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Home » Students » Student Resources and Additional Information » Resume Tips

Resume Tips

A resume is a door opener to an interview. It is a formal document describing your qualifications. It serves as a selling tool, used to market you- not provide an autobiography. It is a well organized summary of your credentials and experiences most relevant and significant to a potential employer. Your goal is to make a resume that is concise, well-organized, and best describes how you have contributed to your past employers.

resume tools:

action verbs worksheet cover letters thank you letters networking letters

sample resume #1 sample resume #2 sample resume #3

The following are helpful tips for an effective resume:

• Gather all important information related to your education and work experience whether paid or volunteer.
• Using the worksheet, prepare a rough draft. Use the Resume Worksheet to help you begin.
• Use a spell check, but also proofread your work or have someone else proofread it for you.
• Use proper verb tenses.
• Present tense refers to current activities, past tense refers to past activities.
• Try to use action verbs.
• Be honest and accurate.
• Limit your resume to one page. It is best to keep your resume down to one page unless you have more than 10 years of experience or published work.
• Print your resume on quality paper.
• Type cover letters on matching paper and use matching business size envelopes. When faxing a resume it is fine to use regular typing paper.
• Always send your resume with a personalized, well-written cover letter.
• You can have different resumes with different objectives and job requirements.
• Chronological format is the one most frequently used by applicants who have some kind of job experience. The work experience is shown in reverse chronological order, the last or present job being given first. The various positions held at one company should also be described in reverse chronological order. This shows growth and development - characteristics of great interest to employers.

The elements of the chronological resume should include all/or part of the following:
OBJECTIVE
EDUCATION
WORK EXPERIENCE
RELEVANT COURSEWORK
SKILLS, HONORS/AWARDS
AFFILIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS
REFERENCES

GENERAL GUIDELINES REGARDING CAPITALIZATION, DATES, ETC. Please note the following rules when writing your resume: spell out names of foreign countries, months, and addresses. For example: March, not Mar.; Street, not St.; Avenue, not Ave.; Road, not Rd. Spell out company and corporation, not co. nor corp. Abbreviate all states for the locations of your employer and schools: IL, not Illinois.

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