Resumes 101

There is no one strategy to write the perfect resume, but the steps here can help you to create a resume that highlights your skills and accomplishments in a clear and concise manner to increase your chances for an interview.

Career Coach Resume Builder

Career Coach includes a free resume builder, which is a great way for you to build a resume from scratch, or update your current resume. Career Coach allows you to match up your work experience with common words and phrases to accurately capture all of your capabilities. to use this tool.

 

Formatting

  • Be consistent with your margins (1鈥, 0.7鈥 or 0.5鈥 are the best), font sizes (10-12 pt. for body text, 14-16 pt. for headers, 18-24 pt. for your name), and professional fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Cambria).
  • Develop a header with your personal contact information, including a professional email.
  • Keep your resume to one page unless the career field indicates otherwise. If you do have a longer resume, make sure you have full pages of content.
  • Avoid abbreviations; spell out everything (industry exceptions may apply).
  • Do not include personal information such as photos, date of birth, hobbies, ethnicity, and/or religion.

Customize

  • Review the job description and mark the skills you have that you would like to highlight in your resume.
  • Start your bullet point with the skill verbs used in the job description.
  • Organize bullet points within your experience blocks; the most relevant experiences should be first.
  • Instead of using generic headers like 鈥淲ork Experience鈥 create custom, specific headers such as Retail Experience, Childcare Experience or Leadership and Management Experience based on the job description.

Education

  • If you graduated from high school less than one year ago or if your high school education directly pertains to the position you are applying to, then you should add your high school to your resume. Otherwise, do not include high school information.
  • Adding previous college experience to your resume is optional. If it is relevant, add it to your resume.
  • Education experiences should include the following information: name of the school, location, expected graduation or completion dates, degree, major or concentration, and GPA if it is 3.0 or higher.

Experience Sections

This includes: work, internships, volunteering, student leadership, and clinical rotations.

  • Include the organization or company name, location (city, state), title, and dates (month and year)
    •  2-3 accomplishment bullet points per experience: Start with a skill verb + what you did + why you did it (the impact or result)
    • Use reverse chronological order (most recent first) for the experiences within each of your custom headers
    • Past or present tense? If you are still in the position, write in the present tense. If you no longer hold the position, write in the past tense.
    • No personal pronouns (I, me, or my) should be in your resume.
    • Experiences do not have to be paid to be on your resume. Internships, volunteering, student groups, and athletics are all valid experiences and should have an experience block.
    • Use bullet points to list experience and highlight skills concisely.
    • Check for grammar and spelling errors.

Additional Sections:

Advanced Skills

  • Certifications and Training
  • Language: Literate: Read and write the language; Conversational: Speak the language; Proficient: Read, write
    and speak the language well; Fluent: Read, write, and speak the language with similar skill to a native speaker
  • Lab: include laboratory procedures or techniques you can conduct or equipment you can operate
  • Computer: include software, languages, and hardware experiences required for the job, as well as your skill level

Coursework

  • Include only if it directly relates to the position and is an upper-level class (300 level or higher)

Volunteer and Leadership Experience

  • Use experience blocks for these activities with at least 2-3 bullet points

sample of a resume with the personal letterhead, education section, custom header, experience block, organization, title, location and dates, accomplishments/bullet points higlighted

Accomplishment Statements

Your resume is your personal 鈥渕arketing tool鈥 which advertises a specific product鈥攜ou! In designing your resume, use action verbs and statements to show not only what you did, but what you accomplished. Each time you present an accomplishment, you communicate what happened as a result of your skills and strengths.

To help you formulate your accomplishment bullet point statements, below is a formula that you can follow.

Bullet Point Formula

Skill verb + what you did + why you did it (the impact or result) and add number values/frequency when applicable

Example: Marketed launch of the new product line using daily social media posts and local radio station press releases, increasing website traffic by 1,000 views in the first week.

Upgrade #1

Here is a way you can improve your bullet point statements to incorporate not only what you did, but how and the results.

Basic Better Best
Duties included working with small children Created and implemented fire safety program for small children Created and implemented personal fire safety program for small children ages 6-10, resulting in statewide recognition by Parent Teacher Association.
Duties include answering phones and reception Managed front desk operations Managed front desk operations by greeting customers and answering phones to ensure a welcoming and efficient environment.
Responsible for organizing office training Coordinated and oversaw monthly office in-service Coordinated and oversaw monthly office in-service, increasing opportunities for cross-training between three departments.
Duties included cleaning the restaurant and bussing tables Inspected cleanliness of restaurant throughout a busy eight-hour shift Inspected cleanliness of restaurant throughout a busy eight-hour shift using a procedural checklist; was awarded employee of the year due to initiative and dedication.

Upgrade #2

Begin with a basic statement of what you did and add specifics as you think about how you did it and the result.

  1. Facilitated a meeting
  2. Facilitated a student government meeting
  3. Facilitated weekly student government committee meetings
  4. Facilitated weekly student government committee meetings for a group of 15, resulting in an approved proposal for recycle bins throughout campus in an effort to decrease the campus environmental footprint

Communication Skills

Addressed
Consulted
Elicited
Involved
Planned
Represented
Communicated
Wrote
Advertised
Contacted
Encouraged
Developed
Presented
Solicited

Directed
Observed
Arbitrated
Conveyed
Collaborated
Judged
Presided
Specified
Influenced
Referred
Arranged
Convinced
Explained
Lectured

Promoted
Translated
Negotiated
Spoke
Articulated
Corresponded
Expressed
Listened
Proposed
Suggested
Reinforced
Joined
Authored
Debated

Formulated
Marketed
Publicized
Summarized
Interacted
Enlisted
Clarified
Defined
Furnished
Mediated
Reconciled
Synthesized
Disseminated
Composed


Creative Skills

Condensed
Designed
Forecasted
Introduced
Presented
Performed
Planned
Acted
Adapted
Developed
Formulated
Invented

Proposed
Established
Visualized
Drew
Authored
Devised
Founded
Launched
Publicized
Instituted
Integrated
Solved

Combined
Directed
Illustrated
Modeled
Published
Piloted
Structured
Created
Composed
Displayed
Imagined
Modified

Revitalized
Updated
Photographed
Improved
Conceived
Entertained
Improvised
Originated
Fashioned
Customized
Initiated
Enhanced


Data Collection/Finance Skills

Added
Balanced
Determined
Managed
Reconciled
Audited
Counted
Invested
Accounted
Budgeted

Developed
Marketed
Reduced
Formulated
Projected
Verified
Administered
Calculated
Divided
Measured

Researched
Assessed
Corrected
Figured
Adjusted
Cashed
Documented
Netted
Retrieved
Qualified

Forecasted
Analyzed
Allocated
Compounded
Estimated
Planned
Tabulated
Appraised
Conserved
Prepared


Research Skills

Analyzed
Clarified
Collected
Compared
Compiled
Conducted

Assessed
Critiqued
Detected
Determined
Diagnosed
Drafted

Evaluated
Defined
Examined
Experimented
Explored
Extracted

Formulated
Gathered
Inspected
Located
Investigated
Measured


Teaching/Mentoring Skills

Approved
Advised
Clarified
Coached
Conducted
Coordinated
Counseled
Tutored

Incorporated
Communicated
Reserved
Critiqued
Developed
Empowered
Facilitated
Trained

Adapted
Edited
Enabled
Encouraged
Evaluated
Explained
Focused
Taught

Guided
Individualized
Informed
Instilled
Instructed
Motivated
Persuaded
Tested


Problem Solving Skills

Adapted
Reconciled
Maintained
Recommended
Adjusted
Analyzed

Anticipated
Applied
Changed
Completed
Converted
Determined

Diagnosed
Discovered
Doubled
Mapped
Eliminated
Examined

Executed
Expanded
Identified
Planned
Prepared


Technical Skills

Reorganized
Resolved
Reviewed
Selected
Set up
Upgraded
Built
Tested
Simplified
Solved
Tested
Verified

Utilized
Inspected
Installed
Studied
Assembled
Specialized
Calculated
Coded
Computed
Conserved
Constructed
Solved

Converted
Debugged
Designed
Determined
Developed
Drafted
Engineered
Fortified
Inspected
Installed
Operated
Overhauled

Printed
Standardized
Programmed
Rectified
Regulated
Remodeled
Repaired
Replaced
Restored


Leadership Skills

Administered
Assigned
Coordinated
Decided
Founded
Generated
Managed
Inspected
Maximized
Replaced
Restored
Analyzed
Delegated
Governed
Merged
Reviewed
Appointed
Developed

Handled
Motivated
Recruited
Approved
Directed
Headed
Navigated
Scheduled
Assigned
Eliminated
Contracted
Organized
Secured
Formed
Attained
Emphasized
Hosted
Originated

Selected
Oversaw
Streamlined
Led
Authorized
Encouraged
Implemented
Overhauled
Staffed
Chaired
Enforced
Improved
Coached
Enhanced
Incorporated
Planned
Strengthened
Considered

Trained
Initiated
Established
Increased
Presided
Supervised
Instituted
Recommended
Reorganized
Produced
Consolidated
Evaluated
Prioritized
Controlled
Expedited
Converted
Executed
Hired


Organizational Skills

Catalogued
Categorized
Charted
Classified
Coded
Collected
Compiled
Filed

Corrected
Corresponded
Distributed
Executed
Generated
Inspected
Logged
Ordered

Maintained
Monitored
Obtained
Operated
Organized
Prepared
Processed
Provided

Purchased
Recorded
Registered
Responded
Reviewed
Routed
Scheduled
Screened