GET STARTED

• • 1. Take an inventory of yourself

    • Who are you at this point in your life? What have you done? Where have you been? What have you learned? What skills do you have? What recognition have you received?Focus on your skills–competencies developed from learning and practice. They can be acquired from paid employment, research experiences, volunteer work, work-study jobs, internships, extracurricular activities (on or off campus), varsity athletics, hobbies, and academic projects. Here are the ones employers have told us they are looking for: NACE Career Readiness Competencies
      Once organized and fine-tuned, your inventory will be the content of your résumé.

  • 2. Wait! Before You Start Writing…

    • Remember to use clear and consistent formatting throughout the document!
    • Use bold, italics, underlining, and ALL CAPS TEXT in moderation to create visual appeal and to help the reader quickly pick out the key information. Be consistent, but selective. These tools lose their impact of they are overused. A simple border or the use of shading to draw attention to certain sections is fine when used sparingly.
    • Your first challenge is making sure your resume gets past the computer screen. 70% of resumes are read first by a computer (something called an Applicant Tracking System or ATS) before they get to a human. Follow the tips below to be more ATS-friendly.
    • Do NOT organize your information using text boxes or tables and don’t use colored text, pictures or logos in the resume (there are some exceptions to this for “creative” majors like art or game design where employers expect to see creativity in the resume).
    • DO NOT start from a Microsoft Word or online template (which have some of these things built-in)!

  • 3. Choose a Font Size and Type

    • The font size for the body of the résumé should be between 10 & 12 points.
    • Serif fonts are generally best. Some hiring managers believe Times New Roman to be overused. You may want to stick to something like Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Helvetica or Tahoma. The résumé should be one page, unless you have a lot of relevant experience; two pages are then fine. Almost all students and recent graduates should have a one page resume.
    • Don’t worry about how long it is in your initial draft. Get all your ideas and experience out on paper and refine the language in later drafts.
      If you find yourself extending onto a second page, carefully examine your content and ask yourself if this is critical information as it relates to the specific job you are trying to get. If you must use a second page, adjust your formatting to completely fill both pages.
      An entry-level CV format can be two pages.

  • 4. Select a Resume Type

    • There are many resume format types from which to choose.
    • However, a Reverse Chronological Resume best serves most entry-level candidates.
    • LEARN MORE

  • 5. Create a Header Section

    • A Header section with name and contact information (school address, permanent address, telephone number, e-mail address) should appear at the top of the résumé.
    • SEE SOME TIPS AND EXAMPLES

  • 6. Create a Summary/Profile Section

    • After the header, begin your résumé with a summary statement, sometimes called a profile. Summary statements are excellent opportunities to emphasize succinctly your fit with job description.
    • SEE SOME TIPS AND EXAMPLES

  • 7. Create an Education Section

    • As a current student, or recent graduate, your education is typically your most important asset and should be featured prominently at the beginning of the page. After your first full-time job, this section is typically reduced in detail and moved to the bottom.
    • SEE SOME TIPS AND EXAMPLES

  • 8. Create an Experience Section

    • For each job or internship, use bullets to emphasize your accomplishments and provide thorough, yet concise, explanations of what you do or did. Employers want to know not just what you did, but also how well you did it!
    • SEE SOME TIPS AND EXAMPLES

  • 9. Create Additional Sections Specific to YOU (Research, Skills, etc.)

    • Make your case! Professional experience in your field is a great thing to have, but it isn’t all that employers and graduate programs want to see. Did you develop strong public speaking skills by serving in a leadership position for a campus club or organization? Did you assist a faculty member with their research? Did you organize and manage projects during a volunteer experience? Your resume should present all your skills and experience. Some additional sections to consider might be: Research, Skills (or Technical Skills, or Lab Skills), Activities, Varsity Athletics, Volunteer Experience, Professional Associations, Leadership, etc.
    • SEE SOME TIPS AND EXAMPLES

  • 10. Make the YOU Shine Through!

    • Use the rules and information provided here to make informed decisions about what to include, what to omit and how to arrange the information to best REPRESENT YOU specifically for the JOB or PROGRAM in which you are interested.
    • There is no ONE right way to make a resume. Follow the rules and examples provided here to craft a resume that will help you shine and differentiate yourself from the competition, not with design gimmicks but through effective presentation of your knowledge, skills, abilities and accomplishments!

  • SEE SAMPLE RESUMES

    • Need to see a few examples? Remember, these are only to give you a rough idea of what you can do. You can find hundreds of different designs on the internet. Choose one you like and adapt it to your needs. Remember, however, use what you find as a style reference but don’t use templates you find directly. Start from a blank Word document and emulate the design you prefer.
    • SEE RESUME SAMPLES
    • If you are creating a Federal Government resume (FBI, DHS, etc.) READ THIS GUIDE FIRST!, then start with this Federal Resume Template example.

  • Got a Draft Ready? Use the Checklist!

    • Think you have a final draft? Use this checklist to make sure you covered all the important points.