Building an Effective Resume | 1

Lesson Plan for Week 12

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

List the components of an effective resume
Describe their talents and experiences
Organize and write a current resume
You will need:

LAS 101 textbook

Attendance record sheet and sign-in sheet
Classroom Technology
Your resume and/or others resumes to use as examples
You will collect:
You will assign:

Page 79-80 in the textbook

HW: Electronic copy of resume due on

Moodle by 11/16 at midnight for grade.
Hard copy of resume due in class next
week for discussion.
Read: LAS 101 textbook, pp. 64-68;
revisit 71-73; pp. 81-83

You will remind students:

Career wheels will be completed next week.
Check Attendance

2 minutes

Mark present students (P), absent students (A), and after 10 minutes
anyone who is late (L) on your attendance record sheet.
Collect sign-in attendance sheet

Activity #1 Opening Class Discussion

10 minutes

Begin the class by posting these questions on the ppt. slides. Each slide
should have its own question.
o What is the purpose of resumes?
o How often should a resume be updated?
o What contact information should be on the top of your
resume?
o What are some categories that could be included on your
resume?
o Should you list your GPA on your resume?
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Building an Effective Resume | 2

Lesson Plan for Week 12

Ask the class as a whole to answer these questions. The instructor will
build off the answers of students with his or her own answers:
o 1. The main purpose of the resume is to get you that
interview with an employer. You will hand out resumes at career fairs or
online. They serve as a guideline for interview discussions. Could be analyzed
by high-ups in a company after you are interviewed.
o 2. As much as possible! Do not wait before an interview. A
simple guideline should be anytime that you accomplish something
noteworthy to be on a resume. You want the to write your experiences when
they are fresh in your head.
job, award, community experience, school
work, ect.
o 3. Education, objectives, licences, field experience, work
experience, campus and community experience, awards, honors, references
o 4. Yes, but only if you are comfortable with sharing it with
employers. Generally, above a 3.0 is a good enough benchmark
For each activity, answer the following questions before describing the next activity.
A. This opening activity attempts to get students engaged with the learning objectives of
day. By thinking, answering questions, and listening, students will be exposed to some of the
learning outcomes of the day. This includes components and organization of a resume.
B. I am very pleased with the level of engagement of my class thus far. They have been able
to participate when I ask them questions, especially ones that start a lesson. I have also found that
certain activities draw more motivation and attention from my class. They have asked about
resumes in our one-on-one meetings, so I know they will be engaged this week.
C. Identify how these questions match your instructional strategies mentioned above. This
opening activity is solely centered around discussion questions. The questions are listed above
and how they are pertained to the learning objectives are in part A.
D. None

Activity #2 Most important traits?

10 minutes

Open a blank slide open with the title, what are the most important
qualities/traits that employers are seeking?
Ask students to split into groups of three/four and come up with their three
guesses.

Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Building an Effective Resume | 3

Lesson Plan for Week 12

Go through each group and post their responses on the ppt. slide. Tally the
responses if their are repeats.
Show: http://www.aacu.org/leap/students/employers-top-ten
Ask students to compare their list to the ones on the website
For each activity, answer the following questions before describing the next activity.
E. This activity leads to the next one. Students will be exposed to some desired talents and
traits on a resume. The next activity will make it more applicable to students.
F. I have used this type of activity before in my class. Students enjoy to see their results on
the screen instead of just hearing their classmates list them. I believe that the comparison aspect
will begin to show students what aspects need to be included on resumes.
G. This activity has one single discussion question that guides it. It directly correlates with
the second learning objective.
H. http://www.aacu.org/leap/students/employers-top-ten
a. also could use resume ppt. provided by the UIUC career center

Activity #3 Transferable Skills

15 minutes

Having students in the same groups, hand out three hypothetical work
experiences on a resume.
Give students time to make corrections to the bullet points that describe
the hypothetical experiences
Show own corrections on the ppt.
Ask students if they have anything different
For each activity, answer the following questions before describing the next activity.
I. This activity correlates with students skills with describing their talents and experiences.
Students will be shown what are bad bullet points. They will have an opportunity to make their
own attempts to make corrections and be shown what are some good bullet points.
J. My students work well together in groups. They have always finished tasks that I have
presented to them. Some do not like to talk in front of class and this gives the opportunity to still
participate.
K. Students will be asked to improve the bullet point on these examples as a group
a. Sunset Foods Associate
i. bagged food
ii. stocked shelves
iii. worked the register
b. Waiter
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Building an Effective Resume | 4

Lesson Plan for Week 12

i. took orders
ii. served food
iii. cleaned tables
c. Camp Counselor
i. worked with kids
ii. played games
iii. made sure the kids went to bed
d. ****corrections
e. Sunset Foods Associate
i. Able to manage multiple lines while aiding multiple
positions such as: bagger, cashier, and cart returner
ii. Worked early and late hours without missing a shift
iii. Recommended a new food stocking process that was
implemented
f. Waiter
i. Able to manage six tables at one time
ii. Received excellent customer reviews
iii. Collaborated with multiple co-workers such as: manager,
cooks, bus boys, and welcome associate
g. Camp Counselor
i. In charge of up to thirty kids on one time
ii. Was in the sole leadership of summer activities such as,
bike, rides, public pool sessions, outdoor games, etc.
iii. In communication with the parents, before, during and
after camp
iv. First aid and CPR certified

L. none

Activity #4 Personal Resumes

12 minutes

Show the class complete resume examples from the career center. Point
out format and organization aspects.
Show students the pages that are due for homework.
Give them the opportunity to make their own resumes in class.
For each activity, answer the following questions before describing the next activity.
M. This activity encompases all of the learning acitivites. It gives students the opportunity to
apply skills that were learned from the day.
N. There has not been too much homework due for this class. This give students the
opportunity to start their homework. Also, there is a disparity between students with their
professional skills. I have an idea of what students will have no trouble making a resume while
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Building an Effective Resume | 5

Lesson Plan for Week 12

some will have trouble. By me being in the classroom, I can answer any questions that my
students could have.
O. No discussion questions. Students will be told ot start their homework early. They will be
told to reflect on what they learned today and no to be afraid to ask me any questions.
P. Career center ppt.

Wrap-Up

1-2 minutes
Remind students to bring their books/Career Wheels with them to work on
in class next week.
Electronic copy of resume due on Moodle by 11/16 at midnight for grade.
Hard copy of resume due in class next week.
Read: LAS 101 textbook, pp. 64-68; revisit 71-73; pp. 81-83

Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign