THE CONTENT OF A RESUME
Resumes are generally arranged by topics, or headings. What follows are examples of typical headings you might find on a resume.
Contact info
The first thing on a resume should be your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Your name should be the boldest part of this heading.
Education
Since your education is most likely the most significant part of your experience so far,it is appropriate to list education toward the top of your resume.
List your college education first. State the degree you are a candidate for (BA), your major(s), concentration(s), expected graduation month/year, and GPA (if desired). List any study abroad experience in this section. If relevant, you can also include your thesis topic or relevant coursework.
It is not always recommended to include high school information, unless you feel it will add to your profile.
Experience
The experience section of your resume should not be limited to paid experience. Someof your best experiences may have been at an internship or in a volunteer position.
Give your title, the name of the company/organization for which you worked, the dates worked, and a brief description of your responsibilities. Use bulleted statements for maximum effectiveness, and begin each statement with an action verb (see list of action verbs on next page). Avoid passive language.
You may want to separate your experience into multiple sections; for example, "Relevant Experience" and "Additional Experience," or "Leadership Experience" and "Work Experience." Use the combination of headings that reflect your most important experiences and accomplishments.
Honors/Awards/ Achievements
Those who have received relevant awards may want to include a separate section on their resume to highlight these honors.
Skills
Interests
If you have significant computer skills, language skills, or technical skills, you may want to create a section to emphasize them. You might also include any certifications or licenses you have (CPR, life-guarding, etc.), if relevant.
Some people like to include a section which highlights personal interests like travel, hiking or painting. This is not a necessary section, but adds a well-rounded flair to your resume.
FINAL THOUGHTS…
- Keep your resume neat and easy to read.
- Be sure there are NO spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. A spell-checker on a word processor is a good way to check most errors, but don't rely on it entirely! It cannot detect words that have been used improperly (e.g. "if instead of "in").
- Always be clear and concise.
- Be professional—packaging counts! If you are submitting hard copies (it's always good to have a few on hand), be sure you print your resume on neutral colored bond paper (whites and beiges are good choices). Use a good quality laser printer; don't ever photocopy.
- Always include accurate information; do not misrepresent yourself.
- Know your resume. Anything on it is fair game for an interview.
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