Carroll Community College

Before you write, take time to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities, as well as your work experience and extracurricular activities. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

1. The Content of Your Resume

Name, address, telephone, e-mail address.

All your contact information should go at the top of your resume.

• Avoid nicknames.

• Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend's address, or the address you plan to use after graduation.
• Use a permanent telephone number and include the area code. If you have an answering machine, record a neutral greeting.
• Include your e-mail address. Many employers will find it useful. (Note: Choose an e-mail address that sounds professional.)

Objective or Summary

An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.
Be specific about the job you want.

• For example: To obtain an entry-level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Tailor your objective to each employer you target/every job you seek.
• Be careful that you do not over-generalize your objective or make it so specific that it limits your options.
• If you choose not to use an objective, be sure to describe your goal in the cover letter
• If you have a work history, consider using a summary of experience rather than an objective.

Education

May be listed before the Experience section if it is more relevant to the employer than your jobs. If you are out of school for more than five years, Experience section should be first.

• Your most recent educational information is listed first.
• Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.), major, institution attended, location of institution, minor/concentration and date of graduation. If you have not graduated, list dates of attendance.
• A short list of relevant classes or projects may be included. 
• High school information is excluded once you have a college degree, unless it contributes to an overall vision.
• Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0.
• Mention academic honors.

Work Experience

Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action words to describe your job duties (e.g., devised, implemented, created, utilized.) Do not embellish or elaborate skills that you do not have. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order—that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job. For career changers or students who have only had a little paid experience and some volunteer work, you may want to consider a "Related Experience" section and an "Other Experience Section."

Include:

• Title of position
• Name of organization
• Location of work (town, state)
• Dates of employment
• Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements. 
• If possible, quantify your accomplishments using number, percentages, and other tasks that are measurable.  (...resulting in 20% increased sales.)

Other information

A staff member at your career services office can advise you on other information to add to your resume. You may want to add:

• Key or special skills or competencies,
• Leadership experience in volunteer organizations,
• Service-Learning,
• Participation in sports.

References

Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer.

• Do not include your reference information on your resume.
• You may note at the bottom of your resume: "References furnished on request", or add it as a second or third page that you can include if references are required by the job posting.
• When using references, obtain permission from the person first.  Give your reference a copy of your resume and keep them informed of the employers that may be contacting them.

2. Resume Format/Checkup

After you have written your resume, show it to a career counselor or your advisor. Be sure to take the following steps to ensure a quality resume:

Content:

Run a spell-check on your computer before anyone sees your resume.  Ask a professor or another friend or family member to proofread and do a grammar review. The more people who see your resume, the more likely misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).

Design:

These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer's database.

• Use white or off-white paper.
• Use 8-1/2- x 11-inch high quality paper.
• Print on one side of the paper.
• Use a font size of 10 to 12 points.
• Use plain fonts.
• Choose one font and stick to it.
• Use a consistent format throughout the resume.
• Use bullets to break up dense paragraphs (limit to two to five bullets per experience).
• Use descriptive phrases rather than complete sentences (periods unnecessary).
• Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics, or shading.
• Do not fold or staple your resume.
• If you must mail your resume, put it in a large envelope.
• Use no more than two pages; aim for one, but do not use less than 10 point font.
• Avoid abbreviations that are not common, everything should be spelled out
• Make sure your resume is personal and truly reflects your skills and abilities. 

This information was adapted from www.JobWeb.com .