The Resume

A resume is a focused summary of your education, work experience, volunteer experience, and overall skills. The major purpose of a resume is to organize your goals, skills, experience, knowledge and background in a manner that will interest the reader and help you secure an interview.

It serves as a written introduction to accompany your letter and/or application. A resume should give employers a sense of what you are capable of doing. Your bullets should be an illustration of the transferability of the skills you have. When your abilities and experience are organized on paper, they are easier to discuss and you will be more confident in your skills and background.

The Basics

Make your resume concise and easy to read; it may only be screened for 5-10 seconds.
Use brief action verb phrases, rather than complete sentences (see following list).
Incorporate key words from your major and career field.
Descriptions should be results-oriented; quantify when possible.
Avoid personal pronouns (“I,” “me,” etc.) and do not say “responsible for.”
Avoid using a resume template; create your document from scratch.
Do not include a photo on your resume.
Use a conservative font, sized at 11 - 12 points (Arial, Times New Roman, Garamond, Calibri, Cambria). * If a company is looking for creative candidates then you have more flexibility.
Have well-organized headings and copy that encourage readability.
Highlight parts of your resume with bolds and italic but don’t overdo it.
Use a balance of blank space and margins and don’t try to cram the copy on the page.
Check spelling and grammar for errors. The resume must be perfect!
Print on resume paper, not white copier paper.
If resume is to be e-mailed, save it as a PDF before sending and named FIRST NAME LAST NAME
Keep your resume to one page (two pages in rare instances). Ask a counselor for clarification.

Summary

The summary is optional and summarizes your expertise described in the resume. As a college student typically this section is not necessary.

Experience

Listed in reverse chronological order.
Highlight skills you have used and how you used them in a concrete way.
Do not list your job responsibilities.
If the job has a job description, your resume should display how you are qualified for it.

Education

Name of degree-granting institution, specific degree and date received (month and year), major, minor or concentration, and GPA (if 3.0 or higher). Don’t include graduation year if you have been out of school for 10-15 years.
If you studied abroad, list it in the education section.

Other Categories

Professional certification and/or licensure, affiliations, professional associations, computer skills (systems and/or languages), technical/laboratory skills, leadership, language abilities.

Action Verbs

Use brief action verb phrases, rather than complete sentences.

Management Skills administered

analyzed

assigned

attained

chaired

contracted

consolidated

coordinated

delegated

developed

directed

evaluated

executed

insured

integrated

improved

increased

launched

led

organized

oversaw

planned

prioritized

produced

recommended

reviewed

secured

scheduled

spearheaded

streamlined

strengthened

supervised

Communication Skills

addressed

arbitrated

arranged

authored

corresponded

developed

directed

drafted

edited

enlisted

formulated

influenced

interpreted

lectured

mediated

moderated

motivated

negotiated

notified

persuaded

promoted

ublicized

reconciled

recruited

referred

spoke

translated

wrote

Research Skills

analyzed

clarified

collected

critiqued

diagnosed

estimated

evaluated

examined

extracted

gathered

identified

inspected

interpreted

interviewed

investigated

located

measured

monitored

observed organized rendered

reviewed

studied

summarized

surveyed

tracked

uncovered

valued

verified

Technical Skills

assembled

built

calculated

computed

designed

devised

engineered

fabricated

integrated

maintained

operated

overhauled

programmed

remodeled

repaired

solved

trained

upgraded

Teaching Skills

adapted

advised

clarified

coached

communicated

coordinated

developed

enabled

encouraged

evaluated

facilitated

guided

graded

informed

initiated instructed

persuaded

set

goals

stimulated tutored

Financial Skills

administered

allocated

analyzed

appraised

audited

balanced

budgeted

calculated

computed

developed

forecast

managed

marketed

modeled

planned

projected

researched

quoted

Creative Skills

acted

conceptualized

created

designed

developed

directed

established

entertained

fashioned

illustrated

instituted

integrated

introduced

invented

originated

planned

revitalized

scripted

sketched

shaped

Helping Skills

assessed assisted

clarified

coached

counseled

demonstrated

diagnosed

educated

expedited

facilitated

familiarized

guided

nursed

referred

rehabilitated

represented

supported

Administrative Detail Skills

approved

arranged

catalogued

classified

collected

compiled

dispatched

executed

generated

implemented

inspected

monitored

operated

organized

prepared

prioritized

processed

recorded

retrieved

screened

sorted

specified

summarized

systematized

tracked

updated

upgraded

utilized

validated

verified

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