Develop Your Resume

A resume is a concisely written marketing tool that promotes your accomplishments, skills and qualifications for a job or internship. The goals of a resume are to show the employer that you have the skills they seek and invite you to an interview.

Did you know that employers spend an average of SIX SECONDS looking at your resume? Follow the format and content tips below to ensure that you submit a targeted, customized and concise resume that will be noticed.

Formatting Tips
- One page with copy that is clear and concise. It may be two pages if you have extensive and relevant work experience.
- Balanced margins (0.5" to 1") and good ratio of text to white space
- An easy-to-read and professional font in 10- to 12-point size
- Selective use of bold, italics, underlining and capitalization
- The most important information listed toward the top of the resume, for example Education, Skills, or Summary of Qualifications
- Package your most relevant experiences under a heading that matches the type of work you are seeking, for example "Film Production Experience" which may include experiences from part-time jobs, volunteer work, class projects, club/leadership activities, etc.
- Triple-check to ensure there are:
  - No spelling or grammar errors. Make sure to proofread carefully.
  - No personal pronouns (I, me, we)
  - No personal information (picture, age, religion, marital status, disability, etc.)
  - No references
  - No salary history or reason for leaving a job
  - No mentions of jobs or experience more than 10-15 years. You can include degrees but not graduation dates.
Content Tips
- Thoroughly read and understand the position description and company website to understand what skills/qualifications the employer wants, then tailor your resume accordingly.
- Customize your resume to include relevant keywords, skills and experiences that match each job/industry for which you apply.
- Consider including a "Summary of Qualifications" section at the top of your resume to quickly highlight your relevant qualifications and to entice the employer to read more.
- In the "Experience" section(s), make sure to:
  - Format your experiences with consistency, including job/project title, company/organization, location (city, state) and date range for each entry.
  - List your experience descriptions in bullet-point format, not as a paragraph.
  - Focus on accomplishment statements when writing your descriptions (see below).
- Accomplishment statements
  - Begin with action verbs, using this resource for help.
  - Use bullet points to demonstrate skills and show results/accomplishments.
  - Avoid introductory statements like "Duties included…"
  - Quantify when possible, for example "Managed $5,000 budget; increased sales by 30%; tutored 10 students each week…"
  - Incorporate transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and time management
Examples of accomplishment statements:

"Coordinated three fundraising events for local shelters, raising more than $8,000 (20% over goal) and greatly improved community awareness"

"Ensured customer satisfaction at a high-volume location, effectively providing service to an average of 100 customers per day"

"Collaborated with clients, software developers, technical writers, and interface designers to deliver financial reporting software three months before deadline"

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Resume Samples and Templates