Advanced English
Lesson 4 - Work
Reading
On This Page
- Read an article that explains how to write a resume.
- Answer reading comprehension questions.
- Write your resume.
- Write sentences describing your experience on our blog.
English Reading Exercise
| Review of Key Words | |
| gather previous word-processing program sample tailor grade point average sloppy misspelling |
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How to Write a Resume
Before you write your resume you'll need to gather your information together. Look up information about your previous jobs and training (dates, names of supervisors, etc.). Create a reference list with the names of your old supervisors so that the interviewer can contact them to find out what kind of employee you are. Include their names, job titles, company names, addresses, and phone numbers.
Now it's time to sit at the computer and write the resume. Use a word-processing program with spell-checking to make sure that you don't have any spelling errors in your resume. You may also want to use the thesaurus, dictionary of synonyms (words with the same meaning), to look up alternative words to put in your resume. Have a friend help you if you're not familiar with the word-processing program.
There are many different styles of resumes. Review a lot of samples of different styles before you create your own. Buy a book with sample resumes or look at sample resumes in the internet. You'll need to tailor the resume for your background and personal style. Traditional resumes, however, have the name, address, and phone number at the top. This is generally followed by the job objective (what kind of job you are looking for). A "Summary of Skills" section is also a good idea. This is where the job applicant's skills or qualifications are briefly outlined. Employers can just glance at the summary of skills section to find out what the person can do if they don't have time to read the entire resume.
Next comes the education section. Begin with your more recent training and then work backwards through time so that the oldest training is at the end. Include the name of the school you attended, the course of study (what you studied), when you graduated, and, if you had good grades, include your grade point average.
After the education section comes the work experience section. Again, put your most recent job first and then work backwards through time so that your oldest job is at the end of the list. If you've had a lot of jobs, don't list all of them. Just include the most recent and the most relevant to the job you're applying for. If you've never had a paid job, list your volunteer positions or other relevant experience.
Finally, if you've received any awards or recognitions in previous jobs or in school, list them at the end of your resume. Include the name of the award, the place where you received it, and the date.
It's very important to take your time and create a professional-looking resume. Misspellings or sloppy resumes give employers the impression that you will be sloppy or careless on the job.
Practice
Try to identify three errors in the resume below based on what you learned from the article (one in each section with the blue heading). After you've identified the errors click on the headings to see if you're right.
Laura Thomas |
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OBJECTIVE |
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CHICAGO VOCATIONAL SCHOOL, graduated from Legal Secretary program WILLIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Associates degree, GPA 3.5 |
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SALESPERSON - Gilly's Department Store, Chicago, IL, May 2005 - June 2010 SECRETARY - United Accounting, Chicago, IL, June 2010 - May 2012 |
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Employee of the Month - July 2011 |
More Practice
In a word processing program write a resume in English with your information.
WritingWrite three sentences describing your work experience (like sentences that you would put on a resume). Write on a paper or on our blog. |
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