Resume Writing Tips

Your resume should tell three things about you: who you are, what you want and what youve accomplished. The two main purposes of a resume are to get you an interview and to facilitate discussion during the interview meeting. Your resume is a written description of your strengths, knowledge, accomplishments, and interests. Your resume states what you have done, and thereby suggests what you can do for an employer.

FORMATS

There are three basic formats you may follow in writing a resume. Officially, there is no one "correct" format for a resume. Each resume you send should be tailored to the specific position that you are applying as well as reflect your individuality and personal style.

Chronological (RECOMMENDED):

Your work or relevant experience information is organized in reverse chronological order. Most recent experiences are listed first according to job title or place of employment. It states your education, employment and activities. Chronological is best for job seekers who have a good work history and plan to continue in the same career area, and for those seeking a first job in their field. You may not want to use the Chronological Format if you have changed employers frequently, if you've been absent from the job market for a while, or are changing careers. *(Most preferred by employers. Recommended for most college graduates).

Functional:

Your work or relevant experience information is arranged according to specific skill areas you have demonstrated. (Ex. Research; Program Planning; Teaching). It emphasizes your qualifications and abilities in terms of your responsibilities. These functions should relate directly to the job you are seeking. The functional format works well for career changers, job seekers who want to stress skills gained through work experience from years ago, those who are re-entering the workforce and those with a long and varied work history. It de-emphasizes dates, job titles and work history and allows you to focus the employer's attention on your skills. The functional resume can be more difficult to put together, but it prepares you to talk about your skills with potential employers.

Combination Functional/Chronological:

Your work or relevant experience information on this resume highlights your skill areas but also includes a chronological listing of your work history. The advantage to this resume is that you can focus employer's attention to certain skill areas and still give the work history, which employers often want to see.

BASIC COMPONENTS OF A RESUME

Heading: Name, Full Address, Telephone Number and Email Address

Objective: Without an objective a resume can lack focus or a sense of direction. To have a true job objective you should be able to answer two or three questions: 1) What type of position are you seeking? 2) What kind of a company or organization do you want to work for? 3) Where do you want to live? If you do have a job objective, that is position or industry specific, then you should write a Job Objective.

Summary of Qualifications/Professional Highlights: This section highlights 4-6 of your qualifications for the position. It may include computer skills, management experience, and number of years in the field, accomplishments or other relevant information.

Education: Start with your most recent college education and do not include high school information. You need to have the proper name of your school, city, state, and your degree and major (also include minors or concentrations). Include only the graduation date (anticipated date if you havent graduated yet). If your GPA is above 3.0 you may include it and any academic honors (Deans list, scholarships, awards, shows...).You may also list 6-8 relevant courses if they support your job objective; do not include introductory courses. Other trainings or certificates can also be included.

Experience: This is the section that employers will read the most carefully. For every position on your resume, make sure to include your position title, the name of the organization, the city, state, and the dates worked. Express your skills with action verbs. Use of action verbs conveys a strong, upbeat quality and emphasizes capabilities. Show the results of using your skills successfully. These results can be expressed not only by using statistics and numbers but also by carefully phrasing your experiences. You may even begin your statement with the results (improved, enhanced, increased) to lend variety to your resume.

A description of the experience should not start with I was responsible for or My duties included. Use short, descriptive phrases that begin with an action verb (see list of skills). For example: My duties included teaching art would be better written as Developed and carried out lesson plans in two and three dimensional drawing. Administrated evaluations Begin each statement on a new line beginning with a bullet. Experience may include class projects, internships, co-ops, self-employment, volunteer work, and part-time, as well as full time positions.

Professional Affiliations: Include any professional or community organizations in your field that you actively belong to.

Activities: In this optional section you may list the leadership positions you have held, memberships in student organizations, and volunteer positions. Descriptions are not necessary here unless you feel they will enrich your resume. Write activities in a consistent format, such a title, organization name and dates.

>> INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT BELONG ON YOUR RESUME <<

Reason for Leaving: Mentioning the reason you left a previous job can only damage your chances for being called in for the interview.

Names of References: It is inappropriate to list the names of references on a resume. Interviewers are not interested in checking your references before they meet and develop a strong interest in you.

Salary: Leave out references to salary past or present-it is far too risky. Too high or low salary can knock you out of the running.

Mention of: Age, Race, Religion, Sex, or National Origin, marital status or number of dependents: Government legislation was enacted in order to prevent employment discrimination in these areas.

MORE TIPS TO REMEMBER!

Your first step in creating your resume should be to list skills, experiences, and accomplishments that you have to offer an employer. Do not worry about format until later. You will probably need to write several drafts or refinements of your resume before you get it right. Have a faculty member, advisor, or Career Center staff member critique your drafts and make suggestions for improvements and corrections. For examples of resumes, look at the Resources available in the Career Services library and online.

There should be absolutely NO typos or spelling errors on your resume. Have someone else proofread your resume. It should be easy to read and have no misspelled words or typographical errors. Errors in your resume may suggest to a prospective employer that your work is careless. Remember you do not get a second chance to make a FIRST impression.

Be concise your resume should be preferably one and no more than two pages. Remember, the purpose of a resume is to get you an interview, not to tell your lifes story. The average time spent by an employer reviewing a resume is 30 seconds! Set up your resume so that the most important information is at the top.

Develop your resume for the type of job you want and keep the employers needs in mind. Focus on information relevant to the job that you are applying. Your resume should be able to stand on its own.

Your resume should be visually appealing. Leave enough space around the edges to frame your resume.

When emailing your resume first do a practice and email it to yourself. When sending your resume as an attachment, be sure to name it something such as, LastNameFirstNameResume.Doc. Do not cut and paste your resume into an email, this will cause numerous character errors in your resume.

Laser Print (do not photocopy) your resume on good quality bond paper white, or off-white. Avoid exotic colors.

Purchase some matching blank sheets and envelopes to use for cover letter and mailing. If the employer is going to see your resume instead of meeting you face-to-face, you want to have a resume that stands out and that is impressive. Employers may receive hundreds of resumes, and you want yours to stand out. It must interest a potential employer enough to invite you for an interview.

You should always have an up-to-date resume. You can never tell when a great opportunity will come your way.