HOW TO BUILD YOUR RESUME

I. Contact Information

The contact information section is pretty self-explanatory. This section does not require a label (Contact Information or Contact Details). [Name (largest font on page, middle initial is optional) ● Mailing Address ● Telephone Number (Check that you have an appropriate voicemail message) ●  Email Address (make sure it’s appropriate, don’t use your sexypanda45@gmail.com account.) ● Link to online portfolio (optional, ensure it is relevant to the position) ● LinkedIn Profile (if you don’t have one, it is good to make one)

II. Choose a Resume Introduction

III. Professional Experience

The section is the core of your resume, where you are tasked with proving the skills you have listed in the qualifications summary or career objective. When it comes to labeling this section some use “Work Experience.”

Remember to list your work experiences in reverse chronological order and only list experience that is relevant to the job you are applying for. For each company create a heading including the company’s name, city & state, your title, and the dates of employment (month and year). If you are still currently working at a company, you can simply write “month, year-Present” for the employment dates.

A general rule is that each experience have around 3-5 bullet points of your main duties and achievements. [1st: Action Verb (should always be first) ● 2nd: Quantifiable Point● 3rd: Specific and relevant job duty]

When writing your past experiences don’t forget to write your action verbs in past tense.

IV. Education

Having a solid education section helps to display the foundation of your knowledge and expertise. Depending on your professional experience, you may want to consider switching the order of the professional experience and education sections.

 [The names of your university, community college, or technical school (Don’t include high school unless you did not attend college)●Location of the schools (city, state) ● Date of graduation (month, year) ● Degree(s) ● GPA (only include if your GPA is above 3.0, round up to the first decimal place , and use this format: GPA: 3.5/4.0)]

V. Skills [Software: Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Visio, and Oracle● Programming           Languages: Excel at HTML, C++, and Python● Fluency in a second language● Knowledge of computer applications (ie Photoshop, Illustrator) ● What not to include: Unrelated skills]

 

How to Style your Resume
 

So the hard part is over. You have all your content typed up and you are feeling confident about getting that interview. Now for the finishing touches. It’s time to give it some personality.

I. # of Pages

This is the most argued point of resume writing. Some professionals vigorously discourage applicants from going over one page, while others argue that in some instances it is acceptable. The bottom line is this: if you have information that is highly relevant to the position you are applying for then go ahead and add an extra page. However, if you are just adding fluff for the sake of adding pages, then your resume will suffer.

II. Font and Sizing Dos and Don’ts

Font style and size is largely dependent on your preference. You can never be sure what the hiring manager prefers so you have to go with gut. However her some Don’t:[Don’t choose small sizes to fit everything on one page
● Don’t pick wacky fonts
●Don’t have one uniform text size throughout
● Don’t go below 9pt
● Don’t spend too much time on choosing a font]

For sizing, many resumes follow a 24, 12, 10 format. This means that the name is 24pt, the body headers are 12pt, and the bullet points are 10pt.