Computer Science 101 - Computer and Information Technology
Prof. Steven Skiena
Fall 1996

Project 1 - Resume
Due Wednesday, October 2, 1996

Word processing systems are an essential tool for modern job seekers. Building a resume which catches an employer's eye, and customizing it for specific positions is essential in today's challenging job market. This first project is designed to give you a leg up on your future job search by preparing your resume today.

A resume is the first impression that an employer gets of a candidate, who is not present to defend or explain it. Therefore, the author of a resume must sell their skills and experience

Your resume must contain the following sections, in order:

• Name, address, phone number, and email-address - How should they get in contact with you?
• Job objective - Do you want a summer or full-time job? If so, doing what?
• Educational background - Include high school and expected Stony Brook graduation date and degree, as well as any previous college experience.
• Work experience - Include anything which seems potentially applicable. List your most recent experience first by sorting in reverse chronological order. Use short phrases with action verbs to describe what you did.
• Skills - What useful things can you do? Can you type, speak foreign languages, write well? Don't forget to mention the computer skills you will learn in this course.
• Honors and Awards - Don't be afraid to list anything from high school or before.
• Activities and Interests - Describe what you like to do, and what interesting things you have done.

Use at least three different formatting attributes, such as varying text size, bold and italicized fonts, and underlining, in order to leave the reader's eyes to points of interest. Use the same, consistant format throughout the resume. Choose the spacing and margins carefully so that it looks professional, not messy.

Rules of the Game

1. The grade will be based on perceived effort and layout. The final product must look like it was created using a word processor, not a typewriter. Turn in a printed paper copy of your resume with your name and section clearly marked.
2. It is important to format and stylize your resume so that it is clean and clear, not so that you use the maximum number of font and size-changes. For a modest amount of extra credit, you are encouraged to submit a second, super-jazzy version of the exact same resume text, in order to show how fancy/ugly you can make it. For this second resume, the more garish the better.
3. It is essential that you prepare a rough draft of your resume by hand, at home, away from the computer. It will take some work to figure out what your credentials are and how best to demonstrate it, especially if this is your first attempt to build your resume. After you have your material prepared, then you can worry about formatting it.
4. Typographical errors, spelling mistakes, and bad grammar are likely to be instant death for any job applicant. We will take off credit for any such mistakes we find, so be sure to use the spelling and grammar checkers built into Microsoft Word in addition to proofreading it yourself.
5. Real-life resumes should be only 1 or maybe 2 pages. I encourage you to try to fill two pages.
6. Do not use the Resume Wizard built into Microsoft Word. This constrains you to one of a small number of formats they select, and misses the point of the assignment, which is to build text-formatting skills. No credit will be given to students turning in a Wizard-generated resume.
7. This project can be completed during your lab section, during open lab hours in either Engineering 106 or the new lab 318 Harriman, or on any other computer running Word that you have access to.

• About this document ...