PURPOSE OF RESUMES

Your resume has only one purpose – to get you an interview

Resumes are used to determine fit for a position based on skills and experience

Your resume is your first impression on a recruiter -consider it a text based portrait of you

WHAT DO RECRUITERS LOOK FOR ON A RESUME?

Presentation and FormatDoes it look nice on the pages? Is it easy to follow? Is it short and concise? Are sections clearly labeled to find key information?

ExperienceSkills and experience match the position requirementsSkills and experience outside the position requirements (leadership, volunteer, honors, achievements, “doing more”)Clear progression in responsibility

No Spelling or Grammatical Mistakes

RESUME WRITING STEPS

1. Gather informationKeep a running list of all your experiences to pull from, save old job descriptions and performance reviewsSave a copy of the job description your are applying to and research the

company

2. Decide what experience and skills to highlight in order to match the position requirement

3. Choose the format sections you want to include

4. Write a draft and review, review, reviewReview with multiple audiences and take all the feedback but then trust your intuition on what best represents you and makes you the most confident

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES | SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 3

RESUME SECTIONS

Contact Information Mandatory • Name, Address, Telephone Number, Email• Make sure email address is professional

Summary Optional • 2 – 3 sentences quickly capturing your experience and interest

• Use instead of an objective• Good for individuals with 10+ years of

experience and/or individuals with experience in multiple areas

Education Mandatory • Degree / Certification, Institution, Graduation / Completion Date

ProfessionalExperience

Mandatory • Chronological, Functional, Combination• Employer / Branch• “Position” Title• Dates in Position• Location

RESUME SECTIONS

AcademicExperience

Optional • Academic projects• Project Name, Class Name, Dates

Leadership & Extracurricular Activities

Optional • Volunteer work, sports, non-related work experience

• Organization Name, Affiliation or Position, Dates

Skills Summary Optional • Technical Skills (Applications, Operating Systems, Databases, Networks)

• Industry certifications• Language Skills

Honors / Special Achievements

Optional • Military or academic honors / special achievements

OTHER POSSIBLE SECTION HEADINGS

Additional Information

Industry specific headers such as Consulting Experience or Library Experience

Publications

Professional Affiliations

Relevant Experience

Volunteer Experience

SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES | SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY 6

REFLECTING YOUR EXPERIENCE

Strike a balance between too much detail and not enoughLess than 10 years = 1 page, More than 10 years = 2 pages

Reader must get a clear and quick understanding of your background with some supporting detail

Select key responsibilities, accomplishments, tasks based on amount of time spent on them and relevance to the position you are applying for

Provide context including purpose, scope, support structure, organizational impact, etc.

Bullets should begin with action verbs, describe the results you achieved (outcome focused) and how you achieved results (including methodology and technology)

ACTION VERBSANALYTICALAnalyzedAssessedAdaptedCataloguedCodedCompiledConsolidatedCritiquedDefinedDiagnosedDiversifiedEvaluatedExaminedIdentifiedInvestigatedJudgedResearchedSortedStrategized

CREATIVITYConceivedConceptualizedInnovatedInventedPioneeredProposed

COMMUNICATIONAnsweredAuthoredClarifiedCommunicatedComposedConveyedDraftedEditedEmphasizedIllustratedInformedInstructedMarketedPersuadedPresentedPromotedPublicizedReportedRespondedSummarizedTranslatedVerbalizedWrote

EFFECTIVENESSAccomplishedCompletedDevelopedDevisedEngineeredEstablishedExceededGeneratedInfluencedInstitutedLaunchedReachedResolvedSolidifiedSolvedStructuredStrengthenedSucceeded

HANDS ONAssembledBuiltConstructedDeliveredDesignedDistributedFixedOperatedRebuilt

IMPROVEMENTEnhancedExpandedExpeditedImprovedIncreasedPerfectedRecommendedRedesignedReorganizedRepositionedRestoredRestructuredRevisedRevitalizedSimplifiedTransformedUpdatedUpgraded

ORGANIZATIONALFiledOrganizedPlannedPreparedProcessedRecordedScheduledStandardizedSystematized

INTERPERSONALActedAdvocatedCollaboratedConnectedCounseledDemonstratedEducatedEnergizedEngagedEnlistedFacilitatedGreetedInterviewedMediatedMotivatedNegotiatedPartneredReconciledRecruitedRehabilitatedRepresentedTaughtTrainedTutoredUnifiedUnitedWelcomed

SUPPORTAssistedContributedParticipatedServedSupported

TECHNICALCalculatedEnteredDesignedDevelopedFormulatedMeasuredPatentedProgrammedTested

SAVINGSEliminatedReducedSavedStreamlined

LEADERSHIPAdministeredAdvisedChallengedCoachedCoordinatedDelegatedDirectedEliminatedEncouragedFoundedGuidedHeadedHiredHostedInitiatedInspiredLedManagedMentoredNavigatedOfficiatedOrchestratedOversawPresidedRanSupervised

VERSATILE VERBSEnsuredExploredFormalizedGatheredImplementedImprovisedIncorporatedIntegratedIntroducedLeveragedMaintainedModifiedMonitoredObservedPerformedPilotedQualifiedReceivedRecognizedRegulatedRetrievedReviewedSecuredSelectedSurveyedTargetedUtilizedVerifiedWorked

FORMATTING DO’S AND DON’TS

DoKeep it consistent

Balance white space with text

Make headings standout (all caps, bold, or another distinction)

Don’tCram the text together

Use different fonts throughout

Use the exact format from the templates available online

TRADITIONAL V. GRAPHIC RESUMES

Source: http://bit.ly/1qsuQlo

WHAT TYPE OF FORMAT SHOULD YOU USE?

Conservative industries (banking, government, legal, etc.) will look for more traditional resumes

Creative industries (design, start-ups, advertising, etc.) allow for more flexibility and graphic resumes can work

For most other industries, a small amount of formatting creativity is fine Selective use of colorCreative overall heading

HOW TO MAKE IT FIT ON ONE PAGE

Is it relevant? If not, take it off

Make the margins 0.5 all around

Use single spacing throughout

Change the spacing between sections from single to 0.5

Consider combining sections where appropriate

RESUME – FINAL TIPS

Current position(s) should be described in present tense; past positions should be described in past tense

All statements should start with action verbs

Use formatting to help organize your resumeDifferent fonts, bold, underline, italics, all capital lettersBullet points, sections

Not every section must be included – select the ones most appropriate for you

Proofread, proofread, and proofread again