Each section of your resume serves a very specific purpose. You are trying to sell yourself in the most concise way possible, without sounding arrogant. Employers want people who are confident and skilled, but they also take into account your personality. They want to make sure that they will not have a problem working alongside you for the duration of your employment there. Here are a few sample resume excerpts to help you find the balance.
Statement of Purpose: This section is important because it is one of the first things that any prospective employer will see when skimming through resumes. You want to alter your statement based on the job for which you are applying. Make your statement concise, but be sure that it stands out. Something like this should suffice:
"Hardworking individual with 4 years of experience as a sales assistant; looking for a full time position in sales and marketing. Exhibited exceptional organizational and leadership qualities as a result of creating and running the company’s training program for the past two years."
Work Experience: There are a few different ways to organize this section, but you want to make sure you list them from most current to oldest. If you do not have a lot of experience, you can list everything you have done in the past seven years or so. If you have had a lot of different jobs, you should only include the ones that are relevant to the new position. Make sure that this part is visually appealing, as well as organized. For example:
Work Experience
5th Ave. Marketing Jan 2006-Dec 2009
Sales Assistant San Diego, CA
Ran the company’s training program. Assisted the Sales executives in daily tasks as well as joining them for on-site sales pitches.
Education: Unless you went to school specializing in a highly relevant field, or if you won lots of awards and scholarships, this section should be relatively simple. You can highlight your major, and mention your degree, GPA and any honors associations.
References: Many people like to list this on a separate page, or write “given upon request,” but it is a good idea to have either names or businesses associated with your past jobs. Many people do not check your references, but omitting them can seem like a red flag.
