How to Write

The Perfect Resume

What is a Resume?

A summary of your background and qualifications to accomplish a job or task

It usually includes information about your education, objectives, volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, awards or honors, and any other special skills you might have

Essentially, it is your passport to your future

Resume Essentials Try limiting resume to one pageThis is crucial for students with limited “life experience”

Use no less than 10 for letter size

Print resume on a laser jet printer

Use Spell Check and triple check for typos

Or you might end up saying:“Received a plague from student of the year”

Use a readable and clear fontAvoid flashy fonts (just because your computer has 967 doesn’t mean you should use them all)

Top 10 Resume Pet Peeves

1. Spelling Errors, Typos and Poor Grammar2. Too Duty-Oriented3. Inaccurate Dates or None at all4. Inaccurate or Missing Contact Information5. Formatting6. Functional Resumes7. Long Resumes 8. Long Paragraphs9. Resume Builders10. Personal and Unrelated Information

Pre-Resume Business

Research important information

Desired qualifications, experience, skills

If the school or scholarship you’re interested in has awebsite be sure to check it our for their philosophy, values and any other pertinent information

Time to Begin Resume “Contact Information”

Jonathon Ray Leeves2120 Yemen RoadYemen, YM 95828

ineedajobnow@admit.eduHome: 555-555-5551Cell: 555-555-5552

Put your name, address, email address, andphone number(s) at the very top of your resume

Bold your name

Objective Statements

Avoid Being Too General:A position utilizing all of my skills, experience and knowledge

Avoid Being Ridiculous:My goal is to be a meteorologist. But sinceI possess no training in meteorology, Isuppose I should try stock brokerage

Be clear and concise:A position as a copy editor for the Sacramento Bee allowing me to develop myjournalism skills

To utilize my restaurant service trainingas a general manager of Red Lobster

Education

List any AP/Honors Courses that uniquely qualify you

Until your work experience is more impressive thanyour education, this category should be the second section in your resume

Include elective courses that enhance your abilities

Education GPA-Not necessary but can be helpful-Only use if equal to or higher than 3.0-You can highlight your Core GPA

Include any academic honors

Recent graduates or students still in school shouldinclude extracurricular activities, projects, or academicachievements

Relevant Courses

This should follow your educational information

List the courses you have taken that relate to the school/scholarship you are applying for

Since class names differ from school to school, referto the course by specific name and/or description

Example:

Relevant Courses: Jazz Ensemble, Ceramics and Sculpting, Show Choir, Fashion Design/Clothing Construction

Work Experience& Qualifications

This section should either follow Education or comebefore, depending on which section features your strengthsmore prominently

The goal for this area is to stand out among the other applicants and to persuade the reviewer that you are the ideal candidate

Work Experience

Include the positions you have held that are related to the job you are seeking

These positions may include paid positions, as wellas internships, volunteer jobs, or appointments

Be creative with this part of the resume by describing andemphasizing your experiences in the most logical waypossible

Additional Information This is another name for this section becauseyou may want to include more specific skills

-Awards-Testimonials/Endorsements-Nominations