Career & College Readiness Lesson Plans

My Best Resume
Career Planning
Grade Level 11

Overview

Resumes are used as the first step in the job application process. A resume can either
open or close the door to an interview depending on how well it presents the applicant.
For this reason, it is critical students learn how to create a resume that is informative,
concise, interesting, and well-structured.

In this lesson, students will learn how to develop an effective resume.

Learning Outcomes

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

 Articulate the parts of a resume.

 Create a resume.
 Analyze positive and negative elements of resumes.

Language Objectives

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

 Verbally articulate the parts of a resume.

 Explain why certain elements of a resume are positive or negative.

Standards Alignment

 California Common Core State Standards: College & Career Readiness

Anchor Standards:
o RI. 1; W. 4, 6; SL. 1, 6; L. 1, 2, 3, 6
 California Career Technical Education Anchor Standards:
o 2, 4, 7, 10
 California Standards for Career Ready Practice:
o 1, 2, 4
 National Career Development Guidelines:
o ED 2, CM 4
 International Society for Technology in Education Standards:
o 2, 6

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Career Planning My Best Resume

 English Language Development Standards:

o Part 1: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11
o Part 2: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7
 American School Counselor Association Mindsets & Behaviors for Student
Success:
o M 5; BSS 1

Materials

1. Computer with Internet access for students

2. Computer with Internet access and projection capability for instructor

3. Projector and screen

4. Instructor Resources

 California CareerZone Student Account Setup Instructor’s Notes (p. 6)

 My Best Resume PowerPoint Presentation (PPT) is formatted so that you

can easily customize it for your class. This PPT is posted with this lesson.
5. Student accounts on the California CareerZone (required)
6. Student Handouts

 California CareerZone Student Account Setup Instructions (p. 7)

 My Best Resume PowerPoint Outline (pp. 8–10)
7. Sample Resumes (download; the link is in the Online Resources section)
8. Online Resources

 My Best Resume Start-Up Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBgfoF4OUNI

 California CareerZone
http://www.cacareerzone.org/index

 Resume Builder, California CareerZone

http://www.cacareerzone.org/jobtools/resume/

 Sample Resumes, CareerOneStop

http://www.careeronestop.org/ResumeGuide/MoreSampleResumes.aspx

 Sample Resume Walk Through, CareerOneStop

http://www.careeronestop.org/ResumeGuide/SampleResumeWalkThrough
.aspx

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Academic Vocabulary

 Contact Information: is the information required to contact someone, such as

an address or telephone number.

 Formatting: is the general appearance; the layout of the information.

 Presentation resume: Presentation resumes are multimedia presentations and,

unlike paper resumes, these give employers a better sense of the applicant and
why s/he is the right person for the job.

 Reference: is a current or former employer or mentor who can provide a formal

recommendation to a potential employer describing a person’s skills, abilities,
and work habits.

 Resume: is a summary of a job seeker’s personal information that includes

education, skills, work experience, recognitions, etc.

 Skill: is the learned ability to do something well; a particular ability.

Activity

Students will learn how to create a resume and analyze examples of good and bad
resumes.

Getting Ready

 Preview the “My Best Resume” start-up video (link in Materials section)

 Students must have a California CareerZone account to use the Resume Builder.
If you or your students do not have accounts, review both the California
CareerZone Account Setup Instructor’s Notes and the California CareerZone
Student Account Setup handout.

Lesson Procedures

1. Introduce the lesson by showing the “My Best Resume” start-up video (link in
Materials section) and confirm students understand what to expect. Or you can
introduce the lesson without the video by describing the topic and activity.

2. Walk students through the “My Best Resume” PowerPoint presentation and stop and
clarify any necessary information during the presentation. Give students the “My
Best Resume” handout so they can follow the presentation and take notes.

3. Have students go to CareerOneStop (link in Materials section) and look at examples

of resumes. You can also select a couple of resumes and project them on a screen
so the class can review them together.

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4. Have students do an Internet search to find and then review bad resumes. Before
they search, discuss common errors that can lead to bad resumes. These include:

 inaccurate information (lies and half-truths)

 incorrect contact information
 a weak or unclear objective
 highlighting duties instead of accomplishments
 typos and grammatical errors
 no action verbs
 too long, too short, or visually to busy
 sloppy formatting
As a class, identify and discuss the differences between good and bad resumes.

5. Have students go online to the California CareerZone (link in Materials section).

Students will need a CareerZone account. If a student does not have an account,
distribute and review the California CareerZone Student Account Setup handout.
Have each student set up an account.

6. Once everyone has an account, direct them to the CareerZone Resume Builder (link
in Materials section). Instruct students to create their own resumes.

 You can get to the Resume Builder by going to CareerZone home page,
select “Grow” from the top navigation bar, then select Resume Builder.

7. You may wish to have students print their resumes in various formats so they can
see how formatting impacts readability. Caution students that the format and content
of their resume needs to be tailored to the job for which they are applying.
8. Have students download their resumes and personalize their final product rather
than using the final version created by the Resume Builder tool.

9. Have students save and then print at least two copies of their final resume: one for
you and one for them.

10. Wrap Up. Recap for students that resumes are often the only chance they get to
impress a potential employer so it’s really important their resume is the best it can
be. Explain that while there are many online tools for creating resumes, they need to
be sure to tailor each resume to the employer or industry to which they are applying.

11. Remind students to log out of their CareerZone accounts and to put their resumes
into their career portfolio whether they are using a paper folder or an online filing
system.

Estimated Time

One class session

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Evaluation

 Collect and review student-created resumes to check for accuracy, completion,

and format.

Additional Resources

 Resume Writing Tips, California Career Center

https://www.calcareercenter.org/Home/Content?contentID=132

 JobStar Central
http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/

 Power Verbs for Your Resume [PDF], University of Northern Iowa

http://www.uni.edu/careerservices/students/rcl/docs/actionverbs.pdf

 Resume Do’s and Don’ts, Career Services, University of South Florida

http://www.usf.edu/career-services/students/resume-dos-and-donts.aspx

Adaptations

 Have students practice writing a resume by creating a resume for a fictional

character
 Have students critique each other’s resumes
 Have students research the history and purpose of resumes then write and
submit a report
 Almost all industries have a preferred resume format. Have students research
the different types of industry-specific resumes and report their findings.
 Have students identify the industry-specific resume format for the career they are
interested in and write their resume in that format.

Attribution

The information for the Resume PowerPoint came from Job Star’s What is a Resume?
URL: http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/res-def.php.

This lesson and all other lessons and materials are posted on the
California Career Resource Network Web site at
www.californiacareers.info.

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California CareerZone
Student Account Setup–Instructor’s Notes
The step-by-step account setup instructions are in the student handout. As the
instructor, it is important for you to know that:

 Students can complete some of the activities on the CareerZone without having a
student account. However, students’ assessments results and occupational
research will not be saved unless students are logged into their accounts.
Because career and college planning is an ongoing process, having students
save their work means they will be able to access it for another class or at a later
date.

 To help your students remember their passwords, you may wish to establish a
password convention. Here are two examples:

o student initial + year + class period [ts2017period1]

o student initial + school’s initials + year [tsDSH2017]

IMPORTANT: State and federal laws govern the conditions and

limitations for Internet usage by children under the age of 13. Before
using the Internet, check your district policies and/or state and federal
regulations.

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Career & Education Planning My Best Resume

California CareerZone
Student Account Setup Instructions
Follow these steps to set up your CareerZone student account:

1. Go to CareerZone homepage at, https://www.cacareerzone.org/

2. Select “Register Now!” then fill in the basic information:

o User Name
o Password
o Which describes you best? Select Student
o Zip code (of your school)
o Select “Next”

3. You are now in the “Tell us a bit about yourself” section

o Your first and last name are optional

o An e-mail address is also optional; but if you want to be able to retrieve your
password or receive notifications, you’ll need to fill this in
o Type in your school name or select it from the dropdown menu
o Choose a graduation year
o Now, select “Register”

4. You are now logged into your new account and are returned to the homepage.

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Career & Education Planning My Best Resume

My Best Resume PowerPoint Outline

Your Resume is a Selling Tool
 Your resume outlines your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a
glance, how you can contribute to their organization.

It has to sell you in 30 seconds or less

 It takes 30 seconds or less for an employer to decide whether your resume ends
up in the “consider file” or the “reject file”.

 While you may have all the requirements for a particular job, if the employer does
not quickly come to the conclusion that you “have what it takes,” then your
resume failed.

Tailor Your Resume to Each Job

 The most effective resumes are clearly focused on specific jobs and address the
employer’s stated requirements for that job.

 The more you know about the qualifications and duties required for the job—and
organize your resume around these—the easier it is for the employer to see you
have what it takes to do the job.

Know Your Audience

 The more you know about the employer and the position, the more you can tailor
your resume to fit the job.

 You will need information to write a good resume. Not just information about jobs
you’ve held in the past but also information about THIS job in order to put on your
resume the most relevant accomplishments, skills, and experience.

California CareerZone Resume Builder Outline

 Name and Contact Information
 Objective
 Work Experience
 Education History
 Military Service
 Skills
 Awards
 Certifications

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My Best Resume PowerPoint Outline, p. 2

Name and Contact Information

 Name
 Address
 Reliable telephone number
o The voicemail message for whatever telephone number you provide must
be professional sounding because this may be the potential employer’s
first impression of you.

 E-mail address
o The e-mail address you use in your job search must be professional
looking because this may be the potential employer’s first impression of
you.

Objective
 The more specific you can be with an objective the better.
 A one-size-fits-all approach will not impress potential employers.
 Clearly state the type of job you are hoping to get.
 Use the job titles the potential employer uses, if appropriate.

Work Experience
 List formal jobs and names of employers from wherever you have worked
 Include informal jobs you have had such as gardening, babysitting, and even
lemonade stand sales
 Include any internships or job shadowing you have completed

Education History
 Begin with the most recent information and work backward
 High school students can list your high school and current GPA
 Students in a California Partnership Academy or career pathway program should
include the name of the academy or pathway

Military Service
 List Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps if applicable or choose “Do Not Add
Military Service”

Skills, Awards, Certifications

 Include recognition for achievements in and out of school
o School certificates (such as honor roll), sports awards, etc.
o Certification earned in career technical education course, etc.
o Volunteer, community recognition

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My Best Resume PowerPoint Outline, p. 3

References
 As you build your resume, begin creating a list of people you can use as
references
 Get permission from individuals you plan to use as references
 Avoid using family members

Resume Types
Different jobs need different types of resumes:
 Standard–1 page
 Expanded–more than 1 page
 Portfolio–a body of work
 Multimedia–video, PowerPoint, or other online presentation format

Resume Format
Four commonly used resume formats are:
 Targeted–customized to the prospective job
 Chronological–list work history in chronological order
 Functional–focus on your skills and experience first
 Combination–focus on your skills and list employment in chronological order

Think about
 Looking at a lot of different resumes to get an idea of how varied they can be
 Checking to see if the company you are applying to has a preferred resume style
 Having others proofread your resume—any mistakes and the prospective
employer will stop reading and put your resume in the “reject file”

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