Studen Blog

Free Resume Writing Examples and Samples

In this exercise, we are going to go through step-by-step instructions on how to create a resume. At the end of the post, you will find sample resumes available for download.

On a piece of scratch paper, write down all of your contact information. This includes your full name, your current address, your home telephone number, your cell phone number, and your e-mail address. If you are a student and your current address isn’t your permanent address (i.e. you are in a dorm for the semester but will be moving back to your parents’ home soon), then also include your permanent address. All of this information should be completely accurate so that a potential employer can contact you.

Since many people use their cell phone as their primary phone nowadays, if you wish to only be contacted at that number, it is acceptable to leave out your home phone number. This is especially true for students who don’t have a home phone number while in the dorms. Also, it’s important to note that the e-mail address you include should be professional. An address with your name or initials is appropriate; iamsexy@hotmail.com is not.

For this example, the applicant’s name is going to be Jane Smith. Address: 123 Street Road, City, State 98765. Phone number: 555 – 345-9876. Cell number: 555 – 321 – 2288. E-mail address: jane.smith@email.com

Next, list all of your previous education. Write down the name of the school you attended, the degree you earned, and the year you graduated. If you are currently in school, list “in progress” next to the degree instead of a graduation date. You may also want to list your G.P.A., provided that it is good; do not list your G.P.A. if it is below a 3.0. Low numbers may misrepresent your abilities. If you don’t list your GPA and employers want to know it, they will ask, but often by then you will already have impressed them.

Note that if you have graduated from a college or university, it is no longer appropriate to list high school education on your resume.

For this example, the applicant’s education is as follows: State University (2000 – 2004) Degree in Business (B.S.) GPA =3.5.

After your education, list all of your previous work experiences. This includes both paid and unpaid jobs. Write down the name of your employer, your responsibilities at that job, and the dates you worked there. If you have multiple positions at one job, write down each position separately.

For this example, Jane Smith has worked at Corporate Business from 2004-2009 as a Business Manager. She helped streamline operations, boosted employee output and efficiency, increased revenues by 5%, and trained new employees.

Next, list all of your activities. This includes any organizations you are a part of for recreation and any honors societies you may have been in while in school.

For this example, Jane Smith was a member of the Honors Society and the Fundraising Chair of her sorority, Alpha Beta Gamma.

Finally, list any skills you have separate from your work experience. This may include computer skills, speaking a second language, technical skills such as welding, or anything useful for a job. It does not include “good communication” or “team player”. Those types of faux “skills” are things that an employer expects you to have, and listing them on a resume will not make you stand out from the crowd. Other skills will give you an edge, though.

For this example, Jane Smith has knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, and Powerpoint) and speaks Spanish as a second language.

Once you’ve collected all of this information, the only thing left to do is assemble it in a manner that is easy to read. For samples of how this is done, please see the following downloadable resumes. They are created using the sample information mentioned in this blog post.

November 27, 2008 @ 6:05 am