Human Resource Services
Resume Writing
Getting Started
An effective resume provides concise, factual, and positive information about you and ultimately serves as a door opener. It should be a one- to two-page summary of your education, experience, and skills for potential employers to quickly review.
In your resume, tell a prospective employer:
- Who you are
- What you know and have done
- What kind of work you want
- Why you should be hired
In situations that require it, a cover letter should accompany your resume because it serves to focus the hiring authority on the aspects of your experience and education that are directly applicable to the job. A cover letter may also be used to demonstrate your attitude, work ethic, and written communication skills. A well-written cover letter and resume play a major role in establishing your candidacy and increasing the likelihood you will be called for an interview.
When writing a resume, a guiding principle may be, “If you don’t have a reason to include information, consider omitting it.” The information you provide in your resume should support your job or career objective directly or your character in general. You’ll want to include facts about your work history, accomplishments, and education. Remember, a resume is not a summary of your life but rather a document that highlights your qualifications for employment.
Work History
When giving your work history, state the name of the employer, your job title or position, dates of employment, and a brief description of your duties. Be sure to include tasks performed as well as any:
- Responsibilities
- Outstanding achievements
- Special skills acquired
- Military experience (Branch and dates of service, highest rank achieved, military specialty, duties, assignments, responsibilities, and outstanding awards and honors)
- If your highest level of education is at the high-school level, give the name and location of the high school as well as year of graduation. If possible, include your class standing (if it is good) and any job-related extracurricular activities.
- College-level education: List all conferred degrees, starting with the highest. If you have not received a degree but have attended college, list the total number of hours completed. Give the name and location of the college, degree(s) conferred, and major field(s) of study. Include job-related extracurricular activities and significant scholastic honors.
Don’t forget to list, if appropriate to your field of work, any memberships in professional organizations, knowledge of foreign languages, articles published, inventions or patents, and any skills (typing or computer software knowledge).
Avoid religious or political affiliations.
When it comes to your educational background, don’t provide detail (like a listing of major courses) unless the job requires it, your work experience is limited, or you did not graduate but want to show you have taken courses related to your occupation. If you want to emphasize your education, place it before your work history; otherwise, it’s fine to put it after your work history.
Be sure to include any other pertinent education, such as vocational, professional, or military schools. List professional licenses or certificates.
You do not need to list references on your resume. Do, however, have a separate sheet that lists your references and bring this to any interview.
Notify your references if it appears you are being seriously considered for a position. It also is a good idea to send copies of your resume to the references you plan to use.
Language You Use and Length of Resume
Overall, your resume should not be any longer than two pages for non-academic vacancies. This can be achieved, in part, by using concise phrasing rather than complete sentences. You want to use a positive tone and strong action verbs in your resume to describe job-related responsibilities and accomplishments, such as:
- Instructed
- Demonstrated
- Performed
- Planned
- Motivated
- Increased
- Trained
- Solved
Neatness definitely counts, so be consistent with respect to layout—pay attention to the arrangement of headlines, captions, use of capitals, underscoring, and fonts. Don’t be afraid to lead your reader’s eye through points with headings, bullets, bold type, and white space. Of course, check for typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Be critical—it’s also a good idea to have at least one other person proof read and review your resume.