Student Affairs

Career Services – Resume Tips

Know your audience - specifically address the skills and abilities required for the type of job you want.
Your resume needs to be packed with accomplishments - don't list your job duties, outline the action you took, the goals you achieved, and the impact you had.
Include quantifiable results, i.e. "Increased quarterly sales by 25%".
The objective should be clear, concise, specific -not more than one sentence.
Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
Your job search e-mail address should be your name or a variation not a cute or funny address. Not bigpoppa@yahoo.com or sweetkisses@hotmail.com.
If your GPA is above a 3.0, include it for all colleges listed.

Chronological resume format is the most widely accepted. It allows you to build on skills that are directly related to your career path, and is easy for employers to follow your work history.
What comes first gets read first. The first third of the page should contain the information most closely related and critical to the position you are targeting.
Consider using a summary of qualifications containing facts about yourself that directly address the position you are targeting. Example: Five years sales experiences or XML, C++, and Java. This concentrates the most critical information at the top of the page.
Brief is best. No more than one page for applicants entering a first career.
Begin each new item with an action verb - see attached list.
Your formatted heading and font should be the same on all written materials - resume, cover letter, and references.
Select a conservative font style such as CG Omega, Tahoma, Palatino or Arial.
Font size should be 10 to 12-point; your name should be 14 or 16-point font.
Use solid bullet points to set off your accomplishments - avoid using paragraphs.
When in doubt spell it out - avoid abbreviations.
Spell out numbers "ten" and lower (excluding dates and GPA).

Have others review your resume or set it down for several hours and come back to it with fresh eyes.
Use spell check but do not rely on it. It does not identify:
- Grammar errors
- Misspelled proper names (company names, employer contact names)

Management skills	Communication skills	Clerical or detailed skills
administered analyzed assigned consolidated coordinated delegated developed directed evaluated executed improved organized oversaw planned prioritized produced recommended reviewed strengthened supervised	addressed authored corresponded developed directed drafted edited enlisted formulated influenced interpreted mediated moderated motivated negotiated persuaded promoted publicized recruited wrote	approved arranged catalogued classified collected compiled dispatched inspected monitored operated prepared organized prepared processed purchased recorded retrieved screened specified validated

Research skills	Technical skills	Teaching skills
clarified collected critiqued diagnosed evaluated examined extracted identified inspected interpreted interviewed investigated organized reviewed summarized surveyed systematized	assembled built calculated computed designed devised engineered fabricated maintained operated overhauled programmed remodeled repair solved trained upgraded	adapted advised coached communicated coordinated developed enabled encouraged evaluated explained facilitated guided informed initiated instructed persuaded stimulated

Financial skills	Creative skills	Helping skills
administered allocated analyzed appraised audited balanced budgeted calculated computed developed forecasted managed planned projected researched	acted conceptualized created designed developed established illustrated instituted integrated introduced originated performed planned revitalized shaped	assessed assisted clarified coached counseled demonstrated diagnosed educated expedited facilitated familiarized guided referred rehabilitated represented