BEFORE STARTING YOUR RESUME
A well-constructed and effective resume requires that background work be done before you begin writing. Begin by taking a personal inventory. Examine and refine your skills, interests, accomplishments, and experiences. These include professional, academic, volunteer, and internship experiences.
FORMAT
While there is no one right way to write a resume, the most useful format for students and new professionals is
CHRONOLOGICAL
This format is a listing of your relevant work experience, beginning with your most recent job first and listing your experience in reverse order.
- Be concise and specific. Your resume should say the most about you in the fewest words. One page is best, though two pages are acceptable if you have enough pertinent experience.
- Include only pertinent information. There should be a reason for everything in your resume. Leave out personal information including age, race, and marital status. Do not feel that you need to summarize your entire job history- the purpose is to focus on the most impressive and relevant experience.
- Use telegraphic style. Omit personal pronouns such as “I” and “We”. Example: “Designed promotional campaign to alert the community of changes in regional voting guidelines.”
- Use skill and ability verbs. Begin each statement or phrase with a descriptive verb that indicates what you accomplished in the position.
- Get feedback. Have a counselor in the Career Services Center help you in designing your resume and be sure that you proofread it!
Resume components
1. Heading:
At the top of the page, include your name, address, zip code, telephone number, and email address. Be sure that your email address is professional! If necessary, create a free account through Gmail or yahoo just for job search purposes. If you live on campus, you may want to include both your campus address and a permanent address. Your phone number is very important. You must be able to be reached during the day or have a message machine to answer your calls.
2. Career Objective (optional):
Employers often state that they skip over reading a career objective, so we normally advise clients not to include one. However, if you really believe it is crucial in applying for a specific position, be sure that it detailed and specific. It should lead the reader and direct him/her to the position you are interested in. It should include a) the action you want to do, b) the areas in which you want to do it, and c) the skills you have to contribute to that position. The rest of your resume should give concrete examples or back up your career objective.
3. Education:
Unless you have been in the field for a number of years, the education component will precede your work experience. List your current degree, major, and year of graduation, even if you have not yet graduated. On the next line, list the college's name and location. Do not include your high school experience. You may also list your GPA
here if it is above a 3.5, as well as any merit-based scholarships (i.e. Dean’s List, honors program, etc.)
4. Extracurricular coursework (optional):
If you are lacking in job or internship experience, a relevant coursework section can help demonstrate your skills in a specific field. List up to three classes and give a short description of the work you completed in them. Original research is especially impressive
5. Related Experience:
List the most recent information first. Indicate your job title, the name of the organization, location (city and state), and dates of employment. Next, describe the specific abilities and responsibilities you assumed and acquired in bullet format. Focus on the skills that directly relate to the new position. This is where you can include on-campus involvement, volunteer and internship experience; remember, it does not have to be paid in order to count! The below list of questions will help you in creating your bullet points.
- Did you do something faster, better, or cheaper?
- Did you increase membership, participation, or sales?
- Did you save your organization any money or eliminate waste?
- Did you identify and/or help solve any problems?
- Did you institute any new methods, procedures, services or products?
- Did you reorganize or improve an existing system?
- Did you coordinate any event or project?
- Did you train another person? What were the results?
- Did you tutor anyone? Did his/her grades improve?
- Avoid making bullet points sound like you took them directly from the job description. Instead, pack them full of
- accomplishments and supporting evidence. This helps employers know how you went above and beyond in your job.
template will grab your future employer its attention. After downloading and filling in the blanks, you can customize every detail and appearance of your resume and finish.