The purpose of a resume is to market yourself on paper.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself! It should serve as the "advertisement" that entices the "buyer" (the hiring official) to examine and evaluate the product (you).

Don't hesitate to get assistance. There are many free resources, such as your local library, the Internet, state employment agency, and staffing and placement services such as ours.

Your resume should include only information related to your career goals. Remember, the purpose of the resume is to display your qualifications and what you have to offer in order to get an interview. The interview is the time to get all the details out.

Here are some tips to writing an exceptional resume – one that will catch the attention of prospective employers.



Format: Construct your resume in a clear, concise format.

  • Condense your resume to one page, two at the very most.
  • Set your margins at approximately 1 to 1.5 inches.
  • Avoid small or very large print – use a font size between 10 and 12 point.
  • Use a single, conservative font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
  • Keep your type size consistent. Use bold lettering and italics sparingly, so they do not lose their impact.
  • Include your name, address, phone number, cell phone number, and email address at the top of your resume. If you are planning to move in the near future, state this in your cover letter and include alternate contact information.

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Content

Begin your resume by defining what you have to offer.

Make a strong start by summarizing your skills. Don’t begin with a career statement. This approach provides some opening sizzle and explains what you have to offer the employer, rather than what the employer can do for you.

List your Work History or Professional Experience.

Starting with your current or most recent position, list your job experience chronologically. Take every opportunity to emphasize your skills and accomplishments. This is your time to shine!

Summarize your Education at the end of the resume.

  • List your highest degree first, followed by lesser degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework.
  • List any honors you received or honor societies you belong to.
  • If you currently belong to any professional organizations, include these at the end of your resume, but only if they are relevant and enhance your profile. If you held a position in any of these organizations, include the position title.
  • It is not appropriate to include hobbies, personal information, and political or religious affiliations.
  • It is unnecessary to offer "references upon request" as it is obvious that if you want the job, you will supply them.

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Printing / Presentation

How you present yourself, both verbally and visually, is important when interviewing face-to-face with your prospective employer.

  • Print your resume on white or off-white paper.
  • Make sure that the paper you are using is clean, crisp, and without blemishes. The resume represents you – and you wouldn’t show up to the interview in wrinkled, soiled clothing!

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Proofing: Don’t forget to check the spelling and grammar of your resume!

  • Run Spell Check on the document before you print.
  • Ask at least one qualified individual to read your finished product as an objective critique. They should look at the overall content and search for typos and grammatical problems.

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Tips for Emailed Resumes.

Sending your resume email via the Internet is convenient, both for you and the recipient. However, there are a few tips you should follow so your resume looks as good when it’s received as it did when you created it.

File Type:
Microsoft Word is the preferred file type for resumes transmitted via email. MS Word is widely used and will most likely be readable by the recipient. If you are using a recent version of MS Word, it’s to your benefit to save it to a lesser version, as your recipient may not have undergone a recent software upgrade.

Font:
As a general rule in resume formatting, classic fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are universal on PC’s. Use of designer fonts such as Broadway, Mistral, and Stencil will run the risk of not being available on the recipient’s computer and will likely be substituted, which may disrupt formatting. Therefore, if emailing your resume as an attachment, use of Times New Roman or Arial will best ensure that your resume will look as you intended when read by the recipient.

Use of Bullets:
Use of bullets is a simple way to present your information in a clean, easy-to-read format versus a large block of text. This is especially true when detailing your past work experience. Choose the round bullet, as it’s universal to most PC’s as opposed to designer fonts such as check marks, arrows or stars.

Other Considerations:
Do not use tables and graphs as part of your resume. Separate sections with white space versus dashes, dots and tildes (~~~).

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