Resume Resources

Writing a resume can be a daunting task. Your resume is often your first impression with potential employers and, as we know, a good first impression is crucial. Fortunately, there are many resources available to you to help you along the way. This page includes major resume "dos" and "don'ts", sample resumes, and links to outside resume resources. 

• Make your resume easy to skim. Most resumes are evaluated in 10-20 seconds. This means that there should be clear blocks of text with easy-to-understand and visually clear headers and white space that draws the eyes to the most important points. Your resume should be aesthetically appealing without being flashy.

• Echo the job posting. Just like a cover letter, your resume should be tailored to the specific job for which you are applying. You should talk about yourself in the same way that the company describes the position. Be sure to highlight in your resume real examples of the qualifications that the company is looking for. 

• Visually highlight your name. Your name is (arguably) the most important thing on your resume. You want the employer to remember who you are - make your name stand out.

• Remember your audience. Assume that 50% of the people reading your resume come from a non-technical background and 50% come from a technical background. Your resume needs to appeal to both types of people. The non-technical audience should be able to understand the gist of each bullet point. You should use common terms and technical terms similar to what is in the job posting. 

• Focus on your value. While employers are obviously interested in what work you did in each previous position, they are more interested in the impact that your work had on the team and organization. When writing bullet points, focus on the following ideas: 

  • 1. Show what you accomplished with quantifiable metrics. Show the employer why what you did matters. 

    2. Use specific, active, past-tense language. See the "verb list" resource below.

    3. Include the goal. The work you do contributes to a larger business objective - what was that objective? How exactly did your work contribute? Why does it matter?

    4. Show, don't tell. Include metrics whenever possible and minimize the use of adjectives and adverbs. 

• Follow the five Cs. Your resume should be...

  • 1. Clear: What do you (uniquely) have to offer this company? The answer to this question should be clear from a brief skim of your resume.

    2. Concise: Keep your language and ideas simple. Get rid of all the fluff and get straight to the point. 

    3. Consistent: Your font, margins, alignment, date formatting, Oxford comma usage, capitalization, etc. must be consistent throughout your resume. The content of your resume is not the only thing being evaluated - you want to come across as professional and attentive to detail.

    4. Correct: This is important on two fronts. Most simply, the content on your resume must be correct. If a reference is contacted and asked about your job duties, they should line up with what is on your resume. Additionally, it is important that all technical terms are used correctly. If you misuse a technical term on your resume you lose all credibility. 

    5. Complete: Your resume is not an exhaustive list of all you've ever done, but rather a tailored snapshot of previous experiences that highlight your potential worth to a specific company in a specific position. Think long and hard about which previous experiences to include and what aspects of those experiences to highlight.

• Include links. All URLs should be full and without cruft. Rather than httsp://www.github.com/anonymous or GitHub, opt for github.com/anonymous.

• Use black text. It's the most professional option. Additionally, the person evaluating your resume may end up printing it on a black-only printer and all of your non-black text could disappear.

• Know your stuff. You may be asked about anything you mention on your resume in an interview (including programs, algorithms, etc). Know how they work and be able to answer questions.

• Proofread. Use at least two spell-checkers (Grammarly is great), but don't expect that the spell-checkers will catch everything. Proofread yourself and have friends proofread. Read it out loud and listen to the words. Have a friend read it out loud.

• Your resume should be 1 page. Again, be concise. Prioritize items that show your history of adding value in a similar context. 

• Choose the best file format for the job. There is no one-size fits all answer to the Word vs. PDF file format debate. The best option is context-dependent. For a more detailed breakdown of the pros and cons, check out this article.

• Use an ATS Resume Optimizer. As a part of your review process, be sure to send your resume through an ATS-optimizer tool like Jobscan (linked in the "Resources" section below)

• Clichés. You want to come across as genuine. While you might really be a "fast learner," so many people have used that term that it no longer provides valuable insight to you as an individual.

• Personal pronouns. You shouldn't use "I" or "my" in a resume.

• Unrelated work experience. Most reputable resume resources recommend removing jobs that are completely unrelated to the position for which you are applying (if you're applying to a software engineering position you don't need to include your experience working at a bowling alley). However, it is up to you to determine what work is relevant and what work isn't.

• Grammar and spelling errors. This should be obvious. Proofread your resume multiple times. Have other people proofread your resume. See the "proofread" tips for success section for proofreading suggestions. 

• Non-professional interests. Generally, you should avoid taking up space with a section for hobbies or activities. This type of section typically does not help a candidate, and can often actually do the opposite. If you choose to include non-professional interests, include only those which highlight a facet of your personality that you believe to be beneficial to the company (i.e. coaching or playing a sport, activities requiring teamwork, etc.).

• Abbreviations. Spell out domain-specific acronyms like Machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), artificial intelligence (AI), etc. 

• GPA. You do not need to include your GPA on your resume. Few people outside of academia care about your GPA as it signals little about how you will perform.

• Negative language. Your resume should never include language or wording that is in any way negative towards yourself, co-workers, or employers. 

• Objective statements. Objective statements take up a lot of room and are very subjective. If the goal is to show and not tell, an objective statement makes little sense. 

• "References available upon request." This takes up room and is obvious. You can remove it altogether.

• Photos. Photos take up space and can hurt more than they help. You want to be evaluated on your previous work and technical expertise, not how you look.

The header is always the first section of a resume and should include the following items: 

• Full name

• City and state (not your full address)

• Phone number (you can use a Google Voice number if you prefer more privacy)

• Email (with hyperlink) 

• LinkedIn (with a hyperlink to your profile) 

• GitHub (with a hyperlink to your profile)

• Personal website link

Depending on where you are in your career, "Education" can come before or after the "Professional Experience" section. Your education should be listed in reverse chronological order with the month and year you graduated from the institution. If you have not yet graduated, add (expected) next to the month and year. 

You can include selected coursework in this section if you have space and believe it to be valuable information. This section would include 3-7 courses and take up no more than two lines. Courses listed should be titled with brief, common, high-level descriptions of the content rather than the actual course title (though there may be some course titles that appropriately fit this description. Examples include Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Software Engineering, Data Science, and Machine Learning Algorithms. 

Professional Experience should always be listed in reverse chronological order. See the "General Guidelines" section above for tips on how to write effective bullet points in the "Professional Experience" section.

If you do not yet have any honors or awards, you can omit this section.

A skills section is not always necessary, and it's best if you can include relevant skills in the "Professional Experience" section. However, if you have a need for a "Skills" section, you can include one at the bottom of the page. 

Tips: 

• Include details. Rather than HTML, write HTML5. Rather than CSS, write CSS3.

• Use the official name of technical software. 

Once you have reviewed these resources and are ready to have your resume reviewed, please follow the below steps. 

• ATS Review: Run your resume through an online ATS software such as Jobscan.

• Peer-Review 1: Ask a trusted classmate or colleague with technical expertise to review your resume. 

• Peer-Review 2: Ask a trusted friend from a non-technical background to review your resume. This will help ensure that the 50% of reviewers who come from a non-technical background can understand each bullet point. 

• Advisor Review: Make an advising appointment to review your resume. This can be with your MSSE advisor or with Career Services (or both!). 

• Professor Review: Ask a professor who has experience in the industry you're interested in if they would be willing to review your resume. 

• Final ATS Review: Send your resume through an online ATS software (like Jobscan) once more before sending it out to jobs.