The Office of Career Development and Employment Services has prepared this guide to help you create a professional-style résumé and cover letter. Career Development counselors are available for consultation throughout the process. Call 871-7680 to arrange an appointment. We help students create résumés that get interviews and lead to great career opportunities.

What is a résumé?

A résumé is a brief summary of your education, skills and experience.

It should be organized, thorough, concise and professional in order to give an employer a positive first impression of you.

The résumé's goal is to earn an interview, and if you are not getting called for interviews you should consider revising your résumé.

A quick note on sending information

When responding to an advertisement, check the job posting for all required information: résumé, cover letter, transcripts, reference letters, reference lists. Send EXACTLY what is requested, before the deadline.

If you fax or email a résumé, send a clean copy through the mail as well if possible. When emailing a cover letter and résumé, the cover letter should be first.

When sending through the mail, use large envelopes so that your packet can arrive flat with no creases. Your cover letter should be on top, followed by the résumé and then any other information requested.

Call and confirm that the employer received everything requested in the ad. An incomplete file never results in an interview.

What do they want from you???

Since employers spend on average less than half a minute on each résumé, you don't have much time to impress them.

It must be appealing to the eye, laser printed and free of stray marks.
Information must be easy to find. Organization is the key.
It must be absolutely error-free.
An outstanding candidate with a poorly-written résumé will often get passed over for less experienced candidates with an organized, well-written résumé.

Before you write

This is one project that requires thought and, dare we say it, homework. A little forethought will save you a great deal of time in the long run! No, you can't just sit at your computer and crank out an effective résumé.

Research careers and companies that interest you. Use the Career Development Library. What skills do they require? What education level? What personal qualities?
Write out a list of your skills and personal characteristics. What job-related skills do you possess? What are your strongest qualities? Are you organized, outgoing, efficient, responsible? Are you a leader, a problem solver, a project manager? How many of your skills match the skills required for your career?
Have a list of all your completed classes, your previous employers, your internship sites, and other relevant information handy.
For each job, internship, co-op, practicum or leadership position, list your duties and responsibilities. Be specific about the who, what, where, when and why.

RÉSUMÉ CONSTRUCTION

There are many ways to organize a résumé. Presented here is the most effective method for a college student or recent college graduate. Every résumé has mandatory sections (Contact information, Objective, Education, and Experience) , as well as optional sections (Skills, Activities, Honors, Military Service) . As we'll see, there are many possible titles for these sections and a great deal of information can be covered in each.

Contact Information

List your full name (middle name or initial optional).
List your permanent address and/or your college address. Use two-letter state abbreviations if you wish. If you use one address, center it at the top of the page. If you use two, place one on the right margin and one on the left.
You should include an e-mail address if you use it frequently.

Objective (Professional Objective, Job Target, Career Objective)

Use a half sentence, rather than a complete sentence.
Use a specific job title and the company name when responding to a job announcement.
Leave out jargon and adjectives such as "rewarding", "challenging," and similar language. Everyone wants a rewarding and challenging position with room for advancement!
If you have different job targets, have a separate résumé for each objective.

Education

Write out your degree first, with your major and date of graduation.

List the school on the second line, with city and state.

List any minors or concentrations if any. Include your QPA ONLY if it's a 3.0 or better. See a counselor for alternative ways to calculate your QPA.

Include honors such as Dean's List, scholarships or departmental awards.

Mention activities and offices held, either here or under a LEADERSHIP category.

OPTIONAL: include about 4-8 of your upper-level courses, under the title, RELATED COURSEWORK.

Experience (Related Experience, Relevant Experience, Internship Experience, Teaching Experience, Business Experience, etc.)

List your title, the company (with city and state), and your dates of employment, starting with the most recent and working your way backward.
List your duties. Be brief but thorough. Start each line with an action verb . If you're still on the job, the verb should be in the present tense. If you no longer work there, it needs to be in the past tense.
Place related jobs/internships together and unrelated positions in a separate category.
Explain any accomplishments, achievements or awards received on the job.

Skills

List four or five specific skills directly or indirectly related to your job target.

This section may be included after your experience section, or possibly immediately following your objective.

References: Available upon request.

Do NOT put references on your résumé. Use a separate sheet.

SCANNABLE, ELECTRONIC AND ONLINE RÉSUMÉS

Many companies will request a 'scannable' résumé or an 'electronic' résumé. Click here for a sample.

A scannable résumé will be scanned by a computer for keywords related to job descriptions of company vacancies. The computer will record the number of 'hits' for each résumé; the more hits you have, the more likely you'll be considered for an interview. This process allows employers to process large numbers of résumés rapidly and efficiently.
An electronic resume is simply a resume that may be sent through e-mail.

CAUTION!!

Your résumé will most likely be rejected by the scanner, or jumbled when transmitting through e-mail, if it is not designed appropriately. Bullets, tabs, centering, italics and fonts that make your résumé look so nice and professional will throw off most scanners and will not be recognized in an e-mail message.

HINTS:

Here are a few rules for preparing your résumé for scanning and/or e-mail:

Remove all underlinings, italics, bolding and any other formatting. Remove all bullets. All information should start on the left margin, not centered.
Use the simplest, 12-point font available (Arial usually works best).
If you don't have one, add a section for your skills, using strong adjectives and verbs throughout. This will enhance your number of 'hits.'
Particularly in e-mail résumés, it is critical to have the most important information first.
Saving a résumé as 'text only' can make it acceptable to scanners or e-mail. Be sure to proof it carefully after saving it this way!!
When mailing a scannable résumé, use plain white paper and send it in a large flat envelope.

ONLINE RÉSUMÉ POSTING

Thinking about posting a résumé online? There are many advantages and pitfalls to posting online. When choosing a place to post, consider the following:

How much does it cost? Many sites provide free posting and updating.
How easy and expensive is it to update the résumé?
How long does it stay online, and when you get a job can it easily be removed? You'd be surprised how many people who find jobs still get calls because employers have access to their résumé online.
How do employers receive the résumé? Most résumé sites let employers browse and save résumés that interest them. This method is preferable for you, since the company got your résumé because they selected it themselves, and you'll have the opportunity to update it as you need to. Other sites send your résumé to companies. If the site you choose uses this method, find out how they select the companies they send to, and if possible, which companies will receive yours. Usually this is a one-time service, so you won't get to change your résumé once you upload it.

A good resource for scannable, electronic and online résumés, as well as other career information, is the Riley Guide, http://www.rileyguide.com/letters.html . This database sorts the posting sites into 'free' and 'pay' sites, and tells which fields each site targets. If you have further questions, please contact Career Development.

HINTS FOR PROFESSIONAL RÉSUMÉS

LOOK HERE! If you have them, call attention to your internships/practicums/co-ops by listing them in their own category and describing them thoroughly. Either omit unrelated jobs or list them under "EMPLOYMENT."

GET ATTENTION! Use bold, italics and underlining to draw attention to key points, but use them sparingly. Use plain fonts that are easy to read (Times, Arial, Helvetica, Palatino). Use heavier résumé paper. Since companies may make copies of your résumé, avoid dark paper. Use cream, ivory, white or buff paper. Always use a laser printer. Fancy fonts and loud paper draw attention to the appearance while detracting from the content .

BE HONEST! Never exaggerate or lie about your qualifications, but do not underestimate or undersell yourself either.

FOR ACTIVE PEOPLE! You may add sections for "Honors" or "Military Service" or "Leadership" if you have enough to deserve a separate section. If you have space, you may add an "Interests" section as well.

NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS! Don't include information on age, marital status, gender, health conditions, political affiliations, or other personal information.

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT! Proofread your résumé. Have someone else proofread your résumé. After they check it, have someone else proofread your résumé. YOUR RÉSUMÉ MUST BE ERROR-FREE!

WHOSE IS THIS? If your résumé is more than one page long, be sure your name is at the top of the second page, along with "Page 2". Do not staple your résumé together. Strive for one page, though.

TENSE UP! Don't get nervous, just be sure that your verb tenses match. Be consistent throughout your résumé.

CONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING! Be consistent in your use of bullets, paragraphs, boldface print and verb tenses.

RÉSUMÉS FOR EXPERIENCED JOB SEEKERS

You've obtained and worked in a professional position for a few years, and now you need a resume to apply for a new job or for a promotion at work. How should the resume change, and how should it stay the same?

The emphasis now should be on your professional work, and college jobs and activities are reduced in importance.

Resumes of experienced professionals should still be one page, but may be two pages if necessary.

Omit or reduce the following: college activities, unrelated summer or part-time jobs, and interests.

Add your new job, and include accomplishments, special projects, and major duties.

Consider a "Skills" or "Summary of Qualifications" section outlining the abilities you've developed as a professional.

Continue to use a similar format, listing experiences chronologically or grouping them by relevance to your job target.

RESUME TIPS

Here are some statements to think about when writing a resume. Identify examples of your work and integrate the examples with the statements.

Demonstrated leadership and academic excellence

Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills

Plan and organize multiple tasks

Demonstrate initiative and motivation

Flexible/adaptable to handle change and ambiguity

Earned a reputation for being hard-working and reliable

Handle responsibilities with honesty and integrity

Provide quality customer service – anticipating customer needs and demeanor to respond positively to customer concerns

Ability to identify problems and their solutions by integrating information from a variety of sources and effectively weigh alternatives

Willingness to learn quickly and continuously

Demonstrated command of …

Demonstrate solid verbal, written, and listening abilities

Presentation skills – research, power point, Q & A

Ability to take charge or relinquish control according to the needs of the organization

Work cooperatively and collaboratively with different people while maintaining autonomous control over some assignments

Inspire others to participate

Mitigate conflicts between co-workers

Capable of analyzing information and developing solutions to problems

Global mindset – able to work across cultures and be geographically flexible

RESUME SAMPLES

Here are links to sample resumes from Career Development & Employment Services. Use these samples to find out what type of information should be included for a resume in your field, and to view the variety of acceptable formats. Contact Career Development for further assistance. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. If you don't have it, click here to get a free copy.

Business	Education		Humanities		Health Science
Technical		Co-Op		Scannable
Technical Resume Guide for Graduate Students

RÉSUMÉ AND COVER LETTER RESOURCES

Fournier, Myra and Spin, Jeffrey. Encyclopedia of Job-Winning Resumes . Ridgefield, CT: Round Lake Pub., 1993.

Herman, Richard L. and Sutherland, Linda P. The 110 Biggest Mistakes Job Hunters Make . Washington DC: Federal Reports Inc., 1994.

The Adams Cover Letter Almanac . Holbrook, MA: Adams Media Corp., 1995.

Fein, Richard. Cover Letters! Cover Letters! Cover Letters! Hawthorne, NJ: The Career Press, 1994.

http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/resume_guide/restips.html

http://www.umn.edu/ohr/ecep/resume

http://www.acornresume.com/posting.html (listing of free resume posting sites)

These and other resources are available at the Career Development & Employment Services Office. You may come in at any time during office hours to browse our library, and we have computers set aside for career-related work.

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