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This is an introduction to resume-writing that serves also
to stimulate an aspiring fellowships applicant into thinking
in the right direction. While most fellowship applications
do not require free-standing resumes, a few important ones
do, and virtually all end up asking the same questions that
should be covered in a comprehensive resume of the sort required
here to apply for admission to the Smith Fellowships Program.
Consult the tips on writing an effective resume at http://www.smith.edu/cdo/students/
handouts/specializedresumes.pdf.
This guide includes information on writing a specialized academic
resume (curriculum vitae) and a sample CV.
The Fellowships Resume must be expanded to include all extra-curricular
and extra-mural activities, be they community and public service,
leadership roles, internships, jobs, sports, the arts, clubs,
research, honors, awards, volunteerism, publications, activism,
politics, initiatives and enterprises.
Do not limit yourself to any number of pages. Start by listing
every involvement of any and all kinds. The hard part, to
begin, is remembering all you’ve achieved. Usually it is far
more than you realize. One can shorten and compress afterwards,
if necessary. Build a master resume of your life. Keep adding
to it. Use it to tailor resumes pertinent to each kind of
application.
Whereas presentation and strategic phrasing can go a long
way to creating a favorable impression on paper, never misrepresent
yourself by implying more than you can substantiate under
questioning. While you do not exaggerate claims, do not underplay
them either. There is a tendency to do one or the other. Hence,
composing a striking resume is an art, although it never compensates
for substantive experiences that have produced results. I
did such-and-such but what was the outcome, the gain? Fellowship
foundations want to read resumes that evidence: “I fit your
profile and match your objectives, and am therefore the kind
of person you are looking for.”
Applicants sometimes seek to fill the optimum two-page fellowships
resume with unnecessary information that ends up as clutter
that tends to crowd out distinguishing facts. The virtually
meaningless bare-bone list of one-word “other activities and
interests” is an example. If you can’t say something about
something, rather not say it because it weakens the overall
effect. Pick one or two interests and expand on your involvement
in this activity so that it comes alive and casts you in a
favorable light. If you want to say you like rock climbing,
then mention some rock faces you have scaled or abseiled off,
even if they are not famous spots. Maybe how frequently. Or
mention some adventure from which you learned.
Listing widely held computer skills does not advantage an
applicant. Stating you know how to use Microsoft Word is like
recording that you can touch-type, which suggests you are
short of the kinds of extraordinary qualities sought by fellowship
foundations. Better flesh out your resume with more detail
about your more outstanding accomplishments than pad with
the rudimentary. Operating more obscure computer programs
such as Final Cut Pro does qualify for a mention.
For your application to the Smith Fellowships Program, resume
content is far more important than layout. Spend far more
time thinking of things to say and how best to say them, than
worrying too much about design. More assistance, including
with formatting, will be forthcoming for those entering fellowship
competitions that require a free-standing resume, which often
goes by a different name depending on the fellowship.
To register, your resume MUST be accompanied by a registration form and transcript, all attached to the same email.
