Joe Schall

  1. Active Voice

    “Active voice” refers to the relationship between the subject and the verb of a sentence.  In an active sentence, the subject carries out the action of the verb, i.e., “Joseph (subject) ate (verb) the burrito.” In passive sentences, however, the subject no longer acts but is acted upon by the verb: "The burrito was eaten (verb) by Joseph (subject)" or...

    Published on Apr 03rd 2012

  2. Computer Scanning of Résumés

    Computer Scanning of Résumés      One of comic Steven Wright’s jokes provides a nice little lesson in irony: “I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.” Similarly, our work lives are rich in irony: Just as technology has enabled any one of us to build a résumé that is stunning in...

    Published on Nov 03rd 2013

  3. More Advanced, More Daring Résumés

    More Advanced, More Daring Résumés Even though technical fields favor conventional and old-school rules, many students, particularly those with extensive experience or a diverse background, stretch the limits slightly—and smartly—when creating their résumés. Creative format and content choices on your résumé certainly are permitted, as long as they enhance rather than detract from utility and appearance. Creative Format Choices Although...

    Published on Nov 03rd 2013

  4. Preparing Job Materials: Reading Job Ads

    Getting a job is hard work. Higher than normal unemployment and significant increases in the number of college graduates mean that even well-qualified applicants may find it challenging to land the position they want. This chapter endeavors to help you set yourself apart – in a positive way – by improving the one part of the job search you can...

    Published on Oct 29th 2014

  5. Quality Checking Your Résumé

    Quality Checking Your Résumé Once your résumé is composed, it must be quality checked. Three prominent issues that arise in a quality check are content, format, and computer-related problems. Reconsidering Content Look over the résumé and be certain you have considered effective wording and strong candidate material within each category, as detailed in the previous page of this manual. Consider...

    Published on Nov 03rd 2013

  6. The Graduate Student and Post-Graduate Résumé

    The Graduate Student and Post-Graduate Résumé Undergraduates often tell me they are amazed at how long it takes to compose a résumé (part of this is mere perception, I think, due to the weighty nature of the document’s importance). I tell them they should plan to spend between a few hours and a day every year revising their résumé for...

    Published on Nov 03rd 2013

  7. Writing the Conventional Résumé

    Writing the Conventional Résumé I learned about résumé writing from my students. The students with the best résumés, I found, were those who understood that a résumé is principally an objective summary of your skills and achievements, secondly a subtly clever argument that you are worth hiring, and finally a reflection of your individuality. The key is to work within the...

    Published on Nov 03rd 2013