Preparing Your Resume for National 4-H Congress

State 4-H Resume Submission Process
National 4-H Congress Submission Form
How to Assemble the State 4-H Resume

About the State 4-H Resume

Senior 4-H members who are interested in applying for National 4-H Congress are asked to submit a State 4-H Resume as part of the application process. The State 4-H Resume` application process allows 4-H members to:

Demonstrate their growth over the time they have been in 4-H
To highlight those things that best demonstrate their success in 4-H
To show the difference their 4-H work has made in the lives of others

The development and use of the State 4-H Resume` is considered an important part of the preparation a young person needs to be successful in the world of education and work. The State 4-H Resume` is similar to a personal portfolio, a collection of information about one's self that is often used in college and job applications. It is the goal of the Oregon 4-H Program to help facilitate the development of the 4-H member's future professional portfolio through the development of the State 4-H Resume` process.
The use of personal portfolios has become an essential component of demonstrating one's experience and ability, both in education and in the career and business world. The Oregon 4-H Program is committed to helping youth collect and focus themselves for the variety of things they will choose to do as adults, both personally and professionally. In order to be competitive, those entering today's job market need to be able to articulate their strengths, demonstrate their experience and effectiveness, and match exactly the requirements of any particular job. It is our goal that the 4-H Portfolio be seen less as something 4-H members "have to do" in order to go to Congress, and more as a valuable tool for life-long success.

State 4-H Resume Submission Process

Submission Deadline

Applicants must submit their State 4-H resume to their county Extension Office by the due date established by the county. Counties then nominate Congress finalists with the county nomination form and forward the resumes of the finalists to the state 4-H office on or before March 1 of each year.
The determination of which members are invited to submit a State 4-H Resume as an application to National 4-H Congress rests with the individual county. Counties are encouraged to have a well-defined selection process that matches the goals of the State 4-H Program for selection of National 4-H Congress applicants.

How to Assemble Your State 4-H Resume

All Oregon 4-H Resumes are to contain information beginning at grade 4 or later, depending on when the member first joined 4-H. Information from K-3 years, whether or not those years were spent in Oregon, will not be considered and should not be included in the resume.
Your Resume should be up to date through February 1 of the current year.

Your State 4-H Resume must follow these preparation guidelines. Please be sure to read the directions carefully in order to ensure that your resume is accurate and complete. The parts of the resume should be assembled in the indicated order. Labeled dividers with tabs should separate sections..

Content Order of Your Resume

Note: You are responsible for the careful preparation of your resume. Be sure to pay careful attention to the formatting requirements for all sections of your resume.
The following outline shows you the correct order of contents for your Resume:

Page 1:	National 4-H Congress Submission Form
Part I:	My 4-H Story (6 pages max.)
Part II:	4-H Summary (5 pages total) Communication Experience (1 page max.) Leadership Experience (1 page max.) Citizenship Experience (1 page max.) Projects and Activities (1 page max.) Goals, growth and contribution (1 page max.)
Part III:	Project and Activity Photographs (3 pages Max.)

Please note you must adhere to the page limits as noted. In addition please be sure of the following specifications:

The National 4-H Congress Submission form must be included as the first page of the resume. The 4-H member, the member's parent or guardian, 4-H leader and Extension agent must sign the form, including the waiver that gives permission for the State 4-H program to use parts of the Resume, pictures or story for promotion of the 4-H program.
All material must be typewritten on one side.
Your 4-H Story must be double-spaced; the rest of your resume may be single-spaced.
Type your name and county in upper right corner of the first page of your 4-H Story.
Type the appropriate heading (e. g. "goals," communication experience," 4-H Story") on each page of your resume.
Please use standard paper (8 1/2 x 11 inches)
Use a 1-1/2 inch margin on the left side and a one (1) inch margin at the top, bottom and right side of the page. Use an 11 or 12 point type and either Times New Roman, or Arial font.
Please do not reduce your font size and style in order to accommodate more text in the allotted space.
Your material should be typed either by you or by another person. If someone else does the typing for you please remember that you are responsible for making sure all the information is complete and accurate, and that spelling and grammar is correct. Be sure all your information is readable, especially in the center binding area.
Please attach a separate copy of your 4-H Summary and 4-H Story inside the front cover of your Resume booklet. These copies will not be returned.
Cover should be a stiff 8 1/2 x 11 inch binder with a standard (Acco) prong type fastener with slides. Do not use a three ring binder or a binder with round head paper fasteners.
On front of cover, in upper right hand corner, put your name and county. Do not put any other information on the cover.

Page 1: National 4-H Congress Submission Form
Be sure this form is complete and accurate, including all required signatures.
Part I: My 4- H Story
Your 4-H Story is a very important part of your 4-H resume. It is the part of your resume that tells the committee what you have learned though your 4-H participation. Your story should focus on your total 4-H experience not just your projects. Your 4-H story should convey to your readers what you have done and learned by participating in 4-H, how 4-H has impacted your life, and how you have used the skills and knowledge that you gained in 4-H to impact others through service and teaching. Your 4-H Story must be limited to six pages, so focus on developing a clear and concise narrative portrait of your 4-H experience. You are encouraged to be creative in writing your story in order to keep the interest of the reader. And finally, please be sure to check your copy for spelling, grammar, punctuation and other typographical errors.
Example Story Format
The following format example may help you in developing your story but you do not need to construct your story in this exact order.

Introduce yourself. This may include items such as your age or grade, interests, parents, brothers and sisters, where you live, where you go to school, when and why you joined 4-H.
Tell about your major 4-H projects and activities. Why did you choose them, and what have you learned through your participation in these projects and activities? How has your participation grown in size and scope? Describe the things you have tried and found successful and some that were not so successful.
Highlight other 4 H projects and activities. Provide information about other projects and activities in which you have participated. Include major learning experiences, special interests and unusual situations you encountered.
Explain how 4 H has helped you become a better leader and citizen; describe the most important leadership roles you have had; offices you have held and the committee assignments you have accepted. Tell about what you have learned from working with other 4 H'ers as a junior leader, counselor, peer tutor or helper; explain how you have learned to accept citizenship responsibilities.
Describe how 4 H participation has helped you to feel good about yourself, influenced your school and career goals, use of leisure time and commitment to helping others. Tell about your future plans and the career you hope to pursue.

Part II: 4-H Summary
The 4-H Summary section of your resume is intended to provide the reader with a detailed overview of your experience in 4-H in the following areas:

Experience with communication
Leadership experience
Citizenship experience
4-H project and activities experience
Your goals, growth and contributions

Using an outline or table format rather than a narrative will make your material much easier to read and understand. An outline form also helps ensure that all of your accomplishments, growth, and activities are easily located. When you prepare this section of your Resume be sure to make measurable statements. For example, tell how many meetings or classes you led, how many people you reached, or how many hours you spent. Be sure to include years to indicate your involvement over time.
You are not allowed to use additional pages or to reduce the material to get more on a page. Plan ahead and outline your material to get the most important information in the space allowed. Try not to mention the same accomplishment or activity more than once.
My Communication Experience
Another important part of participating in 4-H is the development of good communication and speaking skills. In this section of your Resume please identify your experiences communicating with others. These could include:

Talks and presentations given at the club, school, community, county, state, regional, and national levels (Please be sure to include your topic and/or title, where your talk was given, how many times you have given this talk and how many people were in the audience.)
Talks and presentations given at the club, school, community, county, state, regional, and national levels as part of a competition. (Please be sure to include your topic and/or title, where your talk was given, how many times you have given this talk and how many people were in the audience.)
Articles written for written media.
Radio and TV appearances.
Educational displays to inform people.
Educational displays for an exhibit.
Material designed and written to support promotion/recruitment/fund raising, etc.
Experiences in communication with other organizations should also be identified. These could include drama and other experiences of an artistic nature, presentations and speeches connected with school, church and other youth organizations, and cultural and musical performances.

My Experience in Leadership
A significant part of participating in 4-H is the development of leadership skills. As you progress through the 4-H program you will have opportunities to broaden your participation in the program beyond just your project. The recognition committee will be looking for evidence of your leadership experience and skills in this section. In addition, the committee will want to see evidence that you have developed a broader focus in 4-H through participation in leadership activities at the club, county and state levels.
Leadership means taking the lead or assisting as part of a committee or team in giving direction, planning and organizing. In this section please identify leadership roles you have held. For example, officer, teacher, organizer, committee chairman, committee member, camp counselor, superintendent, or Junior Leader. Indicate the date you provided leadership, number of people you led, taught, involved, or who benefited from your leadership; the level of activity (club, community, county, state, etc.); and highlight your responsibilities and accomplishments.
When defining responsibilities and accomplishments keep your descriptions to one or two sentences. It is best to keep them in outline form. Include leadership experiences both in 4-H and outside 4-H. For leadership responsibilities outside of 4-H, indicate how 4-H has helped you be prepared for these experiences.
My Experience in Citizenship
An important goal of the 4-H program is to encourage members to grow into capable, responsible citizens. Growth in the area of citizenship indicates that you are concerned about the welfare of others, and are willing to play a role in ensuring that all citizens are able to live together in a world that is respectful, cared for and peaceful. In today's global world citizenship skills are increasingly important. These skills are reflected in the 4-H member's ability to serve others, embrace diversity, understand and develop multiple perspectives, and work toward a sustainable use of the world's resources.
In this section please indicate citizenship and community service activities you have participated in, both in 4-H and outside of 4-H. Please list your experiences in 4-H and those outside of 4-H separately. Please include activities in which you contributed to the welfare of your club, school, group, community, county, state, etc. Include your role, date, the number of people you assisted, money you spent or raised, the time you spent, and highlight the accomplishment in light of the goals for citizenship noted in the above paragraph. Please also include your participation in citizenship awareness development experiences such as "Know Your County or State Government", inter-county, interstate and international exchanges, diversity or cultural awareness programs, and inter-generational programs.
Please note:

Club fundraising or promotional activities (like parades) are to be included in the "projects and activities" section of the resume, unless those activities directly benefited someone or something other than the 4-H club.
No activities that result in the personal financial gain for an individual should be included in the resume unless the money earned was used directly for a charitable purpose. This does not include animals raised and sold for 4-H market projects.

My Projects and Activities
It is important to understand that participating in a variety of projects and activities provides a broader 4-H experience. As such, in addition to your "main" 4-H project(s), your Resume needs also to demonstrate the breadth of your 4-H experience. While it is true that a level of expertise is developed when a member participates in one project over a long time, it also important for members to develop a breadth of interests that results in a more complete 4-H experience. This section is designed to highlight your total career in 4-H. Please indicate the number of years of participation in projects, how your projects and experiences have grown over time, and the size and scope of the projects. Be sure to indicate the knowledge and skills you have gained through your project(s)/activities.
Note: Every 4-H opportunity has specific outcomes, often life skills that members participating in that project and activity should gain. It might help to review these outcomes with your leader or agent before you prepare this section of your resume. Doing so will help you articulate the nature of your project more clearly.
In order to prepare this part of your Resume you will need use material from your 4-H experience in past years. You may also find it helpful to organize your experiences by years or a group of years (Junior, Intermediate or Senior.) No matter how you choose to group your information keep in mind that the point is to show the breadth of your 4-H experience and the growth you experienced over time.
Goals, Growth and Contributions
In this section you will choose (up to) three goals you had in your 4-H career that illustrate how participating in your 4-H project(s) has helped you grow. In addition, you need to show the difference that working toward these goals made in the lives of others.
The following information must be included:

Share something you set out to do in 4-H (a goal).
Illustrate how you grew and changed as a human being by working towards, or achieving this goal.
Share what difference working toward or achieving this goal made in your family, 4-H program, community and/or world.

You may present up to three goals on this page, it is up to you to decide how many you want to share. The important thing to remember is to choose goals that clearly show how you grew and impacted the lives of others through achieving that goal.
Here are some examples:
Example 1
Goal: To be on the state horse judging team
Growth: I was always pretty good at judging. I liked reading and learning about horses so I was able to get all the knowledge I needed to do well at judging horses. The hardest part for me was the oral reasons. I am pretty shy and when I would talk to the judge I would forget all that I wanted to say. So I started working really hard on my oral reasons by practicing with others. I found that with practice I got better and better, even when I was talking to strangers! Now I don't worry at all about oral reasons, I actually enjoy it. I also noticed that I am better at school when I have to give a speech. Because I got better at speaking I made the state horse judging team last year!
Contribution: Since I know that I got better at speaking by practicing, I am now helping the younger kids in my club get better too! I asked my horse leader if we could have some practice sessions and at one we invited a local horse expert to listen to our oral reasons. It was really fun and I think all the younger kids in my club feel better about speaking in front of others now! I have really liked watching the younger kids get over being afraid of oral reasons!
Example 2
One goal I had was to work with a 4-H Wildlife Steward at an elementary school in my neighborhood. I really like little kids and I thought I could use the knowledge I gained through my 4-H horticulture project to help the kids with their schoolyard garden. The first step was contacting my 4-H agent and she helped me get in contact with the 4-H volunteer at the school.
I learned that a lot of work goes into creating a school garden. Just simple things like getting a hose, or plants donated took a lot of work. One way that I grew was in my confidence about making phone calls to get donations for our garden. I used to be nervous about talking to strangers, but this experience helped me see that a lot of people want to help. Once I had one or two people say "yes" to my requests I felt more confident about asking! It was really a great experience. I also grew in my ability to work with younger kids. The volunteer that I worked with was really good with kids and I learned ways to talk to them and guide them. I feel a lot more able to communicate with and teach younger kids now! Since I want to be a teacher, this was a really valuable thing!
I feel like I made a big contribution through my efforts on this project. The biggest contribution is that we were able to get all the equipment we needed to make the school garden. This means that the kids enrolled in the school now have an outdoor learning space where they learn and experience science and nature. It is really rewarding to see that my efforts made a difference!
Example 3
My Goal: I wanted to be a Statewide Ambassador
How I Grew: In order to be considered for a Statewide Ambassador I had to fill out an application and then go through training and an interview process at the 4-H Summer Conference. I had to learn a lot about what it takes to represent 4-H at the state level. I was so excited when I was selected to be a statewide ambassador, but then the learning really began! I went through another training session where we learned all about the 4-H program. We also learned how to conduct ourselves when representing 4-H. I never realized how many different people there are involved in 4-H. At first I was sort of scared by the responsibility that I had as a statewide ambassador, but now I feel proud and confident in my ability to talk about 4-H. I have really grown in my ability to present myself in public. What I Contributed: As a statewide ambassador I was called upon to speak before the Oregon State Legislature about 4-H. This was really important as they were thinking about cutting funding to 4-H. I was really proud to make a difference this way, and in the end, the cuts they made weren't so bad as everyone thought they would be.

Part III Project and Activity Photographs

Photographs should be used to illustrate the highlights of the project(s) or activity(ies) in which you have participated. When choosing your photos please be careful to select ones that clearly show you participating in your project area. You may use individual photos or a photo sequence that shows your growth in 4-H over time. Your photos may show recognition received, special practices that you followed, or year to year progress.
Photographs must be limited to three 8 1/2 x 11 inch pages on one side only. Please mount your pictures with glue and provide a caption with each that contains a description of what is taking place in the photograph. If your pictures contain other people, please be sure to identify who you are. Do not write on front or back of photos. Photographs should not be shingled. Newspaper pictures are allowed, however, do not include newspaper clippings. A high quality color copy of the entire page is acceptable if the member prefers not to send actual photographs.
Please note: Although your 4-H Resume will be returned to you, the State 4-H Program will scan one or more of your photos for use in promotional material. Be sure you use photos that can be reproduced. If a photo is copyrighted (e. g. a professional shot), please indicate this on or near the photo.