Step+2+-+the+online+resume

A traditional resume is often still a requirement for many job or other applications. You should have a resume in a Word and/or plain text document (ending with ".txt"). Increasingly, applications are no longer paper forms but are done online and it is often possible (or required) that you submit a resume. Often the resume can be in Word (".doc" or ".docx") format, but in some cases it is required that you submit a plain text resume.

To create a plain text resume, write your resume in Microsoft Word (or other word processor; that'll be discussed in Step 3). Don't forget to save - that's important to make sure you don't have to re-do all this from scratch for every application. After the resume is saved, you can "Save as ..." and select plain text (".txt") as an option. Plain text doesn't use any kind of formatting, so make sure you don't use fancy formatting. Stick with line centring, section titles in all caps, and bullet points for point form information. Those will translate well into plain text.

Customizing your resume
You should always customize your resume for every job or scholarship that you apply for. Emphasize your skills and experience that people are looking for. Once you have your basic resume written, keep a master version of it and edit copies of the master version for every application.

And keep all those customized versions. They might be usable directly or with minor editing for other applications. If you name your files to include who the application is for (for example "ski_resume.doc"), it makes it easier to find specific versions later on.

Resume format
That's a pretty big topic. If you search online for "resume writing", you will find millions of results of varying quality. Your best bet is to talk to a guidance counsellor at your school. They will be up to date on the current styles of resume that will do the job that you want. One resource that I think (and this is just a personal opinion) is pretty helpful is The Resume Workbook for High School Students which not only goes through the usual stuff about resume formats, etc. but also can help you to think of the skills and experience you want to include on the resume.

Assignment

 * Due date:** May 30, 2013 (for a rough, first draft of the resume. I hope you'll keep it up to date for a few year.)

Prepare a resume (if you don't already have one) and save it in both Word and plain text format.

Once that is done, you are ready for Step 3 - putting your resume online.