1. Information on a resume should be listed in order of importance to the reader – your strengths, accomplishments should come first. Title/Position is most important so always list that first, then Company, Location, Dates.
2. Create a personal branding statement that describes who you are, your greatest strength, and what benefit you bring to your future employer.
3. Identify what makes you uniquely qualified for a position – a qualifications summary can catch a recruiter’s eye and get them to read more carefully
4. Keep it short and pithy to catch a recruiter’s eye.
5. Use strong concrete verbs to describe what you did.
6. Use a bulleted, easy to read format rather than a paragraph style. It will make your strengths stand out.
7. Write your resume for the job you want – highlight past skills and experience that fit what you want to do.
8. Keep it to 2 pages, maximum.
9. Make your resume accomplishments driven, not responsibilities driven. Quantify wherever possible.
10. Focus on the last 10-15 years of experience; you don’t need to list early jobs unless they show skills and achievements that apply to the job you want – then only include those key facts.
11. Put jobs in reverse chronological order – most recent first.
12. Don’t put anything on your resume that you did not personally do.
13. Use a clear font – like Arial/Times New Roman/Georgia at an 11 point size. Avoid fluff, extra words, run on descriptions, and redundancy. Keep it clean and easy to read.
14. Include you education – school, program, any relevant classes that directly relate to the position you are applying for.
15. Be sure that any jargon you use in your resume is common knowledge. For students – if you are part of campus organizations you may need to explain more than just the name. For tech workers – make sure you use all acronyms consistently – don’t use UNIX and later Unix.
16. Do not use italics, script, shading, colors; do use bold and indents sparingly.
17. Do not use internal product names, use descriptions but make them brief.
18. Spell check your resume by printing it and reading it aloud. Have a friend proofread it to catch any mistakes you may have overlooked.
19. Edit and format carefully. You can even hire someone to do it for you, it’s worth the expense.
20. Name drop – if you worked with major customers include their names and how you supported those customers.
Resume Words
Achieved Analyzed Assembled Awarded Certified Composed Controlled Coordinated Created Delivered Designed Developed Devised Directed Educated Established Exceeded Founded Fully Credentialed Implemented Improved Increased Leadership Managed Minimized Monitored Negotiated Operated Organized Originated Oversaw Owned Prepared Problem Solving Programmed Published Reduced Reorganized Researched Reviewed Saved Simplified Supervised Tested Trained
Oral / Written Communications
Core Resume Components
• Contact Information – name, address, phone number and email address. Include certification logos in the upper left or right corners.
• Skills Summary/Branding Statement/Objective – The skills summary is recommended for experienced professionals. Branding statement is recommended for mid to senior level professionals with specific strengths companies are looking for. The objective statement is better suited for recent graduates.
• Work Experience – Show progression and promotions. List titles, company name, location and dates
• Education and Training – List highest degree first. Include continuing education.
• Skills – Incorporate throughout resume. Resume should reflect the skills listed in the summary.
• Activities – List only those activities that are relevant to the target job and non-controversial.
• Organizations – relate affiliations in terms of marketable skills, knowledge and achievements.
• Honors/Awards – Add only if relative to work, otherwise do not include. Technical certifications can be included here.