There are many great resume-writing websites and services so we are providing you with some tips that we have found to be important, in our view, in helping you get the right job.

 

Guidelines

General Tips

• Your resume should be completely honest
• Keep your resume organized, easy to understand, and not too wordy
• Highlight your skills and accomplishments
• When possible, customize your resume for each job
• Unless you are applying for a graphics position, don’t over-format the resume
• Do not list references, instead attach them in a separate document
• Be careful when you include personal interests, activities, or hobbies
• Do not include personal information or photographs
• An objective is not necessary but, if you do list it, state the actual job you want
• Check on your references’ contact information and update if necessary
• Spellcheck your resume, but do not rely solely on this tool, since it is not always accurate
• After spellchecking, proofread your resume, and have a second person proofread it as well

Job History

• Do not leave problematic jobs off your resume
• If you have a lengthy job history, put each job in the last 10 years, then refer to previous jobs
• Include volunteer jobs
• Emphasize the aspects of your background that relate to each position
• If you have been promoted at one company, use one set of dates
• Explain gaps in employment
• Do not leave jobs off your resume

Submitting Your Resume

• If you are posting on the Internet, post in Word format, not a PDF
• Keep track of who you are submitting your resume to

 

Resume Language

Use descriptors and action words that draw a clear picture of your experience, skills, abilities, and accomplishments.

 

Resume Format

We prefer a chronological resume with the following elements

Objective

• Your objective should state the job you want to do

Skills

• List relevant skills, software, and languages in which you are fluent

Experience

• List jobs in chronological order beginning with the most recent
• Begin a new paragraph for each position held
• List dates of employment first, and then job title and name of employer
• Use bullet points to outline a brief description of your accomplishments in each job section

Education

• List degrees without dates obtained
• List certifications and awards

Previous Experience

• Mention previous industry experience briefly