CSD Helpful Resume Hints

A strong resume needs the following basic components:

Contact Information: List your contact information at the top of the resume. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.

Objective / Position Desired: The objective section provides an overview of who you are and what kind of position you desire.  If you decide to include an objective, stress what you can add to the organization, not what you are looking for the company to provide to you.

Experience: Chronologically list your experience, with your most recent job first.  Include the company name, location, your title and dates of employment (month and year). Also, give a brief description of your accomplishments.

Remember these tips:

• Emphasize your most important responsibilities even if they weren't your primary duties.

• Use an active voice and strong sentences.

• Quantify your achievements with percentages and numbers.

• Use descriptions to highlight your accomplishments.

• Use "power words" -- words that promise to grab the attention of recruiters.

• Paint yourself as a "go-getter" with strong verbs like "proposed," "launched" and "managed."

Skills/Interests: Make sure you mention your technical and computer skills. List programming languages, software programs and operating systems you've used as well as certifications you have.  Include professional memberships in organizations. Be careful what you list though, listing non-career related activities and hobbies can portray you as a well- rounded, but may detract from your main message.

Education: List your most recent education first and work backward. State your degree, major, minor, dates of attendance and the school's name and location. Including your GPA is optional and only used if you received a 3.0 or higher.

References: Don't waste valuable space on references.  Employers assume you'll provide them upon request.

Finishing Touches

• If you're applying for a specific job, research the position and company. Pay attention to the job requirements, and use your cover letter to highlight your qualifications as they reflect the hiring company's needs.

• Be concise. Stick to one page (more if necessary.)  Make sure every word on your resume is meaningful.

• Choose easy to read fonts that are clean and consistent. Don't use non-traditional or overly creative fonts.

• Read, edit and re-read your resume to make sure it's well written, clear and typo-free. Do it again and again. Some recruiters will not contact potential candidates if they find mistakes on their resume.

1. Appearance is Essential – You are your resume.  Check and re-check for typos and grammatical errors.  Spell the hiring manager’s and company’s name correctly in the cover letter.  Ask a friend to review the resume to find mistakes you might have missed. Make your resume an extension of yourself. 

2. One verses Two Page Resume? – If your career warrants a two-page resume, then go ahead and create a document that reflects the full range of your experience and accomplishments. Don't reduce the font size to such a degree that your resume becomes difficult to read to fit the resume onto one page.  Be concise though; if a word or sentence doesn’t add value to your resume, remove it.

3. Be Truthful – Don't push the envelop on employment dates or position titles on your resume to hide the fact that you have been unemployed, that you switched jobs too frequently or that you held low-level positions. If a prospective employer conducts a background check and discovers that you lied, you just lost that job.  This is also grounds for termination if revealed at a later date.

4. State Your Case – If you are seeking a job in a field in which you have no prior experience, don't use the chronological format for your resume. By using a functional or skills-oriented format, you can present your relevant experience and skills up front.

5. Showcase Your Experience – Do not simply copy the HR job description for your current (and past) positions onto your resume. To show that you are more qualified than the competition, do more than list your job responsibilities. Present specific accomplishments and achievements: percentages increased, accounts expanded, etc.

6. Don’t Make Excuses – Don't include the reasons why you are no longer working on your resume. The phrases “Downsized,” "Company Bought out," "Boss was a bozo" and "Left to pursue a greater opportunity" have no place on your resume.

7. Applicable Information – Don't list every single job you've ever held unless they highlight your experience to the position you are applying for. Recruiters are most interested in your experience from the last 10 years of your career, so focus on your most recent and most relevant career experience.

8. Target Your Resume Distribution – Don't send your resume to every ad in the Sunday newspaper and on the internet. If you are not even remotely qualified for a position, don't apply.  

9. Resume and Cover Letter Only – When you send out your resume, don't include copies of transcripts, letters of recommendation or awards. If you are called in for an interview, you may bring these extra materials along with you.

10. Don't Get Personal – Personal information does not belong on a resume. Don't include information on your marital status, age, race, family or hobbies.  If you have a personal Web site, include the URL only if the site shows off your skills or applies to your career goals.

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