Résumé / Curriculum Vitae
Overview
In today’s job market, the résumé is an important tool for anyone looking for work. Everyone, from the
new entrant into the workforce to the experienced professional, benefits from a well-written résumé.
Many employers require a résumé to be sent as the first method of contact. A résumé captures an
employer’s attention, even when no job is advertised. Just as a job search is a sales campaign, your
résumé is your sales brochure. More than a summary of your skills, experience and education, it is an
advertisement of your best. Your résumé should make you stand out from the competition.
Take the time to organize your job search information, including education and employment. Focus on
your skills and accomplishments and look for ways to sell your qualifications. A prospective employer
does not just want to know where you worked, but also wants to know what you can do
Distinct Sections of the Résumé
Résumés have distinct sections that provide the potential employer easy access to the types of
information that they need in order to select or reject a job seeker. To increase the odds that your
résumé is selected and you are invited for an interview, take the time to understand the purpose of the
different résumé sections. Résumé samples are available with following pages.
Résumés should have all or nearly all of the following sections:
 Contact information
 Objective;
 Summary (also called a Background Summary);
 Skill Areas (also called Areas of Expertise);
 Job History with descriptions (reverse chronological order);
 Education and Continuing Education;
 Awards/Recognitions
 Professional Affiliations;
 Hobbies/Interests
 References
Contact Information
The first section of your résumé should include information on how the employer can contact you. These
include your first and last name; address (street, city, state, telephone and mobile number, email
address). Although it is not required, however in Lebanon, employers require to see in a résumé your
birth date.
Objective
A résumé with an objective, written with the hiring manager in mind, communicates capabilities instantly.
The objective should be a sentence or two about what do you want to do or your employment goals. A
customized objective that describes why you are the perfect candidate for the job can help your resume
stand out from the competition
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A powerful objective has three parts: the title or function desired, skills that the job seeker brings to the
position, and the results that the employer can expect.
Examples:
OBJECTIVE:
Example 1: A management position in Product Development with a high tech manufacturer, utilizing my
proven strategic thinking, organizational and leadership skills to bring new products to market.
Example 2: A Systems Design position requiring my proven abilities in creative problem solving,
organization, communication and follow through to provide excellent products within time constraints.
Summary
The Summary or Background Summary concisely elaborates on the key qualifications of the job seeker.
Typically one to two sentences in length, the Summary lends credibility to the Objective.
An example of a Background or Qualifications Summary:
BACKGROUND SUMMARY: Over 11 years of progressively responsible staff and project management
experience, with an earned reputation for meeting time and budget goals through better staff
management, setting priorities, and teamwork.
Areas of Expertise
This section may be needed as further support to showcase specific skills that set apart this job seeker
from others. It is especially useful when the desired position requires experiences from positions
throughout one's career. These include: specific work experience and expertise, specific training and
education, computer and technical skills, other skills needed depending on the job requirements.
One easy way to determine which of your areas of expertise to include is to look at several
advertisements for positions of interest and note which areas of expertise are listed as desirable.
An example of an Areas of Expertise section:
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
Experience includes travel agency management including:
 Analysis and invoicing of travel accounts;
 Payroll management;
 Maintaining records of client contracts and services;
 Supervising new staff members; and,
 Accounting software.
Job History
Using reverse chronological order, list your employment history from most recent position to the first
position. This section needs to include the name of the company, the city and region of its location, the
year(s) of your employment, and a paragraph about your responsibilities.
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Below the paragraph of your responsibilities, using bullets to set apart each accomplishment, list two to
three accomplishments (quantified examples of saving money, awards or citations, problems solved,
sales levels, etc.).
An example of the Job or Employment History section:
JOB HISTORY:
Company X, Location Y
Supervisor Name Z
1998-2002. Assistant Manager.
Responsible for general guest services, and public relations coordination with local business news
media. Additional duties included development of promotional materials, coordination of project staff.
 Received President's Award 2001.
 Developed and implemented plan for a new guest service,
 Organized tours of local museums.
Education and Continuing Education
Education and continuing education in one's field or in management and/or quality skills is an important
element in any résumé. List the degrees, diplomas, or courses completed. For every degree indicate the
course title, school/university attended, location, and graduating year. If a degree is in process, be sure
to include it. If you do not have a college degree, mention any college level coursework or seminars that
might be relevant to the job you seek or might demonstrate your ongoing ability to learn. Put all other
training or workshop in the additional training section.
An example of the Education section:
EDUCATION:
Certificate in Services in Tourist Industry, 1992.
Seminars:
 Management by Responsibility
 Interactive Marketing
 Word for Windows
Professional Affiliations
Professional affiliations--past and current memberships in trade organizations--indicate an interest in
career development and professionalism. While these affiliations are not "required," the higher the
position sought, the more likely that the job seeker has been a member or officer of a professional
organization(s).
One way to fully inform is to designate the name of the organization and the job seeker's current status:
Example:
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:
Current member: International Association of Tourism
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Awards/recognitions:
Indicate all awards received in a separate section, or incorporated under the job title where relevant. For
example: President of junior class, secretary of the swim team, four year merit scholarship winner,
college prize winner.
References
Do not include your references with the résumé rather write at the end of the résumé “References
available upon request”. Have three professional references ready to use on a separate document using
same heading as your résumé. If you know the company and you were referred by someone from within,
you could include that person as reference on your résumé.
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“A Guide to Job Hunting” by Arthur Mills (Expert in Human Resources and International Employment – Ottawa, Canada)
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