What is a resume anyway?

A resume is a representation of yourself on paper. It describes your accomplishments, experience and skills that you can present to a potential employer. This first impression should be concise and present just enough information so employers think you are interesting enough to warrant an interview.

Ten Seconds!

Ten seconds is the amount of time your resume will be given to make a first impression. Make those first ten seconds count!

1. Focus on a goal

2. Identify your skills

3. Review your experience

What should I put on my resume? 

A resume must include your name, address, phone number, education and employment and related experience. 

Some additional headings for your resume may include job objective, skills summary, honors/awards, accomplishments, extra-curricular experiences, internships, leadership and volunteer experiences, professional organizations, research experiences and special skills like a foreign language. 

How do I organize my resume?

There are three common types of resumes: 

1. The chronological resume is the most commonly used resume. It lists your work history starting with your most recent job. It should include a brief description of each position and your accomplishments. It should also include information relevant to the position for which you are applying, and in most cases, should not go back any further than ten years.
   
   Template
   
   Example

2. The functional resume highlights your skills, abilities, credentials, accomplishments and qualifications but does not correlate these characteristics to prior employment. Qualifications and skills are the primary focus rather than employment record. This format is particularly helpful for people with few real world work experiences, frequent job changers and those with gaps in between work experiences.

   Template
   
   Example

3. The combination resume lists all education and work experiences from present to past and incorporates skills into your resume. This type of resume highlights your skill areas and lists the jobs you have held including specific job responsibilities and accomplishments.
   
   Example

Once you have chosen the format that is best for you, it is important to choose the proper headings and power words to highlight key information. 

Skills and qualifications are captured in the top third of the resume. You may find that using bold or CAPITAL LETTERS will assist in making your headings easier to read. Your resume format must be consistent throughout. Graphically, it should be easy to read and pleasing to the eye. Sometimes it is helpful to bullet information. Bulleting information will make it: 

• Easy to read
• Concise
• Powerful
• Attractive

Resume Do’s and Don’t’s:

DO:  

• Check (and double-check!) for misspellings. Spelling errors are one of the most common reasons resumes are discarded by employers. Have others proofread your resume.

• Keep the resume to one page

• Be consistent with format, writing style, grammar, punctuation, font, bulleting, margins, verb tense use, and use of bold/caps/underlining for text emphasis.

• Be concise! Use fragmented sentences that start with action verbs in job descriptions.

• Laser print your resume on quality paper. Use matching envelopes.

DON'T:

• Omit dates, locations, contact information, organization names, jobs titles and action verbs.

• Use a font size less than 11 points

• Include a Grade Point Average if it is less than 3.2

• Include any of the following: age, height, race, marital status, number of children, home ownership, religious affiliation, picture, unrelated hobbies, test scores, political affiliations, actual references (names and addresses), weight, health status, family background, social security number, supervisor’s name and title, gender-specific information, or sports interests.

If it does not relate to the job, don’t include it!!

Making Copies of Your Resume

Your resume is an employer’s first impression of you. Therefore, you want it to look professional. Consider these guidelines when preparing your resume:

Use resume paper or 20-pound bond paper with a flat finish

• Use a 12 point font size (11 point font size is minimum)

• Use neutral stock colors in off white, beige or light gray

• Use the same paper for your cover letter and resume

• Your envelopes should match your stationery

• Avoid patterned paper. It is distracts the reader from the content of your resume and it does not copy or fax well.

It is recommended to print one copy of your resume and cover letter on a laser printer using plain white paper. Then, using a good photocopying machine, make copies of the original using your high quality resume paper. Be sure that there are no specks or flaws on the copy before mailing.

A resume should go through at least three or four drafts before it is ready to be seen by prospective employers. Have your resume critiqued by the Career Services office or a faculty member. Remember - spelling errors are the most common reason that a resume is discarded by a potential employer! Proofread often.