RESUME BASICS

What you SHOULD Include in Your Resume:

• Name, Address, Phone Number(s), Email Address
• Objective/Personal Profile
• Work Experience/Job Titles/Dates of Employment
• Company Names
• Responsibilities
• Education
• Special Skills
• Awards/Endorsements
• Certifications and Accreditations

What you SHOULD NOT Include in Your Resume:

• Document “titles” (i.e. Resume, Fact Sheet, Etc.). Your “title” is your name & contact information.
• Availability
• Reason for Leaving
• References
• Written Testimonials
• Salary
• Abbreviations and Jargon
• Charts and Graphs
• Mention of age, race, sex, national origin, marital status
• Photographs
• Social Security number or Date of Birth

Getting Started

• Current or Last Employer
• Starting Date, Leaving Date
• Company Description
• Title and one or two sentences that describe your responsibilities
• Duties: What were your three major duties in this position?
• Methods, Skills, Results
• What special skills or knowledge did you need to perform this task?
• What has been your biggest achievement in this area - money saved or made, time saved, processes improved?
• What aspects of your personality were brought into play - analytical skills, chemistry, communication skills, confidence, dedication, drive, efficiency, energy, reliability?

Tips for Preparing an Objective/Background Summary

• Focus on how you would benefit the employer, not on how the employer would benefit you. Stay away from stating your working preferences, such as "seeking a team-oriented environment that fosters professional development."
• Don't be vague. Steer clear from statements that say nothing substantial about your career goal (e.g., "seeking a challenging position with potential for growth and advancement").
• Keep it concise and targeted. Make it easy on them by keeping your objective short and to the point. The best objectives contain a desired job title or target.
• It is especially important if you are a career changer or entry-level worker to incorporate objectives into your resume, because your goals may not be clearly defined by your work history.

Formatting Tips

• Clean and neat
• Easy to read
• White space is okay
• Proofread (double check your spelling and your grammar)
• Never “pad” your resume…be honest
• Use action words**
• Try to keep it to one page, but if you need two pages, be sure you use at least half of the second page
• Use only one font style
• Utilize bold and italicized fonts
• Use high quality paper
  

Additional Tips

• Your personal life is personal. Hiring managers don't need to know personal information such as where you spend your summer vacations or your marital status. Include information on activities that are business-related such as memberships in professional organizations and community service involvement.
   
• Simple. Bold. Professional. Three key ideas to keep in mind when formatting your resume are: simple, bold and professional. Forget flashy formatting and stationery with borders or graphics; create a clean and polished document on resume paper with consistent formatting for headings and bullet points. Always remember to use strong action words throughout your resume.
   
• One size does not fit all. If you're applying for a sales position, it doesn’t make sense to focus on your experience in an unrelated field like education or information technology. Adjust your resume to the position you are targeting.
   
• Two sets of eyes are better than one. After you have proofread your resume a few times, ask someone else to review it. A second pair of eyes may be able to catch mistakes you missed and could provide a fresh perspective on how to improve your resume.