- Use an abbreviated style of writing. Be concise. Every phrase must provide worthwhile information to the potential employer.
- Avoid using personal pronouns such as "I" and "me" and unnecessary words such as "a," "an," and "the."
- Use past tense action verbs when describing your experience (see Skills as Verbs and Transferable Skills for lists of examples). Stress the skills you developed and the results you achieved rather than simply listing your job responsibilities.
- Make your résumé visually attractive by using proper spacing and adequate margins; content should be balanced and centered on the page. Be consistent with use of headings and indentations. Do not clutter.
- Avoid references to specific religious or political organizations unless your affiliation with a particular group is relevant to the position you are seeking.
- Your résumé should be flawless. It is often the first (and sometimes only) representation of you, so spelling and grammar should be perfect. Check to be certain that punctuation, capitalization, and spacing are consistent throughout the résumé. Have someone else read your résumé to check for typos and spacing.
- When mailing or faxing your résumé, it should ALWAYS be accompanied by a cover letter (see “Job Search Letters;” print copies are also available in the Career Center).
- Include an objective. If you are applying for a variety of positions, it is better to create more than one résumé (each with a different objective).
- Do not include personal information such as height, weight, health condition, and marital status. In most cases this information has little to do with your ability to perform the duties of a position and, by law, employers should not be using such factors when determining your status as a candidate.
- Be honest—don't be afraid to "toot your own horn." But at the same time do not overestimate your experience and abilities.
Your final product should be printed on bond paper using laser-quality print. When choosing the paper color for your résumé, be as conservative as the position for which you are applying. White, tan, gray, beige, or off-white colors are appropriate for most positions and pastel shades are sometimes acceptable when applying for positions involving creativity. You should purchase extra matching paper to individually produce your cover letters. The Career Center maintains a supply of résumé paper for you to purchase at a minimal cost. If you are sending your résumé electronically, please attach the document, including your cover letter, to the e-mail. In the body of the e-mail, enter the phrase “Please see attached”.
