Guest Blogger: Prep Those Resumes
One of the best places to go for good information on how to be successful in a search process is your own memory. Think back to the search committees that you have served on and give some thought to the dynamics you observed. You’ll probably recall that there can be “interesting” politics on these committees — people are chosen for the committee for various reasons, and objectives can differ among the members. You’ll likely also recall that some good candidates are passed over for very minor reasons such as typos in the cover letter, the “tone” of a cover letter, a confusing résumé, etc.
Put yourself in the committee’s shoes. When you create your résumé, you want to provide the committee with the information they need to move you on to a phone interview. Your résumé serves as the foundation for information about your professional skills and experiences.
Your resume should provide:
- Contact information—cell number, home phone, office phone, email, mailing address, etc. Do not provide a phone number if you don’t want someone to call it; do not provide an email address that you don’t check daily. Be sure your e-mail address is appropriately professional!
- A brief description of the institutions you have worked at. Were they public or private? Residential? Selective? What was the total enrollment? The search committee should have a sense of your responsibilities and achievements within the context of your institution.
- A selective list of presentations, publications, conferences, etc from recent years.
Remember:
- Your current position should contain the most detail about your responsibilities and accomplishments and should be on the first page of your résumé.
- The attention of the reader wanes after the first page so keep information clear, concise, and easy to find.
- Style manuals are your friend. Make sure your citations are correct for publications and presentations!
As many institutions are now accepting your materials electronically, it is more prudent to have your resume in a PDF format. For more tips on crafting an effective resume you can visit the SJG website!
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Tags: Job Search
[...] Editor’s Note: October is Careers in Student Affairs month. In recognition of that, Ellen Heffernan of The Spelman & Johnson Group is acting as a guest blogger and offering advice applicable throughout job search process. In this post she covers, well, cover letters. You can read about resumes here. [...]