ervices
Resume Writing Techniques
Your resume is designed to get you interviews and eventually a job, an internship, or into a graduate or professional School. It translates what you have done in the past into what you can accomplish in the future. Employers Typically skim resumes, spending an average time of only 15-45 seconds on each. The decision to consider you for an interview often begins or ends at this point. Your goals are to captivate the reader and answer the question, "Why should the employer want to interview me?" Think of your resume as a 30-second personal commercial.
Use the following checklist to ensure that your resume is in its optimal shape.
Length
For a B.A. degree, one full page; for nonprofit (including education) and science, several years
experience, or Master's/Ph.D., one or more pages
Paper Quality
20-25% bond paper in white, off-white, or ivory
Letter QualityFont Style
- Times New Roman, Garamond (avoid serif for scan able resumes), Arial, Helvetica
- Font Size: 10 to 12 point for text; 12 to 18 point for name and headers
- Presentation: Laser printed with watermark up and facing the right direction
Balanced Page - Spacing and Placement of Information
Employers read a resume top left to bottom right, so place most important information across top and
down left side. Sections, paragraphs, lines, and words should be evenly spaced. Arrange information
so that there is slightly more space between sections than within sections. Margins should be
approximately one inch. Be sure there is enough white space to make it easy for the reader to quickly
see what is significant
Name and Contact Information
Present address on left; permanent address on right. Include e-mail address
Headings and Subheadings
Arrange headings and subheadings consistently throughout the resume
Education - include name of institution, city and state, degree, major, minor, and graduation date
Experience - include name of company, city and state, position, and dates worked
Highlighted Main Points
Use bullets, Bold, CAPS, BOLD CAPS, and indentation to emphasize what is most pertinent
Experience Description
Begin with strong action verbs (see list on back)
Avoid "duties included" or "responsible for"
Describe your responsibilities and accomplishments rather than the work environment
Identify skills, communicate strengths, emphasize results
Use concrete examples or facts and figures to quantify achievements whenever possible
End with a Strength
Leadership, Community Service, Activities, Interests, Skills Summary (computer knowledge, language proficiency or other relevant skills)
Spelling, Punctuation, and Writing Style
Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!
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