Sarah J. Young, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Indiana University
Department of Recreation and Park Administration
1025 East Seventh Street, HPER 133
Bloomington, IN 47405-7109
(812) 855-3085
Email: sarjyoun@indiana.edu
The resume is a document that summarizes a candidate’s qualifications, education, work-related experiences, skills, and other information related to the applicant’s career or job objective. More importantly, it is a reflection of the candidate’s professional image. The resume must be flexible, adaptable, and capable of illustrating change as one increases responsibilities, accomplishments, and job-related experiences. Because the resume is a direct reflection of the candidate’s image, the document must be impeccable in terms of spelling, grammar, and format. Many employers use the resume as a screening device to narrow the pool of applicants to a more manageable number. This means the slightest error (i.e., typographical, grammatical, content or format) contained in a candidate’s resume could result in the application being discarded.
In virtually every job search, employers will ask to review the candidate’s resume. Hougel (1999) reported that more than 90% of today’s jobs require the use of a personal resume. The resume is an integral part of the hiring process, and in many cases, is the first contact an applicant has with the employer. Specific to campus recreational sports job searches, the resume ranks number one in importance of all job application tools (Ross, 1998). Because of the importance placed upon resumes by employers, it is essential that applicants prepare resumes in a way that best portrays their skills and qualifications while simultaneously meeting the expectations and needs of the employer.
There has been a considerable amount of literature written
about resume preparation. The majority of this literature is in the
form
of trade journals and popular books, based upon the experiences of the
authors, and rarely includes guidance based upon empirical research.
Consequently,
the information presented is anecdotal or represents the individual
experiences
of the authors, providing guidance that is subjective and
opinionated.
Everyone seems to be an expert, but few agree, and even fewer have
conducted
research to test their ideas about resumes. In 1987, Ryland and Rosen
concluded
that “little research has been conducted to establish the validity of
the
advice contained in these self-help books” (p. 228). In order to
confirm or refute the information provided by the literature, research
in resume content and design must be conducted. McNeilly and Barr
(1997) emphasized the need for empirical data in resume research and
argued
that “additional research on resume format and what types of
information
are more effective is needed” (p. 362). Combined with the fact
that
there are few standards for resume writing, the result can be confusion
for those attempting to develop their most important tool for the job
search
process as well as for those teaching resume development.
Much of the literature (Bortoli, 1997; Haft, 1997; Parker, 1999) suggested that resumes should contain a brief and to-the-point objective statement which identifies the type of position the candidate is seeking. Other major sections, such as education and work experience, are then written to support the objective statement. There was some variability in the advice as to whether the objective should be job- or career-focused. For example, Reed (1998) advocated a job objective while Ryan (1997) advocated a career objective.
A significant number of sources (Ducat, 1999; Hoefflin, 1998; Morgan, 2000; Perrett, 2000; Ryan, 1997) agreed that information pertaining to an applicant’s most recent educational experience is an essential component of a good resume. The educational experience may be either college- or high-school-based. Crosby (1999) and Morgan (2000) suggested that high school education information should be included for internship applicants and recent graduates, while others (Banis, 2000; Graber, 2000; Hoefflin, 1998; Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997) indicated there was little value in listing high school information unless it was the applicant’s only educational experience, or was directly related to the position opening. Degrees received and dates degrees were conferred should be listed under the education section in reverse chronological order. Gordon (1993) recommended that grades be listed only if they are excellent, while other sources (Graber, 2000; Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997) maintained that information such as grade point average and class rank were relatively unimportant. Haft (1997) referred to the education component as a “major selling point” (p. 54) for recent graduates and suggested listing it near the top of the candidate’s resume. In a study of college recruiters by Schramm and Dortch (1991), 93% of their respondents indicated that honors and awards received for outstanding educational achievements should also appear on the resume.
Another component of the resume includes work history and professional experience which should be listed along with dates of employment, position titles, and one to two tangible accomplishments of the candidate in that job. This component of the resume is so important that Besson (1999) advocated placing professional experience before education, unless the candidate was pursuing a position in academia. While some sources (Augustin, 1991; Haft, 1997; Ray, Stallard, & Hunt, 1994) recommended including full- and part-time jobs as well as related and non-related work experiences, others (Gordon, 1993; Perrett, 2000; Ryan, 1997) suggested truncating the list of work experiences to those that are most meaningful and similar to the position sought. In a study of therapeutic recreation administrators, Ross and Zabriskie (2001) revealed that one of the most important content areas was related work experience including jobs, internships, and volunteer hours. Therapeutic recreation administrators perceived this content area as essential for those individuals seeking employment in this specific area of recreation. In addition, administrators rated information about certifications as the single most essential item to include in a resume when applying for a therapeutic recreation position.
There was a consensus among the sources reviewed (Adams, 1999; Banis, 2000; Botero, 1998; Farr, 2000; Fournier & Spin, 1999; Graber, 2000; Grappo & Lewis, 1998; Hawk, 1998; Hoefflin, 1998; Hutchinson & Brefka, 1997; Perrett, 2000) that references should not be included on the resume. These authors indicated that employers prefer the “references available on request” notation be included at the end of the resume, or no references at all. Further, Gordon (1993) referred to listing references, and even including the available upon request statement as a “one-line space waster” (p. 18). As an alternative to including references on the resume, Reed (1998) and Besson (1999) advocated preparing a separate list of references to send to the prospective employer only when the candidate became a finalist for the position.
In terms of the format of the resume, many sources (Ducat, 1999; Reed, 1998; Ryan, 1997) recommended a reverse chronological format with bullets of information. Further, the majority of sources (Adams, 1999; Bortoli, 1997; Brown & Hayes, 1998; Hougel, 1999) advocated that resumes should be no longer than one page in length. Virginia Tech Career Services (2001) suggested that “students completing a bachelor’s degree rarely need a resume longer than one page....Most employers won’t take the time to read a second page” (Resume length section, para.1). Other authors (Gordon, 1993; Haft, 1997; Ledford, 2000; Silver, 1997) supported this notion and indicated that those reviewing resumes in business and other related fields generally only devote between 5 and 45 seconds when actually reading each resume.
One last area in which the popular literature provides guidance is overall appearance of the resume. Fournier and Spin (1999) suggested that proper presentation, layout, and appearance of the resume can dramatically add to its effectiveness as well as to its efficiency and readability. In a study conducted by Morris Associates (1999), “respondents clearly indicated what matters most to them is ‘resume readability’ followed by ‘overall appearance’ of the resume” (p. 7). Furthermore, Hornsby and Smith (1995) found that “neglecting appearance aspects of the resume may be a critical mistake as employers seek reasons to exclude an applicant from the pool” (p. 8). Purpose of the Study
Beyond general advice about how to write a resume,
there is a lack of empirical research data providing guidance and
direction
to prospective candidates seeking positions in municipal recreation and
leisure services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to
examine
the resume preferences of recreation administrators who oversee the
hiring
of all employees, including entry-level recreation professionals in the
municipal setting. The results from this study can be used as a
foundation
from which students in recreation and leisure studies curricula are
guided
by advisors and instructors in the development of resumes.
The reliability of the questionnaire was tested for both the 1995 and 2000 survey distributions. Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha was the procedure used to test the internal consistency reliability of the instrument. Reliability coefficients of .94 in 1995, and .95 in 2000 revealed solid reliability, and indicated that the questionnaire tended to be free of error variance.
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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 19 19 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 49 49 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 |
Telephone Number
Job Function Field of Study Dates of Employment Current Permanent Address Previous Employers as References Major Internship Experience Positions/Title Held Related Work Achievements Type of Degree Earned Name of Employer Membership in Professional Org Current Campus Address Community Involvement Certifications Earned Full-Time Status Name of Supervisor Job Function Reason for Leaving Job Combined Career/Job Objective Dates of Employment Non-Related Work Achievements Professor/Teacher as References Professional Conference/Workshop Presentations Delivered Location of Employer Publications Written Name of Employer Career Objective Only Job Objective Only Fax Number Honors or Awards Name of College Attended Setting Full-Time Status Name of Supervisor Date of Graduation College Name Social Security Number Participation in Campus Orgs Population Served Location of Employer Salary Complete Citations of References Hobbies Salary Honors or Awards GPA Overall GPA in Major References Supplied upon Request Letters of Recommendation Attach Date of Graduation Activities in High School List of All Courses Taken College Transcript Attached Participation in Athletics Class Rank Name of High School Military Experience Participation in Athletics GPA Age Birthdate Resume as Title Class Rank Gender Marital Status Birthplace Number of Dependents Photograph Race Relatives as References |
PI
RWE ERC RWE PI REF ERC ERC RWE RWE ERC RWE PPI PI PPI PPI RWE RWE NRWE NRWE CO NRWE NRWE REF PPI PPI RWE PPI NRWE CO CO PI ERC ERC RWE NRWE NRWE ERC ERC PI ERC RWE NRWE RWE REF PPI NRWE ERHS ERC ERC REF REF ERHS ERHS ERC ERC ERC ERC ERHS PI ERHS ERHS PI PI PI ERHS PI PI PI PI PI PI REF |
3.64
3.51 3.41 3.36 3.31 3.27 3.25 3.24 3.23 3.21 3.21 3.05 3.03 2.90 2.89 2.88 2.82 2.76 2.75 2.75 2.75 2.69 2.68 2.67 2.66 2.63 2.59 2.50 2.49 2.48 2.47 2.47 2.44 2.42 2.37 2.36 2.35 2.34 2.30 2.25 2.19 2.17 2.16 2.14 2.07 2.05 1.98 1.95 1.93 1.93 1.93 1.91 1.74 1.71 1.68 1.61 1.55 1.54 1.50 1.46 1.40 1.38 1.23 1.18 1.03 1.02 1.01 0.90 0.82 0.79 0.71 0.69 0.55 |
0.59
0.60 0.63 0.72 0.87 0.80 0.74 0.69 0.72 0.62 0.86 1.00 0.73 1.10 0.75 0.87 0.87 1.03 0.82 0.88 0.89 0.89 0.80 0.81 0.86 0.77 1.14 0.88 1.02 0.83 0.91 1.05 0.75 1.17 0.87 0.91 1.05 1.15 1.14 1.32 0.81 0.85 1.03 0.87 1.06 0.79 0.89 0.85 0.77 0.78 1.23 0.82 1.15 0.85 0.88 0.86 0.76 0.63 1.04 0.89 0.77 0.80 0.98 0.98 0.88 0.62 0.85 0.79 0.76 0.69 0.66 0.68 0.68 |
3.51
3.38 3.32 3.25 3.36 3.22 3.24 2.98 3.19 3.17 2.99 3.16 2.67 3.13 2.82 2.79 2.92 2.94 2.63 2.61 2.74 2.50 2.53 2.56 2.58 2.46 2.82 2.37 2.50 2.31 2.54 2.15 2.29 2.45 DNA* 2.32 2.43 2.35 2.19 2.50 2.26 DNA* 2.28 2.26 2.18 2.12 1.97 1.79 2.01 2.17 1.94 1.98 1.81 1.69 1.77 1.77 1.88 1.57 1.43 1.52 1.93 1.56 1.85 1.53 1.18 1.32 1.31 1.24 1.06 1.26 1.11 0.93 0.71 |
0.67
0.63 0.71 0.77 0.78 0.78 0.68 0.85 0.79 0.72 0.84 0.83 0.82 0.93 0.75 0.85 0.90 0.94 0.89 0.96 0.92 0.88 0.82 0.92 0.82 0.99 1.00 0.88 0.93 0.80 0.91 1.16 0.78 1.01 DNA* 0.93 0.96 1.05 1.01 1.35 0.83 DNA* 0.96 0.94 0.99 0.85 0.87 0.89 0.68 0.72 1.16 1.00 0.98 0.83 0.83 0.95 .083 0.72 0.97 0.91 3.94 0.81 1.08 0.98 0.88 0.78 0.94 0.90 0.84 0.86 0.87 0.77 0.77 |
Overall, the perceived value of the resume
content items was similar between the two groups of recreation
administrators.
However, in order to determine any statistically significant (alpha
.05)
differences in the mean scores between the two groups, t-testing was
implemented.
Table 2 shows the 14 items identified as significantly different
between
the two groups. In a closer look at these items, the 2000 group
perceived
internship experiences and membership in a professional organization as
more important than the administrators in 1995. On the other
hand,
the 2000 group perceived the remaining 12 items in Table 2 as less
important
than the 1995 group.
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Significance |
| GPA in Major
Internship Experience Participation in Athletics Class Rank Fax Number Age Birthdate Birthplace Gender Marital Status Number of Dependents Photograph Race Membership in Prof. Org. |
ERC
ERC ERC ERHS PI PI PI PI PI PI PI PI PI PPI |
-2.710
2.881 -3.547 -3.655 2.425 -5.119 -3.017 -2.467 -2.812 -3.415 -5.222 -4.469 -2.791 3.977 |
.007**
.004** .001*** .001*** .016* .001*** .003** .014* .005** .001*** .001*** .001*** .006** .001*** |
Another way to look at the perceptions of the two
groups is to identify those content items that remained virtually
unchanged
over the course of five years. There were 12 items that were
perceived
at nearly the same preference or importance category by the two
groups.
Table 3 lists the items that varied less than .05 points in mean scores
over the course of time between the studies. This stability of
mean
scores indicated the reliability of the preferences of recreation
administrators
for these resume content items over time. For example,
administrators
still perceive the recreation major in college as very important, while
class rank in college is still perceived as not very important.
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| Combined Career/Job Objective
Class Rank Date of Graduation Major Name of College Attended Activities in High School RWE Achievements Positions/Title Held Name of Employer Full-Time Status Salary Current Permanent Address Previous Employers as References References Supplied upon Request |
COERC
ERC ERC ERC ERC ERHD RWE RWE NRWE NRWE NRWE PI REF REF |
2.75
1.54 2.34 3.25 2.42 1.71 3.21 3.23 2.49 2.36 1.98 3.31 3.27 1.93 |
2.74
1.57 2.35 3.24 2.45 1.69 3.17 3.19 2.50 2.32 1.97 3.36 3.22 1.94 |
-0.03 -0.01 0.01 -0.03 0.02 0.04 0.04 -0.01 0.04 0.01 -0.05 0.05 -0.01 |
There were a number of findings worth noting under resume content. In terms of an objective statement near the beginning of the resume, it was the preference of the respondents in both phases of the study for applicants to list a combined career/job objective rather than a career-only or a job-only objective.
In terms of educational experiences, an applicants’ field of study, major and internship experience in college were all perceived as very important. In a comparison of the two studies, internship experience, GPA in major, and participation in athletics were items where the two groups of administrators differed significantly. In the five years between the studies, administrators in 2000, perceived an applicant’s internship experience as more important. Considering high school educational experience and degrees, administrators did not perceive much value in an applicant listing this information.
Resume content items listed under related work experience rated high on importance in both studies. Job function, dates of employment, positions/titles held, achievements, and name of employer were all perceived as very important by administrators with ratings of 3.00 or higher. While related work experiences were perceived as more important, non-related work experiences were also perceived to have merit.
Resume content items categorized under personal/professional involvement included membership in a professional organization. A significant difference between the two groups of administrators was found on this item. Administrators in the 2000 group perceived membership in a professional organization as more important than administrators in 1995.
Previous employers and professors were perceived
overall as very important references to recreation
administrators.
Administrators valued a listing of references on a separate sheet over
applicants supplying references upon request by a 2 to 1 ratio.
Overall,
68% (n=207) of the administrators preferred an actual listing of
reference
citations over the alternative of providing them upon request. In
regard to the number of references that should be listed, over 73%
(n=205)
of administrators indicated three references were adequate.
Nearly
50% (n=148) of the administrators indicated they do call an applicant’s
references while 117 (38%) administrators indicated that they sometimes
contacted references.
Administrators were also asked to reveal the amount
of time spent reviewing an applicant’s resume as well as how the resume
is used throughout the hiring process. Over 39% (n=116) of the
administrators
in both 1995 and 2000, indicated that they spend two to three minutes
reviewing
a resume. This was followed up closely by 32.4% (n=96) of
administrators
indicating four to five minutes spent reviewing a resume.
Finally,
63.6% (n=189) of the administrators indicated that the resume is used
throughout
the hiring process, while 25.9% (n=77) indicated that the resume is
used
primarily to determine whether an interview should be extended to the
applicant.
It is undisputed in the literature that a job applicant must think about references at some point in his/her job search. Most books and articles (Banis, 2000; Ducat, 1999; Gordon, 1993; Graber, 2000) on resume development advise candidates to select three to five people to serve as references. However, the crux of the issue is whether or not to list the references on the resume, or insert the familiar “references available upon request” statement. The results of this study revealed that administrators want to see a list of three references (preferably current/former employers or college professors) on a separate sheet attached to the resume. While this finding is in direct disagreement with many resume publications, it appears to be the preference of those making the hiring decisions in municipal recreation and leisure service settings. In support of this finding, Ross (1998) found that 81.5% of campus recreational sports administrators preferred that references be included with the resume of those candidates seeking full-time professional positions as opposed to being available upon request. Furthermore, in the study by Ross and Zabriskie (2001) of therapeutic recreation administrators this preference for references to be included on a separate sheet, was favored three to one over making them available upon request. Therefore, relevant contact information should be obtained from each reference, organized into a reference list, and submitted along with the resume.
Another interesting finding of this study was the importance of the internship experience. The existence and importance of internships in recreation and leisure studies curricula is supported by many curricula that require this practical experience. However, what emerged from this study is the importance of the internship experience in the hiring decision. The internship experience can be an extremely important credential of a job seeker who does not have much professional work experience. Making the student aware of the importance of this experience to those who are in a position to make decisions on full-time employment, might create an incentive for some students who have not seriously considered the internship to research and select an internship site that best fits their career aspirations. This finding is of equal importance for educators to understand. While many educators have, for years, been advising students to carefully select their internship site as it can be a stepping stone to full-time employment, now empirical research is available to support this advice.
A general rule in most of the literature on resumes
indicates that resumes should not be longer than one page. Ducat
(1999) suggested that candidates think of their resumes as a “one-page
advertisement” (p. 204). While a one-page resume may be just the
ticket for other disciplines and professions, the results of this study
and other studies in recreation (Ross, 1998; Ross & Zabriskie,
2001)
indicated otherwise. Only 13.6 % of the administrators in
municipal
settings indicated that resumes should be one-page in length, while
nearly
70% indicated that an applicant’s resume should be two pages in length,
or determined by their amount of information. This finding
suggests
that individuals seeking a professional position in the field of
recreation
and leisure services should not be subject to the restrictions of the
business
field (Adams, 1999; Bortoli, 1997; Brown, 1998; Hougel, 1999) which
traditionally
prefers a one-page format. In recreation and leisure service settings
the
relevance and importance of the applicant’s information is more
significant
than the number of total pages on which it is typed. This is good news
for those candidates who have previously been forced to eliminate
pertinent
but not crucial information for the sake of space.
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