How to Write a Resume (Project-Centered Course)

About this course: What you’ll achieve: In this project-centered course*, you will craft an essential cornerstone of the modern-day job or internship search: the resume. You’ll review resume best practices and explore current trends with guidance from a professional career counselor and recruiter, and you’ll exchange structured feedback with your peers as you work to polish your own resume. When you complete the course, you’ll have an eye-catching resume that lets your professional strengths shine. What you’ll need to get started: This course is designed primarily for young professionals or college students who are writing their first resume or looking to give an old resume a fresh and polished professional look. All job seekers will benefit from the course material and project, however, regardless of their career stage or professional background. All you will need is word processing software that allows you to create a resume on a computer- there are free tools available. *About Project-Centered Courses: Project-centered courses are designed to help you complete a personally meaningful real-world project, with your instructor and a community of like-minded supportive learners with similar goals providing guidance and suggestions along the way. By actively applying new concepts as you learn, you’ll master the course content more efficiently; you’ll also get a head start on using the skills you gain to make positive changes in your life and career. When you complete the course, you’ll have a finished project that you’ll be proud to use and share.

Created by:  The State University of New York

• Taught by:  Zach Slaybaugh, Career Counselor

  Career Services

Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.3 stars Average User Rating 4.3See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from your peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

The State University of New York The State University of New York, with 64 unique institutions, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States. Educating nearly 468,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs both on campus and online, SUNY has nearly 3 million alumni around the globe.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Introduction to the Course & Resumes
Define course goals. Introduction about purpose of a resume, and when it might be used, and criteria for the peer-review rubric.


1 video, 2 readings expand

1. Reading: About the Instructor
2. Video: Video Lecture: Introduction
3. Reading: Resume Rubric
4. Discussion Prompt: Module 1: Knowing the Rubric

Graded: Resume Rubric True & False

The Foundation of your Resume: A Self-Inventory
A top-to-bottom look at the typical sections of a resume. Different sections you might have on a resume, definition of transferable skills and how to pull those out of past experiences.


1 video, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Video Lecture: Module 2
2. Discussion Prompt: Module 2: Transferable Skills
3. Reading: Differences of Resumes Internationally

WEEK 2


Writing Content for your Resume
How to write an action-statement, what makes a strong verb, how to maximize use of numbers and other characters, and common pitfalls of writing the content.


1 video expand

1. Video: Video Lecture 3: Creating Content
2. Peer Review: Get Feedback on your Resume Content

Graded: Practicing Bullet Points

WEEK 3


Piecing it all Together: Organization, Structure, Format
How to organize the sections on the document, foundations of strong structure and clear formatting.


1 video expand

1. Video: Video Lecture 4: Piecing it all Together

WEEK 4


Know your Industry
Different types of jobs are going to look for different headings, or different orders of sections for the optimal response from an employer. Define “Buzz Words” and show how to identify them in a job posting, and then implement them on the resume.


1 video, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Video Lecture 5: Know your Industry
2. Discussion Prompt: Module 5: Know your Industry
3. Reading: Some Key Notes about LinkedIn

Best-Practices for your Resume from an Employer
Interview with an employer about how they approach a stack of resumes, what stands out in a good way, and what can leave a negative impression.


1 video expand

1. Video: Video Lecture 6: Interview with an Employer
2. Discussion Prompt: Module 6: Employer Interview

Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about resumes job-seekers might have, that may not have fit into our modules.


1 video, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Video Lecture 7: Frequently Asked Questions
2. Reading: Resume Review Rubric
3. Peer Review: Peer Resume Review