How to Write a Résumé
The purpose of writing a résumé is to get you, the candidate, an interview with the prospective employer. The résumé should be a descriptive reflection of your skills and abilities. It describes what you have accomplished, emphasizes your acquired skills, and states the extent of your educational background. The résumé is designed to create a positive image of you in the mind of the reader by highlighting your strengths and experiences.
Types of Résumés
There are three common formats of résumés:
Chronological Résumé
Typically the format followed by most individuals, this style lists your education, responsibilities, and experience in reverse chronological order. This type of résumé helps to show your continuous climb by building on previous experiences. This form uses headings with short written summaries of your experience and accomplishments in each area.
Functional Résumé
This format focuses on the functions, job skills, and achievements of the candidate without relating them to the job positions for which you have held. This style is used mainly by candidates wishing to change careers or those who are returning to the workforce after an extended leave of absence. This form emphasizes your skills relevant to the job at hand rather than listing previous experiences and positions held. After listing your skills, you would list in reverse chronological order your volunteer and employment history, along with the name, location, and dates of the positions held.
Combination Résumé
This résumé combines the elements of both the Chronological and Functional résumés. This style emphasizes your skills and attributes while listing a brief description of your job history. This form is used by both college students and experienced workers who may be changing careers and want to highlight their skills along with their solid work background, or those who don't feel the need to highlight their previous position.
Regardless of which résumé format you use, the uniqueness of your résumé will depend upon the individual detail along with the additional sections you add to it. The appearance of your résumé should have a crisp clean look, carefully combining visually appealing capitalization, underlining, spacing, bullet points, and bold and italic letters. Be careful not to overdo it though! Keep in mind that organizations are increasingly using scanners to screen candidates' résumés. Many fonts and italics become unreadable when scanned. Make sure to use high quality bond paper in a neutral color (usually off-white or light gray). If your résumé is being mailed out, make sure to use matching paper and envelopes, and type both the forwarding and return addresses on the envelope. After all, the résumé is your key to obtaining an interview, so you should put your most professional foot first.
Here is the basic format for the most widely used style of a résumé, the chronological résumé:
| Heading | This section includes your name (usually centered at the top), both your current and permanent address, both your home phone number (including area codes) and your work phone number (if you may receive calls there), and your E-mail address. A URL (Web address) can also be included, but only if the information present is relevant to the position. |
| Career Objective | This section is simply a statement telling the employer what you want to do (field of study) and how this area will allow you to utilize your skills and talents that you have acquired. Be sure that your career objective fits the position you are seeking! Be sure to custom-write a specific objective for each employer. |
| Education | This section should include the schools (following high school) that you have attended in reverse chronological order. List the degree seeking (A.S., B.S. B.A., etc.), major, institution, anticipated date of graduation, minors or concentrations, any special projects, workshops, and your GPA (usually listed only if it is above a 3.0). |
| Work Experience | This section includes past work experience, internships, and both paid and volunteer positions. List all significant work experience in reverse chronological order. List the name of the organization, the location of work (city, state), and the dates of employment - month and year. Below each work experience, explain your job responsibilities using sentences or bullets beginning with action verbs to communicate your skills (not just things you did). Also, it is important to point out special achievements or awards you received. You may also want to add that you worked in order to pay for a percentage of college expenses. Example: Earned 50% of college expenses through the following part-time jobs. |
| Related Experiences | Students who feel that their experiences in volunteering and being involved with organizations on campus are relevant should include this section in their résumé. The transferable skills are acquired through a position in an organization or through a volunteer experience that give you a foundation to do similar work in another organization. Transferable skills are highly regarded by prospective employers because they are perceived as valuable knowledge and experience to be translated to the job you are applying for. The more you know about the position, the easier it is for you to convey this information to a prospective employer. |
| Related Coursework | Students who do not necessarily have a strong work or related experience section may benefit from listing relevant courses. Do not list every class you have taken-about three to six is sufficient. Also, list only courses applicable to the internship you are applying. |
| Other Possible Sections/Information |
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| Spell Check, Grammar Check and Proofread Carefully |
Whether you use a typewriter or a computer, review your résumé carefully to ensure that it both accurately reflects your experience and that everything is spelled correctly. |
