What To Include In A Resume

How To List Cum Laude On A Resume

Graduating with a cum laude distinction is an impressive achievement. This academic distinction awards students for their hard work and dedication to their education. Knowing how to properly list your cum laude distinction on your resume can help make your education section stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. In this article, we discuss how to list a cum laude distinction on your resume with tips and examples.

Let The Numbers Do The Talking

Which of these statements sounds more impressive?

• In my past role, I led the team to increase revenue by 20%.
• In my past role, I increased annual revenue from $5 million to $6 million, a gain of 20%, while leading a global team of six employees spread across four time zones.

Most recruiters would probably say the second. Not only does the second sentence talk about the candidates accomplishment, it also shows the depth of their success by citing cold, hard facts.

Like facts, no one can really argue with numbers. They help us understand just how successful a candidate has been, Lance Robbins, director of economic and workforce development at Distribute Consulting, explained. Metrics are essential to telling the story of previous successes. So keep track of any quantifiable milestones youre hitting in your current role, project, or internship. You never know when youll need to pull data together to bolster a job application or interview.

Pro tip: Continue this practice even after landing a job. You can use numbers to make a case for why you deserve a promotion or a raise down the line.

Creating A Resume Skills Section

The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.

Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:

Example 1

If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:

If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:

Example 2

Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.

This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management:

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Skills To Put On Resume For Remote Jobs

The best skills to put on a resume for remote jobs are those that demonstrate your ability to work from home.

For example, if youre applying for a job as a newsletter writer then itd be wise to list skills such as proficiency with Microsoft Office or related software suites, effective communication, and time management because these are all essential for this type of position.

On the other hand, lets say that youre applying for a position as an event planner which can be completed remotely.

In this case, then it would help boost your chances of landing the job faster if you include expertise in social media analytics & marketing, excellent planning & organizational skills, and proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite or other graphic design tools.

The following are 5 skills that are best suited towards those applying for remote work:

How To Send Your Cover Letter Via Email

When applying for a job via email, you can copy and paste your cover letter into the email message or write your cover letter directly into the body of an email message.

If the job posting doesn’t specify how to send it, you can also choose to send your cover letter as an attachment. If you do so, use the same format as your resume . Also use the same naming convention as you did for your resume, e.g., janedoecoverletter.doc.

Be sure to read the directions on the job application carefully: sometimes companies want all your materials sent as one PDF or Word document, and other times they want separate attachments for each document.

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Dont Restrict Work Experience To Work

Recently out of college with little work experience? Consider including major projects and papers you worked on as a student. Group projects and large research papers can involve the types of skills that many employers are after: communication, writing skills, time management, focus, project management, teamwork and research just to name a few, Reynolds said.

It can be tricky to decide where to place this kind of experience on your resume, but if the work youve done has largely occurred in an academic setting, the experts recommend listing it separately under a Relevant Experience section. Use titles like research partner, strategy lead, or project manager, and make clear any time restrictions you were bound by to emphasize that you are comfortable working on a deadline.

Prospective employers will be impressed by your ability to connect the dots from the classroom to the real world and communicate value beyond an assignments scope.

Pro tip: Only highlight projects that are relevant to a potential role.

Key Skills To Put On A Resume: Lists Examples & Answers For 2021

The right skills to put on a resume can be the difference between you getting a job and not. Thats why in this post, were giving you our list of 30 key skills to help you find the right one for your resume.

Weve done all of the hard work so that you can quickly reference this list of top skills and use it to ensure that your resume is sparkling by the time it gets into the hands of the job recruiter. Keep reading to find out more.

Discover your strengths and unlock your potential with

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Top Tips To Ensure My Resume Gets Me Noticed

As you can see, there are several things you shouldnt include on your resume. But what about things you can do to ensure you get noticed? Here are some things that recruiters like to see on your resume:

• A professional layout that exceeds no more than two pages.
• Clearly defined headings, bullet-pointed lists, and not too much text.
• Sections that have been clearly personalized to speak to the job requirements.
• Links to your personal website, blog, or professional platform like LinkedIn.

The key to getting your resume noticed is to ensure the layout is professional and the content is high-quality and concise. Dont try too hard to impress and let the content of your resume speak for itself.

Determine Where To Put Your Cum Laude Distinction

The first step to including your cum laude distinction on your resume is to determine where on your resume you want to list this achievement. Cum laude distinctions can be made in either the education section or in a separate awards and honors section. If you want to include a separate awards and honors section in your resume, it is important to make sure you have more than one special distinction to list. Usually, a bullet list of about three to five distinctions is appropriate.

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Resume Summary Or Objective

Your resume summary or objective should be a short, one to two sentence section that briefly explains who you are and why youre qualified. Carefully review the job posting for clues on which of your technical and soft skills will be most important and relevant.

Resume summaries and objectives are slightly different, and you should choose to include one or both depending on your background and the position youre seeking. A resume summary will describe your work experience, while a resume objective will state your short-term goals.

A summary is good if you have at least some work experience that can be quickly summarized. An objective statement, however, is better suited for those who have recently graduated from high school or college, or who otherwise have limited job experience.

Your resume summary could say:

Thoughtful construction laborer with over five years of experience helping manage teams toward successful and safe completion of housing projects.

Your resume objective could say:

Recent graduate eagerly looking to expand construction labor experience with a growing contractor.

In both your resume section and your summary, its important to avoid talking about topics more suited to a job interview, such as how much youre hoping to earn.

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What Are The Best Skills To Put On A Resume

To know what are the best skills to put on a resume, you need to know what the job you are applying for is. For example, if youre applying for a position as an administrative assistant, you will want to have typing skills and general knowledge of office management.

The key is to tailor your resume to the specific requirements of each job you apply for. In general, some of the best skills to put on a resume are:

• Accurate typing ability
• Basic knowledge of word processing
• Basic skills in using the internet for research, emailing, etc.
• Computer programs, including MS Office suite
• Interpersonal and customer service skills

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List Of Your Hobbies And Interests

Though optional, you can outline your hobbies and interests if they’re professionally relevant to your desired position. Research the company, figure out the interests that match the traits required and list those said interests to emphasise your skills. You can add a personal touch by including this section, though employers don’t typically expect or require it.

Example:*Interests: Hiking, peer mentoring, cooking*

List Your Skills On A Functional Resume

If you are changing careers or industries and do not have extensive professional experience, you might decide to feature them at the top of your resume. This type of resume is called a functional resume.

3. Skills grouped by theme4. Any relevant professional experience5. Education

To include skills on a functional resume, create a separate skill section that lists your successes with key skills relevant to the position for which youre applying. Any professional experience you do have should go below your skills section.

Heres an example of how to list skills on a functional resume:

Skills

Process Streamlining

Complaint ResolutionAnswered an average 50+ calls per day from unsatisfied customers related to delays in shipment, order mistakes and lost orders. Achieved 97% average customer satisfaction rating, surpassing team goal by 12%.

Service-Based SellingConsistently exceeded application targets by 10% with innovative upselling techniques. Pioneered development of improved system for following up with unsatisfied customers, reducing customer churn by 6%.

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Describe Your Achievements Using Numbers And Percentages To Back Them Up

When possible, you should back up your achievements with numbers and percentages.

This is how you show the employer that youre a high-achiever.

To show you how this looks in practice, lets take an example of an achievement for a customer support agent:

Increased customer support ticket closing satisfaction rate

While this is definitely a good start, it doesnt actually mean anything. Anyone could say theyve done this – but theres a huge difference between someone who increased the satisfaction rate by 0.5%, and by 30%.

What if you rephrased it as:

Increased customer support ticket closing satisfaction rate from 47% to 72% within 3 months.

Now, this is a lot more actionable. The hiring manager can see how good you are, and how youd be an asset for the company.

In this case, its instantly clear that you know what youre doing, and your resume goes directly to the YES pile.

Add Your Education Certifications And Any Other Relevant Information

There are other resume sections that may be worth adding, depending on both the job and your unique experience. These sections include things like education, awards and accolades, volunteer experience, and certifications. Keep in mind that your resume should always be showcasing your skills for that particular job, so anything in your history that doesnt support the image of you being a perfect candidate for the role doesnt need to be included.

Education

Its common to include your education on your resume, especially if you are applying to a job that requires a degree. If youre a few years into your career, your resumes education section can be minimized at the bottom of your resume. Unless youre applying in a career that puts extra emphasis on education , most job seekers can get away with providing only the following information on their resume:

• Name of Institution

Awards, Accolades, & Certifications

All three of the aforementioned things can be embedded in the work experience and skills sections of your resume. However, if you would like to highlight them, they could warrant a section of their own. Either way, relevant certifications, and honors will increase your credibility.

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Are These The Best Resume Examples For 2021

Yes, these are the best resumes for 2021 for four major reasons:

Whats The Best Resume Format

There is no such thing as the best resume format. The type of resume you choose should be based on your work history, work experience, skills, and qualifications. Here are examples of the formats you can use, and who should use them:

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Before You Get Started

Read the entire job announcement. Focus on the following sections to understand whether or not you qualify for the position. This critical information is found under:

• Duties and Qualifications
• How to Apply
• How You Will be Evaluated

Make sure you have the required experience and/or education before you apply. Hiring agencies use the job announcement to describe the job and the required qualifications, including:

• Level and amount of experience
• Education
• Training

How To Write A Resume: Template And Tips

Resume writing can be a daunting prospect when starting your job search, particularly if it has been a long time since you last entered the job market or if you are looking for your first professional role. Your resume, along with your cover letter, is what a potential employer uses to make their first judgement about you.

Knowing how to write a resume will help you stand out from all the other applicants and reach the interview shortlist. Your resume must demonstrate that you possess most or all the criteria required in the job. Tailor your resume for each position you apply for by expanding on your experience relevant to the job and cutting back the less relevant parts.

Your resume must also get past any initial screening algorithms, or applicant tracking systems , which identify suitable candidates based on the use of relevant keywords.

Follow our tips for updating your resume or download our resume template below.

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Resume Contact Information Tips:

• Include a personal phone number, never a work number.
• You dont need to include your full address but do add your city, state, and zip code. Recruiters often search for local candidates first.
• Use a professional sounding email address. Consider creating a free Gmail account for your job search if you currently use a more outdated email service like Hotmail or AOL.
• Create a strong LinkedIn profile and be sure to include the URL on your resume.

Top Soft Skills For Your Resume

There are tons of soft skills that you can include in your resume, but how do you know which ones to include? Here is a quick list of important soft skills you should list on your resume.

Problem Solving Skills

No matter what the job is, eventually something will go wrong and employers want to know that youre capable of coming up with a quick and effective solution. In fact, there are jobs that are essentially nothing but solving problems for the company, the clients, or both.

Critical Thinking Skills

Being able to think rationally and thoughtfully is the basis of critical thinking. Employers want workers who can think through a problem or a project and determine the best steps needed. Critical thinkers come up with new and better ways to work, making it an invaluable skill to put on a resume.

Flexibility

Many organizations and industries covet employees who are dynamic and adaptable to every situation, or who have a natural ability to use a variety of methods and approaches in different circumstances to get the best end result.

Communication Skills

Whether its written or verbal, being able to communicate with your boss, coworkers, and clients/customers in all situations is very valuable. The better you are at it, the better results you will generate.

Teamwork

Most jobs will sometimes require you to work with other people at some point, and employers want to know that you can succeed in a team environment. Some jobs will prize this skill more than others.

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