7 answers
jaquan
Student
Joliet, Illinois
3
Questions
Updated
754 views
What makes an resume impressive in your field?
I would like to know so I can have an understanding on how to do my resume #resume #lawenforcement #police
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7 answers
Kim Igleheart
Career Counselor | Police Officer
1750
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Jaquan,
I would like to refer you to the website, gotresumebuilder.com
I have helped hundreds of people write resumes, and this is the ONLY template I have ever seen that is worthy of recommendation. It'll give you suggestions and do all the formatting for you, but, it gives you the ability to choose the layout, rename & rearrange sections, etc. It will let you print it, save it as a word.doc or pdf, etc. Totally free with a student ID or library card
I encourage everyone to start with paper and pen, and just scribble ideas. Walk through this with me. . . What makes a good police officer, and how can I show that I have that trait or experience?
1. Ability to write. Clear. Concise, Complete reports. Proper spelling. Good sentence structure. (the resume helps, as will your transcript)
2. Ability to attend and complete the police academy - this has two components -physical and academics. They are both challenging. You will have to learn a lot of law, and, learn how to apply it.
3. Teamwork
4. Stay calm under pressure
5. Get along with people who are different from you
6. Trustworthiness
7. Leadership
8. Self-confidence
You may not be able to cover it all, but, try. Create a section on your resume for Extracurricular Activities. Sports. Debate Team. Teaching Sunday School, etc. BUT,. don't just list them, put a little blurb with them to explain what you did. If you were on the debate team and had to study and debate complex subjects you were not familiar with, then, say that! They want to know that if they hire you, and pay you to attend the academy, that you will be able to complete the program and be a good officer. Otherwise, they will be wasting money, and still be short of officers.
There are many ways to showcase your qualifications - it's all in how you say it. If you worked handling money, made bank deposits, dealt with fast food customers, etc., all can be used to showcase your maturity.
Best of luck to you!
I would like to refer you to the website, gotresumebuilder.com
I have helped hundreds of people write resumes, and this is the ONLY template I have ever seen that is worthy of recommendation. It'll give you suggestions and do all the formatting for you, but, it gives you the ability to choose the layout, rename & rearrange sections, etc. It will let you print it, save it as a word.doc or pdf, etc. Totally free with a student ID or library card
I encourage everyone to start with paper and pen, and just scribble ideas. Walk through this with me. . . What makes a good police officer, and how can I show that I have that trait or experience?
1. Ability to write. Clear. Concise, Complete reports. Proper spelling. Good sentence structure. (the resume helps, as will your transcript)
2. Ability to attend and complete the police academy - this has two components -physical and academics. They are both challenging. You will have to learn a lot of law, and, learn how to apply it.
3. Teamwork
4. Stay calm under pressure
5. Get along with people who are different from you
6. Trustworthiness
7. Leadership
8. Self-confidence
You may not be able to cover it all, but, try. Create a section on your resume for Extracurricular Activities. Sports. Debate Team. Teaching Sunday School, etc. BUT,. don't just list them, put a little blurb with them to explain what you did. If you were on the debate team and had to study and debate complex subjects you were not familiar with, then, say that! They want to know that if they hire you, and pay you to attend the academy, that you will be able to complete the program and be a good officer. Otherwise, they will be wasting money, and still be short of officers.
There are many ways to showcase your qualifications - it's all in how you say it. If you worked handling money, made bank deposits, dealt with fast food customers, etc., all can be used to showcase your maturity.
Best of luck to you!
Chris Urban
Technical Recruiting
22
Answers
Purcellville, Virginia
Updated
Chris’s Answer
I would like to know so I can have an understanding on how to do my resume
Well, I would start with the fact that it depends on your experience.....sorta.....a basic resumes has your name and contact information, a summary, education, skills and experience. Some folks list hobbies, references and accomplishments or certifications, patents, publications or other pertinent information. Some even list an objective instead of a summary. You have options, but regardless, I would say check your spelling and your margins and make it look professional.
If you are in high school or in college or just graduated from either and don't have much work experience, you may want to add other things, like volunteer experience, school activities, accomplishments and honors; however, at any level you want to add as much pertinent information as you can and as you are able.
I recommend opening a LinkedIn account when you get your first job and completing it as well....but back to a resume.....I like key words so I suggest a skills section. Most recruiters use boolean search strings on resume search sites so I highly recommend getting your key words in your summary section, your skill section and throughout the body of your resume.
So, how do you do that if you have no experience....well, that is tricky, but do things at all times to strengthen your resume. Could be a full-time job, could be a part time job, could be good grades, could be scholarships won, could be other honors won, could be clubs, athletics, could be anything you are proud of. Your resume is your opportunity to tell folks who you are and what you have accomplished.
If it is work, then list it in bullets and make sure you include what attributes translate well to the new job you are applying to. If it is volunteering or sports teams or something else, highlight your leadership and your accomplishments and what you are proud of etc.
Well, I would start with the fact that it depends on your experience.....sorta.....a basic resumes has your name and contact information, a summary, education, skills and experience. Some folks list hobbies, references and accomplishments or certifications, patents, publications or other pertinent information. Some even list an objective instead of a summary. You have options, but regardless, I would say check your spelling and your margins and make it look professional.
If you are in high school or in college or just graduated from either and don't have much work experience, you may want to add other things, like volunteer experience, school activities, accomplishments and honors; however, at any level you want to add as much pertinent information as you can and as you are able.
I recommend opening a LinkedIn account when you get your first job and completing it as well....but back to a resume.....I like key words so I suggest a skills section. Most recruiters use boolean search strings on resume search sites so I highly recommend getting your key words in your summary section, your skill section and throughout the body of your resume.
So, how do you do that if you have no experience....well, that is tricky, but do things at all times to strengthen your resume. Could be a full-time job, could be a part time job, could be good grades, could be scholarships won, could be other honors won, could be clubs, athletics, could be anything you are proud of. Your resume is your opportunity to tell folks who you are and what you have accomplished.
If it is work, then list it in bullets and make sure you include what attributes translate well to the new job you are applying to. If it is volunteering or sports teams or something else, highlight your leadership and your accomplishments and what you are proud of etc.
Whitney Carter, MBA
Sr Manager of Business Operations
3
Answers
Easley, South Carolina
Updated
Whitney’s Answer
Hey Jaquan! When writing a resume, always make it specific to the position you are applying for by calling out your strengths, experiences, and projects that show you have the skills and talent for the job you are applying for. Keep it clean, simple, and concise. It's always a plus if you can include data (numbers) that speak to your experiences. Example- instead of saying I graduated top of my class, say I graduated with a 3.56GPA. Or instead of saying "I successfully lead a team" say "I successfully lead a team of 5 to complete the project 3 months ahead of schedule."
Shruti Tandon
39
Answers
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Updated
Shruti’s Answer
Hi!
A resume should always be clean, easy to read, and filled with all the information needed. The information should be using those action verbs, percentages, and numbers to show the impact of your work, and written to the job description of jobs you are applying for. long with this have related experience on this will definitely help and even if you. don't have related experience - any experience that you have - you can find a way to relate it a bit. I also think that interests should be included on the resume because this shows that other than your field you are well-rounded.
A resume should always be clean, easy to read, and filled with all the information needed. The information should be using those action verbs, percentages, and numbers to show the impact of your work, and written to the job description of jobs you are applying for. long with this have related experience on this will definitely help and even if you. don't have related experience - any experience that you have - you can find a way to relate it a bit. I also think that interests should be included on the resume because this shows that other than your field you are well-rounded.
Sarah Solecky
Lead Recruiter
2
Answers
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
Hi Jaquan!
Great question:)
Here are my insights for an impressive resume:
In any field I have ever recruited in I look for 3 things ALWAYS:
1) Appearance
2) Content
3) Formatting, Grammar and Spelling
Here is a specific breakdown below:
APPEARANCE:
* Does the applicant's name stand out at the top?
* Typically your name is in a different font, it is the largest font on the page, and is centered.
NOTE: the same applies with the references page(s), your name in the header is included, and it is centered.
* Currently there are many programs you can download for free, that have templates specifically to use for resume building. For example Canva - this offering has great resume layouts, colors, fonts etc. so that your personal brand can also be represented in your resume.
CONTENT:
* A recruiter looks at your resume for approximately 6 seconds during the initial review stage. During this time, the employer is looking for it to be easy to read. It should entail a snapshot of your skill-sets, and provide a reason for the employer to invite you for an interview.
* Your resume should be tailored to the company and position you are applying to, it should not be generic.
* In addition to this, the objective or summary statement should highlight WHY the employer should want to keep reading the resume.
* The resume focuses on relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences for the position and the company you are applying to and ensure that the statements on your resume are verified with (when possible) examples and numbers.
For example:
* Hired and onboarded over 450 new employees in 2015, over 700 new hires in 2016, and over 350 new hires in
2017 .
* Also, it is important to ensure key words, skills and requirements from the job posting are identifiable in the resume.
FORMATTING, GRAMMAR, & SPELLING:
* The resume should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. It has consistent use of verb tenses, heading use and content.
A typical template for formatting a resume is:
Name/ Header: your name, telephone number, professional email and phone number should appear on each page of your resume.
Objective: to create a clear and concise resume statement which will help you get to the interview stage in your job search and explain why you are interested in this job specifically.
Skillsets/Summary: a summary or list of your strongest skills, abilities, academic awards, possible grade point average, certificates, languages and or training.
Work Experience/ Volunteer Experience: Include jobs you have had in the past 5 years, scope of responsibilities, accomplishments on the job etc.
* Bulleted lists are used to describe short phrases instead of lengthy paragraphs
* All description statements begin with an action word and use the proper term.
* For the work and volunteer experience remember to ensure the dates are in reverse chronological order ( so your most recent position is at the top, and least recent position at the bottom.)
Education: List most current education, to least recent.
References: On a separate page, include a maximum of 3 references. Try to choose professional or academic references if possible. Include their full name, position title, company, phone number and email address.
I hope this helps!
Cheers:)
Great question:)
Here are my insights for an impressive resume:
In any field I have ever recruited in I look for 3 things ALWAYS:
1) Appearance
2) Content
3) Formatting, Grammar and Spelling
Here is a specific breakdown below:
APPEARANCE:
* Does the applicant's name stand out at the top?
* Typically your name is in a different font, it is the largest font on the page, and is centered.
NOTE: the same applies with the references page(s), your name in the header is included, and it is centered.
* Currently there are many programs you can download for free, that have templates specifically to use for resume building. For example Canva - this offering has great resume layouts, colors, fonts etc. so that your personal brand can also be represented in your resume.
CONTENT:
* A recruiter looks at your resume for approximately 6 seconds during the initial review stage. During this time, the employer is looking for it to be easy to read. It should entail a snapshot of your skill-sets, and provide a reason for the employer to invite you for an interview.
* Your resume should be tailored to the company and position you are applying to, it should not be generic.
* In addition to this, the objective or summary statement should highlight WHY the employer should want to keep reading the resume.
* The resume focuses on relevant skills, qualifications, and experiences for the position and the company you are applying to and ensure that the statements on your resume are verified with (when possible) examples and numbers.
For example:
* Hired and onboarded over 450 new employees in 2015, over 700 new hires in 2016, and over 350 new hires in
2017 .
* Also, it is important to ensure key words, skills and requirements from the job posting are identifiable in the resume.
FORMATTING, GRAMMAR, & SPELLING:
* The resume should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. It has consistent use of verb tenses, heading use and content.
A typical template for formatting a resume is:
Name/ Header: your name, telephone number, professional email and phone number should appear on each page of your resume.
Objective: to create a clear and concise resume statement which will help you get to the interview stage in your job search and explain why you are interested in this job specifically.
Skillsets/Summary: a summary or list of your strongest skills, abilities, academic awards, possible grade point average, certificates, languages and or training.
Work Experience/ Volunteer Experience: Include jobs you have had in the past 5 years, scope of responsibilities, accomplishments on the job etc.
* Bulleted lists are used to describe short phrases instead of lengthy paragraphs
* All description statements begin with an action word and use the proper term.
* For the work and volunteer experience remember to ensure the dates are in reverse chronological order ( so your most recent position is at the top, and least recent position at the bottom.)
Education: List most current education, to least recent.
References: On a separate page, include a maximum of 3 references. Try to choose professional or academic references if possible. Include their full name, position title, company, phone number and email address.
I hope this helps!
Cheers:)
Stephanie Dallager
Product Mgmt & Development
1
Answer
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
Hi Jaquan! Few additional comments on top of the advice already provided:
1. Automated Resume Reviews: Sometimes resumes go through an automated screening processes. I've learned that it's best to keep the formatting light on imagery and keep the font to Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri so that your resume is easily read by an automated system.
2. Quantification: Wherever possible, make sure you quantify your accomplishments. This can be related to school work, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, etc. E.g., "Volunteered at local animal shelter for 120+ hours and trained eight new volunteers over the course of 2021, to improve living conditions and better prepare animals for long-term pet placement"
3. Action-oriented Accomplishments: Along with the grammar advice provided above, resumes come across more powerfully if you create accomplishments that are action-oriented. Start with a verb like "led", "drove", "initiated" rather than writing a list of items. It turns the mundane into action.
1. Automated Resume Reviews: Sometimes resumes go through an automated screening processes. I've learned that it's best to keep the formatting light on imagery and keep the font to Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri so that your resume is easily read by an automated system.
2. Quantification: Wherever possible, make sure you quantify your accomplishments. This can be related to school work, volunteer work, extracurricular activities, etc. E.g., "Volunteered at local animal shelter for 120+ hours and trained eight new volunteers over the course of 2021, to improve living conditions and better prepare animals for long-term pet placement"
3. Action-oriented Accomplishments: Along with the grammar advice provided above, resumes come across more powerfully if you create accomplishments that are action-oriented. Start with a verb like "led", "drove", "initiated" rather than writing a list of items. It turns the mundane into action.
Jon Wasson
Product Director
23
Answers
Powhatan, Virginia
Updated
Jon’s Answer
Great question. Each job field may have a different answer. Let's start with the basics.
Is the resume clean and written well. Does it list all your contact information clearly. Did you run spell check. Did you use the same font format everywhere.
Then you can move to the actual content. Does it list your experience, and give reasonable detail and examples. i.e. if you are in sales, what are you in the business of selling and what sales did you achieve last year. Does it list your schooling or certifications. In many professions you'll want to list your skillsets, especially if it is a technical role you are applying to (i.e. Microsoft Excel, HTML, javascript, etc.).
Where possible, try to make the resume unique (but keep it professional). You might use the opening statement to say something impactful about "who" you are or what your goals are. You might list organizations or philanthropies you support, or industry groups you belong too. Have you done an internship, definitely highlight that.
There are many online resources at your disposal too. Seems you may be interested in law enforcement. You may be able to use sites like Indeed.com for samples... https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resume-samples/safety-and-security-resumes/law-enforcement-officer
Get that first draft done. Have a parent or relative or trusted friend look at it and give you feedback. Make some of of those improvements. There's always "something" you could improve on a resume.
Wishing you good luck on your resume and future job search!
Is the resume clean and written well. Does it list all your contact information clearly. Did you run spell check. Did you use the same font format everywhere.
Then you can move to the actual content. Does it list your experience, and give reasonable detail and examples. i.e. if you are in sales, what are you in the business of selling and what sales did you achieve last year. Does it list your schooling or certifications. In many professions you'll want to list your skillsets, especially if it is a technical role you are applying to (i.e. Microsoft Excel, HTML, javascript, etc.).
Where possible, try to make the resume unique (but keep it professional). You might use the opening statement to say something impactful about "who" you are or what your goals are. You might list organizations or philanthropies you support, or industry groups you belong too. Have you done an internship, definitely highlight that.
There are many online resources at your disposal too. Seems you may be interested in law enforcement. You may be able to use sites like Indeed.com for samples... https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resume-samples/safety-and-security-resumes/law-enforcement-officer
Get that first draft done. Have a parent or relative or trusted friend look at it and give you feedback. Make some of of those improvements. There's always "something" you could improve on a resume.
Wishing you good luck on your resume and future job search!