Top quality appearance is important. It showcases your
qualifications and worth as a potential employee.
Imperfections (misspelled words, typos, etc.) can be used as reasons
to screen you out as an applicant.
Plan to spend considerable time preparing the resume. Work
over several days to allow consideration of information not
immediately recalled.
Start with a rough draft; revise and refine several times
Seek competent advice and critique from professionals who can
suggest improvements (e.g. counselors, employers, professors)
If you have interest in more than one career field, tailor a
resume for each one with an career objective and qualifications
appropriate for each.
Have consistent writing style
Use short phrases with attention to clarity of meaning
and consistent style
use of “I” is discouraged
Present tense refers to current activities; past tense for
past activities
Convey accomplishments and problem solving skills, not duties or
merely information. Emphasize leadership potential,
organizational ability, communication skills, ingenuity, teamwork,
etc.
Don’t drown out pertinent information with trivia
Do not include information that could be detrimental or
negative (e.g., reference to race, religion, political
preference, handicap, etc.) unless such information has direct
bearing on career objective
Do not include salary requirements, test results, or
photographs
Use action words to clearly describe accomplishments and convey
exactly what you intend.
Do not try to impress with the use of complicated, confusing
words
Avoid use of slang and trite expressions (e.g., “working
with people,” “eager, hard-working individual”)
Be honest and accurate
Limit resume to one or, at the most, two pages.
Use spacing and arrangement to place emphasis on specific data
Use of all capital letters, bold print, and underlining will
draw attention to entries of importance.
Have resume printed on good quality 8 ˝ x 11 resume paper
– white, buff, ivory, light tan, or light gray are recommended
colors. Type cover letters on matching paper and use matching
business envelopes to complete a professional-looking package.
Resumes should always be accompanied by a personalized,
well-written cover letter.
These should be perfect in appearance and content, organized,
and concise (one page)
Cover letter is an example of your written communication
skills (an important qualification for almost all careers)
Include exact information about your qualifications for that
specific job and how you can potentially benefit the employer
