Online Class: Resume Writing 101

One of the most important and intimidating steps in the job search process is writing a solid resume that gets the attention you want and need.

Self-Paced, Online Class
Library Subscription
 
  • 13
    Lessons
  • 27
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 9
    Hours
    average time
  • 0.9
    CEUs
  •  
    Video Audit
    Available
 
 

Course Description

Crafting the Perfect Resume: Your Ultimate Guide to Landing Interviews

Navigating the competitive job market is an intricate dance, with the resume as your ticket to the ballroom. Creating that perfect resume—one that captures attention and showcases your worth—is a daunting task that leaves many overwhelmed. This could lead to the pitfall of relying on generic templates, which, more often than not, serve as a disservice rather than an advantage.

In the digital age, the dynamics of job application have changed. It's not just about making your resume visually appealing to potential employers; it has to be digitally friendly as well. Whether your resume is being perused by human eyes or being scanned by sophisticated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), it needs to resonate and stand out.

What Awaits You in this Course?

This meticulously curated course provides a panoramic view of resume crafting, taking you beyond the mere aesthetics and into the essence of effective content creation. Each step is designed to ensure that your resume doesn't just end up in a pile but rather paves the way for you to land that much-coveted interview.

Highlighting the Current Landscape: As of 2023, studies indicate that the average job posting receives about 250 resumes. Of these, a mere 4 to 6 candidates get called for an interview, and only one secures the job. With such odds, the importance of a stellar resume cannot be overstated.

Course Breakdown:

  1. An Introduction to the Resume: Understanding its purpose and the pivotal role it plays in your job hunt.

  2. Types of Resumes: Exploring different formats—chronological, functional, combination—and determining which aligns best with your career trajectory.

  3. Preparing to Write Your Resume: Accumulating the right information and understanding the pre-writing phase.

  4. Presentation: Ensuring a blend of visual appeal and content clarity.

  5. Professional Objective and Education Section: Articulating your career aspirations and detailing your academic credentials.

  6. Experience: Strategically highlighting your professional journey, major achievements, and the value you bring.

  7. Skills Section: Showcasing both soft and hard skills relevant to your target job.

  8. Honors and Awards: Celebrating your accolades and how they enhance your professional stature.

  9. Activities and Interests: Providing a glimpse into your personality outside of work.

  10. Bolstering Your Resume: Enhancing your resume with additional qualifications, certifications, or experiences.

  11. Polishing Your Resume: Fine-tuning to ensure it's error-free and communicates your story effectively.

  12. Cover Letters: Crafting compelling letters that complement your resume, adding depth to your application.

  13. Resumes in the Digital Age: Adapting to online databases, optimizing for ATS, and leveraging digital platforms for job search.

Why This Course Is Vital for Job Seekers:

While your resume won't be the sole determinant of your job prospects, it undoubtedly holds the power to open doors. In an ultra-competitive job environment, having a resume that showcases your best self is paramount. Think of it as your professional spokesperson—it represents you in rooms before you physically enter them. This course ensures that this spokesperson is articulate, impressive, and convincing.

For instance, consider the "Experience" section—a generic listing might mention "Managed a team of 5." However, a polished version would articulate, "Led a diverse team of 5, achieving a 20% increase in project delivery efficiency." The difference is clear: one merely states a fact, while the other showcases value and achievement.

Enroll and Elevate Your Career Prospects:

Whether you're a fresh graduate stepping into the world of employment, a professional seeking a career shift, or someone aiming for higher echelons in your current field, this course is tailored for you. Dive deep into the intricacies of resume crafting and ensure that your first impression is not just good but exceptional. Join us and arm yourself with a resume that resonates, impresses, and propels you forward in your career journey.

Course Motivation

What will you get out of this course? 
 
One of the most important tools in a job seeker's arsenal is the resume. Simply put, this document sums up your work and life experience in an extremely brief, easy-to-read format. Prospective employers are able to review the resume to get a sense of the candidate's skills and suitability for the job at hand. Most employers will require you to submit a resume, and often you will need to complete an application and write a cover letter.
 
This course is designed to go in-depth to help you recognize what you should and should not include in a resume. In addition, it will help you to determine the right approach and layout for your field, experience, and desire. It is not a collection of resume templates, as those can be easily found online. Instead, this course will give you the knowledge that is needed to make sure that you are writing the strongest content possible. You will then be able to use or create a resume style that works for you. While it is certainly important to have an attractive resume, you need to focus on what an employer reads after the package has caught his or her eye. This is what is really going to land you the interview.
 
What Is a Resume?
 
 
A resume really is a representation of you. It introduces you to the employer when you are not able to sit down with him or her and do it yourself. Just as you would want to look and do your best if you were meeting face-to-face, you will want your resume to look and do its best when representing you. For this reason, it can be difficult to know what to include on a resume. After all, if it is supposed to be a representation of you, then it seems reasonable that you would want it to reflect your personality and talk about your personal life and ambitions, right?

In most cases, this is not how you approach resume writing. There are some strict guidelines that are used for this type of document, and if you do not follow them, you can knock yourself out of the running. We will talk more about the Dos and Don'ts later in this course. For now, realize that your resume will need to focus on the most relevant (to the job) aspects of your life. If it is strong enough to get you past the first round, then you will have the opportunity to dazzle the employer with your personality once you get to the interview.

In most cases, your resume will create the employer's first impression of you. He or she will make decisions based upon both the content and the presentation of your resume. Your goal, of course, is to make the best first impression possible. You can almost think of it as an advertisement that "sells" the potential employer on the idea of why he or she should consider you for the job. Just like most ads, the "customer" is only going to look at it for a few seconds, so you really need to give them every reason to keep reading and thinking about you. You have an average of about 15-30 seconds to catch their attention.
 
 
 
How and Why Are Resumes Used?

Two parties will be using your resume. First, you will be using it to convince an employer that you are one of the top candidates for the job. By putting in the time and effort needed, you will be showing the employer that you are a professional, that you have the desire needed to be an excellent employee, and that you are a great fit for the job that he or she is offering. You will show how your experience and background is relevant and why you should be getting a call for an interview.

The employer is the second party that will use your resume. He or she uses it to help pre-screen candidates for a job. Rather than taking the time to meet with each individual applicant, the employer can sit down with a stack of resumes and compare the candidates' qualifications. This allows the employer to save a considerable amount of time by discarding those that appear not to be a good fit for the position and only calling the most qualified applicants in for an interview. 

It may not always seem fair to be judged based on a few facts on a sheet of paper, but employers simply have to have some sort of method for narrowing down the candidate pool. Even if you are someone who does better in person than on paper, you will likely still need to utilize the resume process to be hired for the job that you want.

There are methods you can use to make your resume as strong as possible so that it will get you an interview rather than ending up in the office trashcan. We will spend quite a bit of time looking at these methods throughout this course. If you come across ideas that you think are especially useful for you, be sure to jot them down or even print out the course and make notes on the page so that you can remember them when you are actually composing your resume.
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.4 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(2,916 votes)
  • Lesson 1. An Introduction to the Resume

    This lesson discusses what you can expect to learn throughout this course, including what a resume is and why it is important.
  • Lesson 2. Types of Resumes

    This lesson discusses the four basic types of resumes, including chronological, functional, combination, and cirricula vitae.
  • Lesson 3. Preparing to Write Your Resume

    In this lesson you will learn about what type of information you should gather to prepare your resume.
  • Lesson 4. Presentation

    This lesson focuses on the look of your resume, including paper types, length, and using a template.
  • Lesson 5. Professional Objective and Education Section

    This lesson focuses on crafting your professional objective and your educational experience.
  • Lesson 6. Experience

    This lesson discusses what type of experiences you should include on your resume.
  • Lesson 7. Skills Section

    This lesson focuses on determining what type of skills you should include on your resume and how to present them.
  • Lesson 8. Honors and Awards

    This lesson focuses on identifying and listing honors and awards on your resume.
  • Lesson 9. Activities and Interests

    This lesson looks at what activities and interests you may want to consider adding to your resume, and how to fit them in.
  • Lesson 10. Bolstering Your Resume

    This lesson looks at ways that you can bolster your resume to make your experience more relevant or if you lack job experience.
  • Lesson 11. Polishing Your Resume

    This lesson focuses on what you can do to polish your resume, including making it stand out and what to avoid.
  • Lesson 12. Cover Letters

    This lesson discusses the cover letter, including what it is, what should be included, and how to format one.
  • Lesson 13. Resumes in the Digital Age

    This lesson focuses on issues around digital formats, including scanning, using keywords, and resume alternatives.
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Define what a resume is and its purpose.
  • Define types of resumes.
  • Prepare to write your resume.
  • Draft a resume for presentation.
  • Develop the Professional Objective and Education Sections of your resume.
  • Develop the Experience Section of your resume.
  • Develop the Skills Section of your resume.
  • Develop the Honors and Awards Section of your resume.
  • Define the Activities and Interests Section of your resume.
  • Summarize ways to bolster your resume appropriately.
  • Polish your resume.
  • Create a cover letter.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Resume Writing 101
Course Number: 8900119
Lessons Rating: 4.4 / 5 Stars (2,916 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Last Updated: August 2023
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 0.9 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: Linda Zavadil
Syllabus: View Syllabus

Student Testimonials

  • "This course provided more than I expected and helped me so much! I never knew that there was so much that goes into a resume until I took this class. I am so much more confident in writing me resume. Thank you for this course i really appreciate you." -- Samantha H.
  • "Thank you for the course! I was struggling with how to create a resume and this course has put that struggling to ease. My chances of getting a job have sky rocketed." -- Jedi S.
  • "This was very helpful. The course covered the goals set for my program I am to facilitate this winter." -- Patricia M.
  • "This course was very informative and helpful." -- Marlowe B.
  • "Great Instructor - Very timely in responses!" -- Barbara M.
  • "The lectures held a lot of information that was very helpful. The exam was a back-up to make sure you understood the material." -- Lisa J.
  • "I really enjoyed it, look forward to doing it again." -- Wayne B.
  • "I thought the most helpful part of the course was how the instructor had the lessons laid out. It was nice and made writing a resume easier the way she split each section of a resume up and had you prepare each section as we went. At the end all you had to do is piece together the sections from the lessons you wanted in your final resume and you had a full functional "professional" style resume to send out to a potential employer...VERY GOOD JOB BY THE INSTRUCTOR!!!!" -- Terry E.
  • "Thank you very much for the great information. I found it very helpful. It has been 15 years since I did my only resume so I really needed the help. A lot has changed in that amount of time with technology advances." -- Elaine S.
  • "I learned a great deal about the topics covered." -- Lindsey B.

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