It’s a good idea to have a long version of your resume that you save on your computer that you can pull from each time you apply for an opportunity. By having this longer document, you can then determine which information should be used for the particular position. Class projects, work experiences (even from high school), campus involvement, volunteer work, and entrepreneurial projects could potentially be needed for future resumes you are building. Focus on how the transferable skills you have obtained, even from jobs you think are unrelated, actually do relate to the position you want.

Read the job posting for the position you are applying to carefully, and determine the following:

• What skills are they looking for?

• Who are you sending your application to?

• What relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and education do you have that the employer needs to know about?

• Choose the type of resume you will use

  • Chronological

  • Functional

  • Combination

  • Creative

A brief statement indicating the position to which you are applying

• Is clearly stated and conveys purpose

• Is reasonably short (1-3 lines)

• Is related to position applied or states the job title

Include the name of company or organization (unless self-employed), your title, the location (city, state) and dates of involvement (month year – month year OR month year – Present). Use action verbs to describe your duties and accomplishments. List history and dates in reverse chronological order (your current or most recent work or activity first) within experience categories.

Briefly describe primary duties in a way that shows significance and skill development. Focus on transferable skills you will use again rather than specific duties that may not be part of a future job.

• Provide only relevant experience that pertains to that job (past 10-12 years)

• List experience in reverse chronological order within sections

• Include job title

• State employer name & location (city, state)

• Include dates for each experience

• Use bullets to make important points rather than lengthy sentences or paragraphs

• Begin each bullet with a powerful action verb, and do not use “I” or “my”

• Descriptions detail skills, accomplishments and results rather than duties Examples:

  • Offer customers personalized service by taking and processing food orders in a timely manner.

  • Assisted manager to develop and lead orientations of 15 new employees.

Additional categories might include class projects, related experience, relevant course work, research experience, leadership experience, presentations, and publications.

Consider separating your experiences to strategically place your most relevant experiences higher on the page by using headings such as “related experience” and “work experience.”

• Make an immediate favorable impression; easy to read

• Avoid using templates you find online – they are hard to update and look generic

• Looks appropriate for profession

• 1 inch margins on all four sides

• Only one font type, (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri), 10-12 point

• Separate info into categories for easy reading

• Make efficient use of space

• Appropriately uses bold, underlining, etc.

• No more than 2 pages in length; One page, in most cases, unless you have extensive experience in that field

• Make every word count.

• Support and substantiates objective

• Do not use full sentences (no “I” statements).

• Free from grammatical, spelling, & punctuation errors

• Mention technical, computer, or language skills

• Organize categories so strongest qualifications listed first, consistent format throughout

• Related information should be organized together in categories

• Do not list references on main resume

• If distributed in person, print on high quality resume paper

When describing your experiences, start each bulleted phrase with a strong action verb to demonstrate a specific skill. Avoid starting your phrases with the words “responsible for.” Instead, you want to provide the reader with a visual of how you acted on the job. Use the words listed to create a clear picture of your experiences.

• Management / Leadership Skills • assigned • attained • chaired • collaborated • consolidated • contracted • cooperated • coordinated • delegated • directed • enforced • enlisted • executed • expedited • facilitated • governed • improved • increased • initiated • inspired • led • listened • managed • mediated • motivated • oversaw • planned • prioritized • produced • recommended • represented • reviewed • revitalized • scheduled • shaped • strategized • strengthened • spearheaded • supervised

• Communication Skills • addressed • arbitrated • authored • clarified • conveyed • convinced • corresponded • directed • drafted • edited • explained • formulated • influenced • informed • interpreted • interviewed • lectured • mediated • moderated • negotiated • persuaded • promoted • publicized • reconciled • recruited • reported • summarized • translated

• Research Skills • analyzed • calculated • collected • compared • conducted • critiqued • defined • evaluated • examined • extracted • forecasted • formulated • gathered • identified • inspected • predicted • quantified • reviewed • summarized • surveyed • systematized • tested

• Technical Skills • analyzed • assembled • built • calculated • computed • constructed • designed • devised • engineered • fabricated • located • maintained • modified • operated • overhauled • programmed • remodeled • repaired • solved • supplied • upgraded

• Teaching Skills • adapted • advised • coached • communicated • coordinated • demonstrated • developed • enabled • encouraged • evaluated • explained • facilitated • guided • informed • instructed • persuaded • set goals • stimulated • trained

• Financial Skills • administered • allocated • analyzed • appraised • audited • balanced • budgeted • calculated • computed • developed • forecasted • marketed • planned • projected

• Creative / Design Skills • acted • built • choreographed • composed • conceptualized • created • customized • designed • directed • entertained • established • fashioned • founded • illustrated • incorporated • instituted • integrated • introduced • invented • originated • performed • photographed • planned • revitalized • shaped

• Helping Skills • administered • assessed • assisted • clarified • coached • communicated • coordinated • counseled • demonstrated • diagnosed • dispensed • educated • evaluated • expedited • facilitated • familiarized • guided • monitored • motivated • operated • performed • recorded • referred • rehabilitated • represented

• Clerical / Detail Skills • approved • arranged • catalogued • classified • collected • compiled • dispatched • executed • generated • implemented • inspected • monitored • operated • organized • prepared • processed • purchased • recorded • retrieved • screened • specified • systematized • tabulated • validated