IMPORTANT FACTORS

1. Your hard copy resume should be on 8 ½” by 11” good, heavy bond paper, preferably white or beige

2. Your resume should be neat and professional in appearance, with effective use of margins and white space

3. Ideally, your resume should be no longer than one page.  If it runs to two pages, make sure all the important information is on the first page

4. It should be easily scannable.  Most resumes are scanned by human or machine, not read.  Titles and other important information should be highlighted

5. Maintain consistency in your display techniques.  Don’t over utilize underlining and boldface.

6. Descriptive paragraphs should be no longer than five or six printed lines

7. Avoid using script type or very small print.  They can be difficult to read.

8. Make sure you stress your accomplishments

9. The resume should be specific and goal-oriented, not general

GETTING READY TO WRITE THE RESUME

In writing your resume, keep in mind that it is a one-page advertisement that provides pertinent information about yourself to prospective employers.  The resume tells…

• Who you are

• What you have done

• What you do

• What you can do

Your resume introduces you to the prospective employer, documents your qualifications for the position sought, and facilitates the interview.  It is not an all-inclusive autobiography.

RESUME OUTLINE

Heading:  At the top of your resume should be your name, permanent address (include apartment number and zip code), and phone number (including area codes + country codes if applicable)

Objective:  This is the first category of your resume.  Simply state the kind of job/career you are looking for.  Be clear and concise.  If you leave off the objective here, you should be very specific in the cover letter (discussed later) about the kind of position you are seeking.

Experience:  This will be either the second or the third category, depending upon whether your experience or education is more relevant to the objective you have stated.  The format you have chosen whether you organize your work experience in reverse chronological order or by functions and skills. (Relevant experiences from:  Jobs, internships, school projects, part-time jobs, hobbies, military, etc.)

Education:  Degrees earned (or to be completed) should be listed in reverse chronological order.  Do not include high school unless that is the extent of your formal education.  For each degree give the following information:

• Name of School attended

• Degree type with date of (expected) graduation

• Major; minor if relevant

• Grade point average (optional)

• Thesis topic (if applicable)

• Relevant courses (optional)

• Scholarships, honors, awards (optional)

• Extracurricular activities (optional)

Optional Sections:

• Professional certificates or licenses

• Special Skills and abilities

• Publications

• Major accomplishments

• Association Memberships

• Hobbies and Interests

• Additional training received

• Link(s) to your online presence (e.g. Linkedin Profile, personal profile site)

• Military experience (if applicable)

References:  Available upon request (it is standard procedure to use this tactic rather than list them on the resume.  Employers usually request references when the onboarding process has reached a certain level.)