A resume is an essential component of the job search process. A resume is a brief, informative document summarizing your abilities, education, and experience. It should highlight your strongest assets and differentiate you from other candidates. Your resume is an opportunity to convey to an employer what makes you awesome!

Most employers receive hundreds of resumes for any given opportunity and have very little time to evaluate each one. It is said that your resume will be scanned in 7 seconds or less. Therefore your resume must clearly convey your skills, strengths and relevant experience, in an efficient and visually appealing manner. The following info below will walk you through creation of a resume.

General Rules

Having a clear and concise document is essential. Your document is a representation of you, so be sure to thoroughly check your resume for any spelling errors or formatting inconsistencies. Think CLEAR (easy to scan), CONSISTENT (same font, use of subheaders, consistent margins, spacing, placement of dates), and CORRECT (accurate information, free from spelling and grammatical errors).

Utilize these general rules to get you started:

• • At this stage, your resume should be one page.

  • Keep spacing and formatting consistent throughout the document.

  • Use only professional and easy to read fonts . Suggested serif fonts that are common and perceived as traditional include Garamond, Georgia, Cambria, and Times New Roman. Sans-serif fonts that are seen as a bit more modern and clean include Helvetica, Calibri, Trebuchet MS, Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma.

  • Do not include photographs or graphics.

  • Proofread your resume to ensure it is free from any errors.

  • Make it concise. Avoid pronouns (I, our, me, they) and filler words (etc., of, the, a). You are writing in short form but trying to say the most with fewer words.

Resume Sections

Contact Information

The following content should be included at the top of your resume:

• • Full name (this can be the name you are referred to).

    • If your name is often mispronounced or if you would like to include the pronunciation, you can include under your name in ().

  • Address (City, State Zipcode) - include places where you have housing and can be considered a local candidate. Full address is not necessary.

  • Telephone number - be sure to set up your voicemail with your name and regularly check during the job search process.

  • Email address - make sure it is professional (UC email address --- the name should not be too personal).

  • Optional content- LinkedIn link, eportfolio link, or Github link (programming site)

Headline (Optional)

Resume headlines clearly communicate who you are and what you do and are directly under your contact information.

You may add a headline highlighting your area of focus and interest, such as Training & Development Professional. Here is a brief SHRM article providing additional context for headlines and summaries. Headlines help add keywords related to the roles you are applying for and create a resume focus right away.

Professional Summary (Optional)

Different than an objective statement, a professional summary highlights you as a candidate. Very common in a resume for full-time professionals. Typically includes 3 statements starting with a verb and without the use of pronouns (like experiences' bullet point statements)

• Statement 1: Highlighting experience in the profession and industry (# of years)

• Statement 2: Identify area of expertise you want to highlight related to roles applying for

• Statement 3: Identify personal attributed key to the positions you are seeking and organizations that you possess.

Do NOT add a resume objective statement such as "psychology student seeking an internship to gain experience in field". This statement does not provide any additional insights into you as a candidate.

EXAMPLES of Resume Intro for Full-Time Search (Contact Information, Headline, Professional Summaries).

Education

• • List full name of institution, along with city and state

  • Write out the full name of the degree (ex. Bachelor of Science, Psychology)

  • State the month and year of anticipated graduation - no need to add start date

  • Include GPA only if it is a 3.0 or higher

  • Include honors, scholarships, or deans list if space permits

  • High school information can be included for first year students, format the same way as college information

    • Some local students may include high school as a way to connect to large alumni base

  • List in reverse chronological order (i.e. latest degree is on top of the section)

Experience (for Chronological Resume)

This section should highlight your co-op, internship, and part-time or full-time work experience.

• • Include the company name, city, state, position title, and dates of employment

  • Utilize action verb statements to highlight what you learned, the skills you developed in addition to the tasks you performed, and/or accomplishments you achieved. Try to limit the # of statements to 3-5 for each position to provide room for a variety of experience.

  • Use a variety of verbs; refer to action verb list (see below).

  • Tense: Action verbs should be in present tense for current positions (less "s" or "ing", example administer) and past tense (ending in "ed, example administered) for past positions.

  • Quantify and qualify descriptions when possible (ex. Increased sales by 25%)

  • Reverse chronological order meaning most recent experience on top. Can have types of work experience in different sections such as "Professional Work Experience" and "Additional Work Experience" to stress future career-related work vs. part-time work.

Leadership, Activities, and Service

Your resume may contain one or all of these sections and some can be combined (for example: Activities and Service)

• • It is important to choose quality over quantity in this section.

  • Include experiences where you’ve developed skills relevant to the position you’re applying for

  • List leadership opportunities and community involvement as you would work experience

  • Highlight leadership positions and describe accomplishments using action statements (if room)

Skills

This section typically includes computer, language, and major-related skills when applicable. Incorporate human skills (i.e. team player, public speaking. leadership) into your experiences to demonstrate how they were developed, rather than simply listing them in this section.

Additional Optional Categories or Sections

Note these sections can mirror the format of your work section with bullet points describing the experience. How much space is committed to this content is based on your experience.

• • Research

  • Side projects

  • Technical skills

  • Cultural Experiences or Study Abroad

  • Certifications

Keep in Mind

Each student and candidate has different experiences based on interests, past employment, and where you are in your academic year. Think from a "what have I done" vs "what haven't I done yet" when completing your resume. If you have volunteered a lot in the community during a majority of your free time outside of academics, your volunteer section will include bullet points and action items from previous experience. For 1st time intern, experience seekers really dive deep into efforts you have made to explore your interests in the field. This may include elective classes you have taken, online courses and learning, and shadowing experiences.

OMIT "References Available Upon Request" (see Reference List below)

Writing Strong Accomplishment Statements/Quantifying Bullet Points

Your bulleted descriptions are the heart of your resume, because these go beyond a simple list of your duties at a job. Rather, they should communicate what you learned and accomplished in your roles that will help you excel in the position you are applying for.

To help you write effective bullets:

1. Consider the top skills that employers seek in a candidate (see NACE List below)

2. Begin each bullet with an ACTION VERB (see list from Better Team)

• Avoid starting a statement with Responsible for, Duties included.

3. Provide detail about what you accomplished that relate to the position you seek

Ask yourself, “What did I do?” “How did I do it?” and “Why did I do it?”

1. Begin with What: What, specifically, did you do in your position?

   • Answered telephones

   • Planned an event

   • Entered data into Excel

2. Think about How: Review your list of tasks and ask yourself which skills you used when completing those responsibilities. Use numbers to quantify accomplishments wherever you can.

   • Operated a multi-line phone for five busy attorneys utilizing effective problem-solving and customer service skills

   • Coordinated an event for over 100 students through communication with on-site liaison

   • Executed financial analysis of department spending in Excel

3. Incorporate Why: This section helps the reader understand the purpose behind your actions and see what you accomplished in your role.

   • Operated a multi-line phone for five busy attorneys utilizing effective problem-solving and customer service skills to ensure customer satisfaction

   • Coordinated recognition event for over 100 students completing a certificate program through communication with on-site liaison

   • Executed financial analysis of department spending plans in Excel and provided comprehensive written report to manager

Accomplishment Statement Examples from Job Scan.

Skills Employer Look for in Resume Experience

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified the following as the most important skills in any candidate:

• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Exercise sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and overcome problems. The individual is able to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and may demonstrate originality and inventiveness.

• Oral/Written Communications: Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms to persons inside and outside of the organization. The individual has public speaking skills; is able to express ideas to others; and can write/edit memos, letters, and complex technical reports clearly and effectively.

• Teamwork/Collaboration: Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints. The individual is able to work within a team structure, and can negotiate and manage conflict.

• Digital Technology: Leverage existing digital technologies ethically and efficiently to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals. The individual demonstrates effective adaptability to new and emerging technologies.

• Leadership: Leverage the strengths of others to achieve common goals, and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others. The individual is able to assess and manage his/her emotions and those of others; use empathetic skills to guide and motivate; and organize, prioritize, and delegate work.

• Professionalism/Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and time workload management, and understand the impact of non-verbal communication on professional work image. The individual demonstrates integrity and ethical behavior, acts responsibly with the interests of the larger community in mind, and is able to learn from his/her mistakes.

• Career Management: Identify and articulate one's skills, strengths, knowledge, and experiences relevant to the position desired and career goals, and identify areas necessary for professional growth. The individual is able to navigate and explore job options, understands and can take the steps necessary to pursue opportunities, and understands how to self-advocate for opportunities in the workplace.

• Global/Intercultural Fluency: Value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions. The individual demonstrates openness, inclusiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to interact respectfully with all people and understand individuals’ differences.

Action Verb List

Remember to omit the following starter words for bullet points (Worked, Responsible for, Duties or Responsibilities include)

References

References and their contact information should be listed on a separate page. The heading and font should be the same as your resume. References are individuals who can highlight and speak to your skills and qualifications. Do not indicate “Available Upon Request” on your resume.

• The format of each reference should be consistent: name, title, organization name, organization address, phone number, and email.

• Refrain from using personal contacts (i.e. parents, peers or relatives).

• Professional references can include: supervisors, co-workers, professors, and coaches.

• Always ask permission to use an individual as a reference. Do not assume they are willing to provide you with a recommendation.

• Give each individual a copy of your current resume. In many cases, an individual will only know you in one context (in the classroom, as an advisor, on the job). Their reference will be stronger if they have up-to-date knowledge of your overall accomplishments as stated in your resume.

• Discuss with the individual the position you are seeking. Mention any particular skills you would like them to highlight.

Sample Resumes

See the Resume Examples Page for examples to review.