The following is adapted from the resource packet materials of the Exploring the Arts Resume and Interview Workshop created for participants in our Apprenticeship Program. Students may follow the instructions detailed below or download the full packet here.
Instructions
Step 1
Please review the EXAMPLE RESUMES to get an idea of how a resume can look. All of the resume formats in this packet are accurate and acceptable!
Step 2
Generate content and articulate your experience.
The bulk of your resume is a concise descriptions of experiences that you’ve had. You do not have to have much (or any) paid work experience to make a Resume. You are likely be gaining valuable skills through extracurricular and in-school activities. All of your experiences count: paid work experiences, unpaid, volunteering, caring for family or pets, leadership, membership is clubs, teams, churches, or community service…write them all down!
Please take 15-30 minutes to generate a list of ALL of your relevant experience! Use these questions to help you come up with some ideas:
- Have you ever been in any clubs? What role did you play (President, V. President, Secretary, Treasurer, Member)?
- Have you ever been on any sports teams?
- Have you done volunteer work with your school, family, any religious institution you are a part of?
- Have you ever helped out with a family business? Have you taken care of siblings, cousins, or other children?
- Have you ever helped a teacher on a regular basis/been responsible for classroom duties?
- Have you ever been a tutor for your classmates?
Brainstorm special skills or awards you’ve received:
- What computer programs do you know? (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce, QuickBooks, etc)
- Do you have experience working with Social Media?
- Have you received any awards, and/or are you a member of an honor society?
Step 3
Use the POWER WORDS SHEET and CAREER SKILLS SHEET to help you write about your experiences in the RESUME WORKSHEET.
Step 4
Check to make sure you have all necessary content and type your resume.
Use this checklist to look through the content on the RESUME WORKSHEET. You will then type your resume. Make sure to ask a friend/teacher/family member to proofread your resume. Once you’ve finished your resume, use this checklist to make sure your resume is ready to go!
FINAL RESUME CHECKLIST
- Are your name, address, city, state, zip code, phone number, and email address all correct?
- Is the resume east to read and formatted correctly?
- Did you use bullets, bold, all capitals, and underlining to highlight the parts you want to emphasize (i.e. section headings?)
- Do you include dates for all experiences and extra-curricular activities? Are they aligned?
- Does the Resume provide specific information about tasks, responsibility, and skills you?
- Do most phrases begin with action words, such as “developed,” “facilitated,” “assisted,” etc?
- Have you been honest about your accomplishments? While it is important to self advocate, it is also important to be honest about the level you are at.
- Did you do a final spell check/grammar check?
Step 5
Use the INTERVIEW PREP WORKSHEET to help you prepare for an interview. Feel free to use the three EXAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTIONS to do some practice interviews!