<p>I am sure that many of you are experienced in resumes - mostly through job applications. So I would like you to make some suggestions for improvement for my resume, and let me know how it looks like. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.box.net/shared/tv3n0h5rzb]Resume[/url”>http://www.box.net/shared/tv3n0h5rzb]Resume[/url</a>]</p>
<p>jellenenl - You are so young and your resume is so L-O-N-G. Your wonderful story will fit on one page, honest.</p>
<hr>
<p>EDUCATION: IB, 2007, Anatolia College, Pylaia, Greece</p>
<p>LANGUAGES: Greek, English, German, French & a little Chinese. </p>
<p>AWARDS: Approximately 30, including (and name the top four or five)</p>
<h2>etc. etc.</h2>
<p>The problem with a wordy resume is that the accomplishments by which you want to define yourself get LOST in all those pages.</p>
<p>By the way, nice career so far! (But then I’m a gluten for punishment and read your resume all the way to the bottom.)</p>
<p>NewHope is correct. Condense everything on one page.</p>
<p>one or 2 pages works wonders. include the things you think are the most spectacular and leave the others as speaking points during interviews. for example, one of my favorite HS activities was a program called youth in government (somewhat similar to model UN), and i did a few other programs (mostly lobbying, etc) as a part of it. by only including youth in government on my lists, i was able to WOW various interviewers with my lobbying experience when they asked about it.</p>
<p>LOL!!! NewHope, I certainly hope you aren’t a gluten!!! (I think what you meant is a glutton.) Sorry, I don’t normally nitpick, but it really did make me laugh—although maybe if I had food allergies I wouldn’t!</p>
<p>Oh, I had a friend who couldn’t eat gluten…poor thing couldn’t eat bread or anything else! Ok, digressing…
Thanks a lot for the info. I just had one question: I talked to my school’s US college counselor, and she said that since it is a college resume, it is ok for me to elaborate. Now, based on what you are saying, it is distracting (and I kinda agree with you). However, since all of the resumes of the other people applying to HYP and so on from my school are similar or lengthier than mine, wouldn’t mine look a bit meek compared to all of the others, which are 3-4 pages long?</p>
<p>To Debate_Addict: Length does NOT the good resume make. A concise, well-organized, and focused resume is more impressive than one which is long and drawn out IMO.</p>
<p>When a university professor writes a CV (curriculum vitae) with all his publications, that document can go on for pages. Perhaps that’s what your US College advisor was thinking of??</p>
<p>Anyway, American kids are all getting the advice to go with a page. The purpose of a resume is to give a snapshot of where you are, so they can ask questions at an interview, or have some facts in their head as they move on to read your personal essay.</p>
<p>Smile, say “cheese” and give the person a big happy glimpse of who you are.
That’s what a resume is today. People have around 4 seconds to look at them. You can use fonts, bold print and so on to make it a lively and attractive page (or two, at MOST, but we try to advise ONE these days). It’s okay to group things or just pick the best-of-the-bunch.</p>
<p>It also shows you know how to choose the most important things (out of a textbook, or to present in a report) so being able to condense and decide what is MOST representative or important about you tells them you can be decisive and organized in your coursework. It is the sign of a smart person. </p>
<p>This is not meant to be a long cafe conversation, but more like a short introductory phone call that says, “here’s who I am…” and leaves them ready to ask for more when they meet you in person someday,.</p>
<p>Also, ask yourself for EVERY word, is it necessary? Then you can pare down. Don’t use “I” as it’s implied the resume could only be about you.</p>
<p>For example instead of</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>it is fine to sound concise, more like this:</p>
<p>Took charge of money distribution and collection at school’s Red Cross events (2005, 2006) </p>
<p>Volunteered for “Make a Wish” Foundation by distributing stars, resulting in monetary support for children with terminal diseases (Christmas, 2006)</p>
<p>timed out:
here’s a llittle formula to help you rewrite your activities with fewer words, as I did above…</p>
<p>what exactly did i DO, what was the most important result of my action (when).</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Regarding my counselor, i’ve seen CVs of kids that were accepted to Yale last year for instance, and the CVs of all these people were at least 2 pages…I can cut mine down to 2 pages…I have done it in the past. I am just worried it might look meager…</p>
<p>It won’t. Leave out your SAT scores which will be on your application. Leave out your previous education which will be on your application. Don’t include anything prior to your 9th grade year.</p>
<p>i am pretty sure that i haven’t put anything pior to 9th grade so far…</p>
<p>Additionally, I suspect the OP has misused a few words. </p>
<p>Did you really work with passwords at the consulate? Or did you mean passports? </p>
<p>I don’t know what you mean by studying a foreign language “intramurally.” Intramural, translated literally from the Latin, means “within the wall.” It’s usually used to describe a within-school competitive activity. Thus, you won an intramural debate to represent your high school. I don’t understand what you mean in the foreign language context.</p>
<p>Nor do I understand what you mean by professional badminton lessons. Were you training to become a professional player? Or do you just mean the lessons were taught by a professional? If the latter, delete the word professional. </p>
<p>Personally, I’d recommend this approach:</p>
<p>Put things like SATs and languages on one line. Like this:</p>
<p>SAT I: score(CR); score(M);score (W); SAT II: scheduled in November
Languages: X (Certificate) German (Mittel_); Beginner in Chinese should just say Beginner. (Again, I don’t understand what you have written as your explanation.) </p>
<p>Then put your activities into groups. Something like this:</p>
<p>Debate: Blah, blah,blah. (But not too much!!!)
model UN: Blah, blah, blah. (Again, not too much. No need to say you were one of the smallest ministries, for example. )
Consulate internship: If the only legal documents you drafted were powers of attorney, just say that. If you did more than one kind, then just say drafted legal documents.
Piano:
Badminton: </p>
<p>Try a redraft and post it or shoot me a PM if you prefer that.</p>
<p>Bottom line: the advice to be more concise is correct. In the first revision, try saying less about each individual thing–e.g., the mentoring program discussed issues currently facing the UN without listing half a dozen examples. Post 8 contains excellent advice, IMO.</p>