 – or 500 other applicants S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

8. The Order of Information • Contact Header (may include portfolio/LinkedIn link) • Summary or Profile • Education • Professional Experience (if you have it) • Academic Experience or Academic Projects • Publications • Technical Skills & Related Courses • Professional Society/Leadership/Volunteer S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

9. Does the Format Really Matter? Yes – You are being judged on how well you can present information. • Font – universal / easy to read • Times Roman, Arial, Century, MS Sans Serif, Calibri • Use Month – Year for work experience • Jan 2011 – Jul 2013 or Feb 2012 – present • Be consistent with format throughout • Use Spring 20xx or Fall 20xx for academic projects • Limit use of lines, borders, shading, tables S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

10. 2011 - 2012 If you use only year in your resume here is what happens when the reader tries to figure out how long you worked at a company. Hmmm …. S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

11. What do Companies Look For? • There are typically two scans of your resume • 1st scan by the computer. Converted into a database, searching for key words and semantic matches from the job description • 2nd scan by the hiring manager – 10 seconds • If they are interested, they will read the rest TRY Monster.com Power Resume Search Test Drive S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

12. What else do they look for • If you can actually follow the application directions • A one page resume (can you be succinct) • Top ⅓ or ½ is the most important • Good summary of your skills and strengths • Skills that actually match the job description • That your resume is not generic – you actually care about the job S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

13. Now Let’s Talk About Details Good v.s. Bad S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

14. SUMMARY or Profile Summary = GOOD Objective = Not good • What type of Engineer you are • How many years of experience you have (doing what) • What industry are you in or targeting • What you specialize in / passionate about • What are your core competencies IT SHOULD ALL RELATE TO THE JOB DESCRIPTION S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

15. EDUCATION • The resume is about you, put your degree 1st • Include date of graduation or estimated graduation (not start date) • Include School, City, State or Country • GPA • Typically if it is a 3.0 or better • 75.4/100 (Est 3.6/4.0) • Convert it if from non-US university S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

16. MAIN CONTENT • Enough information vs. Not enough • Convey to the reader your depth of knowledge about the skills or concepts • Include technical concepts, methods and tools that you used • Back up your areas of expertise with examples • Show results and quantify them if possible • Don’t cram every little thing in, focus S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

17. Key Words Count – What do I mean? The number of times the actual word shows up in your resume !

18. USE STRONG ACTION VERBSStart your bullets / sentences with strong action verbs If in the past • Designed . . . • Developed . . . • Fabricated . . . • Analyzed . . . • Optimized . . . Currently working on • Designing . . . • Developing . . . • Fabricating . . . • Analyzing . . . • Optimizing . . . S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

19. Examples – Strong Action Verbs • Designed and developed embedded systems for use in a hybrid vehicle using Matlab and Simulink • Developed web applications for finance and accounting functions using Agile methodology in Java and C++ • Designed the body of an automobile using 3D wireframe and 3D solid modeling techniques in AutoCAD • Analyzed and tested various materials for strength and durability including compression, tensile and shear stress S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

20. Differences in Undergrad / Grad Resumes As a Freshman DO • List your college education • Include your major and anticipated graduation date • Include school projects (homework assignments) • Include clubs or organization you belong to • Demonstrate comm skills • Include jobs or volunteer experience you have with relevant transferable skills DON’T • Include personal info • Include references • Include pictures or designs (unless you are a graphic design student) • Have embarrassing info on your Facebook S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

21. Resume ExampleSophomore S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

22. Differences in Undergrad / Grad Resumes Sophomore Junior / Senior Include more project related work or internships Include leadership experiences and projects you may have done in professional clubs Include more academic projects or technical examples and skills that are related to your field • Remove references to High School unless it was truly remarkable. • Include subjects and concepts you are learning in the Academic Experience section • Include professional club memberships and summer jobs S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

23. Differences in Undergrad / Grad Resumes Graduating Senior Masters Student Include your specialization and the skills you know very well in the summary Provide a link in your resume to your portfolio (LinkedIn or web page) Have details supporting your specialization Provide examples of leadership, societies, and research • Be very specific about the job you are targeting and tailoring your resume to that job and company • A majority of your resume should contain internship examples and academic projects that directly relate to the position you are applying for S: Presentations/Nov 2013 Resume PPT

24. For More Information To get some ideas, there are examples on the Engineering Career Center website http://engineering.asu.edu/career Do NOT copy these. Use your own experiences, skills, projects and strengths. Employers will discover if you were unethical in your resume and you will be disqualified. If you misrepresent yourself on your resume, it makes people wonder what else you would do.

25. For More Information Connect with Fulton Engineering Career Center Phone: (480) 965-2966 Email: engineering.careers@asu.edu Website:  http://engineering.asu.edu/career Sun Devil CareerLink:MyASU>Campus Services>Jobs & Careers>Sun Devil CareerLink Facebook and LinkedIn:Engineering Career Center Arizona State University