Communicating your Career on Paper Teresa Evans, PhD, Director of the Office of Career Development &...

Communicating your Career on Paper

Teresa Evans, PhD, Director of the Office of Career Development

&Brigitta Glick, SPHR, Founder and CEO, Provenir

What is a Resume?

1-2 page document.

An account of work experience, education, qualifications, objectives, personal qualities and special skills.

It is usually the first item a potential employer sees about you and therefore is very important!

The resume’s main purpose is to get you an interview!

Resume Writing Guidelines

Formatting Tips, Part I

Length – 1-2 pages

Use two font throughout

Section in 1 and text in another.

Use BOLD to emphasize only the most important features of your resume

Acceptable type sizes are 10, 11 and 12 pt.

Be consistent with tabs, dates and other formatting features

Formatting Tips, Part 2

Decide on an overall design scheme – bullets or paragraphs?

Aim for neatness and readability

Is the resume professional-looking and inviting to read?

Common Resume Sections

1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills

7. Memberships/Honors/Awards

8. Volunteer Experience

Name should stand out.

Can vary the placement of name, address, phone number, email address.

List only one phone number.

Professional-sounding voice message

Professional email address


1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills



Short and sweet is preferred.

Example: “Seeking position as elementary school teacher.”

Specific vs. general objective

Can be phrase or sentence.

1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills




Could also be called: Profile, Qualifications, Highlights

Should be tailored to the job in question via the job description

Example: “Extensive knowledge of computer hardware, computer communications, and systems engineering. Strong team-building, multitasking and communication skills due to four years sales experience. Quick learner and effective decision-maker.”


1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills



List graduation with honors or high GPA

Most recent degree or current study first

List expected date of graduation.

List options, minors and certificates.


1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills



Current or most recent job experience first

Not all jobs need to be listed-Be sure there are no gaps. If there are you must explain them.

List job title first.

Include employer’s name and city.

Use bullets or paragraphs to detail job duties.

Each descriptive phrase should begin with an action verb.

If using bullet format, no more than 5 bullets items per job.


1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills



Work Experience/Work History Part 2

Prioritize the order in which you describe job duties, with the most relevant ones listed first.

Remember to list all internships. It doesn’t matter if you were paid or not – good experience is good experience! Put those at the top most related to job applying for.

Skills could be featured in the Summary section, or in a separate section that highlights special areas, most usually

Language skillsExample: “Bilingual: English/Korean”

Computer skills, listing known computer programs

1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills




Include memberships in campus and community organizations.

Make special note if you held an office.

Include dates.

If listing a scholarship, indicate its name and who awarded it to you.

Don’t forget to list national associations.


1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills



Volunteer experience can be listed. This indicates roundedness of interest and character. Include dates.

1. Personal Info

2. Objective

3. Summary

4. Education

5. Work Experience

6. Special Skills




Key to Creating a Successful Resume

TAILOR IT!

Tailor your resume

Your resume should be targeted to the specific job you are applying for.

The job description helps you customize your resume to the employer’s needs.

Make sure the employer doesn’t miss out on your most marketable assets: put them in priority order in the top half or top two-thirds of the resume.

Example Job Description

Tailored Resume

Summary of Qualifications

Questions?

Communicating your Career on Paper Teresa Evans, PhD, Director of the Office of Career Development &...

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