RSUM ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS INSTRUCTIONS Using the guidelines in your textbook, create a 1-page chronological or functional rsum for a position in your desired career field. Be sure to avoid full sentences and first-person pronouns (I, me, my). At the same time, you must include an objective, education, jobs you've held (in reverse chronological order) with accomplishments (skills and experiences in a functional rsum), activities and honors, and a statement of references ("Available upon request"). Include in your experiences your education in which you composed business documents, to include business letters, professional e-mails, and a formal proposal.

The Writer's Guide describes the basic elements of a rsum. Some of the elements would be organized differently in a chronological rsum than in a skills rsum; see pages 30-31.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

• Determine as exactly as possible what the employer wants.

• Learn enough about the job and employer to tailor your rsum to them.

• Create a keyword list.

Name and Contact Information

• Enable employers to reach you by mail, phone, and e-mail.

Objective

• Tailor to the specific job you want.

• Emphasize what you will give rather than what you would like to get.

Education

• Tell your school, major, and date of graduation.

• Provide additional information that shows you are well-qualified for the job you want: academic honors and scholarships, specialized courses and projects, etc.

• Use headings such as "Honors" and "Related Courses" to highlight your qualifications.

Work Experience

• Identify each employer's name and city, plus your employment dates.

• Provide specific details about your previous jobs that highlight your qualifications: accomplishments, knowledge gained, equipment and programs used, responsibilities, etc.

Activities

• Describe your extracurricular and community activities in a way that shows you are qualified, responsible, and pleasant.

Interests

• Mention personal interests that will help the reader see you as a well-rounded and interesting person.

References

• Lists people who will be impressive to your readers.

• Include a mix of references who can speak about your performance in different contexts?

• Include title, business address, phone, and email address for each reference.

• Include only people who've given permission to be listed.

• Omit personal references (family, friends, etc.).

Prose

• Present the most impressive information first.

• Express the action in verbs, not nouns.

• Use strong verbs.

• Use parallel constructions.

• Omit irrelevant information.

• Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Visual Design

• Look neat and attractive.

• Highlight the facts that will be most impressive to employers.

• Use headings, layout, and other design features to help readers to find specific facts quickly.

Ethics

• List only experiences, accomplishments, degrees, and job titles you've actually had.

• Avoid taking sole credit for things you did with a team.

• Avoid statements intended to mislead.