Dream It Do It. Your Future is here for the Making

There are many key things to remember when preparing a resume.  Below is a sample along with several tips to help you land the job of your dreams!

NAME
Email Address and/or Personal Web Address
Campus Address and College Box # · City, State Zip Code · Phone Number
Permanent Street: City, State Zip Code · Phone Number

OR

Institution: location 
Degree, Major (and concentration if appropriate), date 

CAREER OBJECTIVE:

If you have a cover letter, you generally do not need an objective. If you decide you want one anyway, it should be a concise and meaningful statement describing your career goals. Be as specific as possible without being too restrictive.

 

EXPERIENCE:

• List experiences as follows: Job title, employer, location (city, state) and the dates. The order of the job title and the employer depends on how you want to present yourself. De-emphasize dates, months may or may not be relevant.

• Tailor this section for the type of position you are applying - Teaching Experience, Research Experience, Financial Experience, etc.

• You may choose to put either the job title or employer name first. You should decide which is more important - where you worked or what you did.
• May include full-time, part-time, related volunteer work or relevant campus activities, and internships. Remember, not all paid positions reflect your skills.
• May use actions word and adjectives to describe the skills you have developed and applied. Cite your specific responsibilities and accomplishments for each position. Be thorough in your descriptions without exaggerating.
• Appropriate divisions for this category may include research experience, teaching experience, technical experience, etc.

SKILLS:

Computer: Even if it is only word processing skills, list familiarity with computer systems, applications and programs. If you don't have it, they assume you don't know it.

Language: State degree of proficiency in reading, writing and speaking.

HONORS & AWARDS:

List academic, leadership and athletic honors. If you only have academic awards you can list them under your GPA in the Education section.

ACTIVITIES/SPECIAL INTERESTS:

Include leadership positions, such as offices held and responsibilities. You do not need to include everything you have done, be selective in your listing.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST:

You should only use this if you need to fill space. Refer to the Letters of Recommendation CSO guide.

RESUME WRITING TIPS

 1. Limit to one page. You do not have to state everything you have done.

2. Determine the type of layout that works best for your experience.

a. You may use bolding to emphasize key skills and accomplishments. 

3. Tailor your resume to the type of position to which you are applying.

a. Decide what you want your resume to convey about your abilities.

4. Maintain a consistent writing style.

a. Do Not use "I" or "my."

b. You may use complete or fragmented sentences as long as the meaning

is clear and style is consistent.

c. Start each description with an action word. Use present tense verbs when

referring to current activities. Use past tense verbs when referring to past

activities.

d. Especially if you are interested in the financial industry use numbers,

where appropriate, to quantify the scope of involvement.

e. Include a brief explanation of an organization in your description if its name

is obscure. Remember, the reader is not necessarily familiar with your school.

5. Emphasize outcome, accomplishments and breadth of responsibility.

Examples: Streamlined invoice procedures reducing staff processing time.

Organized publicity campaign leading to 25% increase in volunteers.

6. Be concise and clear in your descriptions. Do not try to impress employers

with the use of complicated or confusing words.

7. Make sure there are no typing, spelling or grammar errors.

8. Do not use contractions and make sure you define abbreviations or

acronyms.

9. Be consistent. For example, if your headings are in bold type, all headings

should be in bold. Each entry should follow a uniform format.

10. Spell check, but remember that spell check does not catch everything.

Have someone proofread your resume.

11. Choose a font that is easy to read: Palatino or Times, no larger than 14

point and no smaller than 10 point.

12.  In most cases a cover letter should be attached to your resume. Refer to

the How to Write a Cover Letter CSO Guide.

13. Print final copies of your resume on quality paper. Use the same color and

type of paper for resume, cover letter and envelope. Make sure the paper photocopies well.

14. Seek advice from the Career Services Office for suggested improvements

in wording, layout and style.