Your résumé is a picture of who you are. But it is a selective picture. It's more like an outline than a full autobiography. It gives the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are, leaving out what is unimportant and letting you fill in the details in your job interview.
Below you will find a sample résumé which includes all of the main sections of a winning résumé. Just click on the section you would like to know more about, or scroll past the résumé and read the information on each of the sections in order.
PERSONAL DATA
Name: Include your first and last name in full, in capital letters.
Leave out any aliases or the pet nicknames your girlfriend or boyfriend has for you. Would you really want your employer calling you "Sweetums" or "Scarface?"
Address: Include your full address. Do not abbreviate street, avenue, or name of province. In general, avoid abbreviations throughout your résumé. You can abbreviate the section of Calgary in which you live (S.E., S.W., N.W., N.E.).
Messages: Include your home phone number and a phone number where messages can be left if you do not have an answering machine.
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JOB GOAL
Give a brief explanation of your job objective. This lets the employer know exactly what type of work you are looking for and indicates that all the information to follow explains why you are suited for that job objective.
Make sure this goal matches in some way the job for which you are applying. A job objective that says you hope to eventually captain a whaling vessel won't be much help in landing that job with Greenpeace you are applying for.
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SPECIAL SKILLS
Include all the special skills and abilities you have. List first those that relate to the specific job for which you are applying. Try to relate all your skills to your job objective as much as possible.
Use action words to describe your skills. Also, make sure you use words with some "zip" that explain your skills (or the work you did under your employment section).
Having trouble identifying all the skills you possess? You probably have more than you think. Even if you have never worked at a job like the one you are now applying for, you might still have some of the skills you need. For some help in coming up with ideas, check out our section on identifying your skills.
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EDUCATION
List schools attended, the type of program, areas of concentration and years of completion. List your education in reverse chronological order. Include all awards, certificates, diplomas and degrees that you received.
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WORK HISTORY
Supply company name, city and province and dates of employment for each past job, listing these from most to least recent. The résumé format you choose will determine further job information to include.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Use this section to your advantage. Include such things as languages spoken, special seminars taken, etc. Extra-curricular activities and volunteer work are also good indicators of your worth.
You may want to make separate sections with different headings if there is a lot of additional information you want to include. The point is to get anything in your résumé that explains why you are the right person for the job.
Of course, there is such a thing as information overload. Your ability to sing "Oh Canada" while gargling with mouthwash may be considered a special skill, but it is one you will probably want to leave off your résumé.
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REFERENCES
Do not include references in your résumé unless you are explicitly requested to do so by the employer.
Do have several people you will be able to use as references, and keep the necessary information on a separate sheet of paper to take along with you to the job interview. For more information on references, click here.
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