Preparing for Your Resume Assignment

A resume is a personal marketing piece that showcases your education, experiences, and achievements in an organized fashion. It provides others with an overview of who you are, what you have accomplished, and how you might contribute to the organization, company, or institution that is reviewing your resume. Individuals or groups reviewing your resume may include graduate and professional school admissions offices, prospective employers, and paid or volunteer internship or service organization personnel.

Resumes vary in their content depending on the discipline, employment setting, type of degree program/setting, and other factors. Most resumes typically include a heading, objective, education, experience, professional/service/leadership activities, honors and awards, and a summary of qualifications. In academic settings, publications, presentations, grant funding, patents, and other relevant sections are included.

If you don't already have a resume, don't panic. You will have a chance to develop a full resume in one of the required Health Sciences courses. For this reason, the only thing you will develop for your assignment in this module is a section that specifically addresses your experience as a UTA.

For those of you who already have a resume, keep in mind that a resume is not a stagnant document. It needs to be updated to reflect your personal and professional achievements and development, so this assignment will help you keep your resume fresh.

In preparation for this assignment, read the following documents:

• Resume Writing Tips Download Resume Writing Tips (UCF Career Services): This document provides great information in a concise, easy to read and follow layout. Be sure to follow the Resume Design Basics, Resume Tips, and Resume Standouts when you complete the assignment for this module.
• The Handy Dandy Formula Download The Handy Dandy Formula: This is a valuable resource for constructing effective bullet points for your resume. You will need to follow this formula to complete the assignment for this module.
• Skills and Action Verbs Handout Download Skills and Action Verbs Handout: This is another resource developed by UCF referred to in The Handy Dandy Formula handout. The Skills and Action Verbs handout will assist you in completing the assignment for this module.