Do’s
- Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume and tailor your resume for the position.
- Customize your resume to match a specific job description. Use buzzwords from the industry.
- Focus on positive results and accomplishments.
- Keep a consistent, easily-readable format.
- Create strong, action-oriented statements about your work.
- List the most important, relevant items first. For example, you may decide to move your “Internships” and “Projects” sections above your “Customer Service Experience” section. Underneath each experience, you should also put the most important bullet points first.
- Within each section, you must list experiences in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.
- Qualify and quantify your experiences whenever possible. Include numbers and percentages when possible.
- Highlight specific accomplishments rather than expand on every detail.
- Expand on professional, volunteer, research, and classroom experiences to show transferable skills.
- Proofread your work. Ask the Career Center, friends, and advisors for help.
Don’ts
- Use templates and tables included in software.
- Make general claims (“Good communication skills”) without backing them up with examples.
- Mislead employers about your GPA, skills, or abilities.
- Include long, generic objective statements. Employers won’t read them!
- Submit references on the same page as your resume. They should be kept in a separate document and provided when the employer asks for them.
- Don’t go over two pages. Most underclassman candidates should have a one-page resume, but this will depend on the amount of experience you have.
- Put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to multiple positions that match your career interests.
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