On this page you will find very important content about what goes into a resume. This will be a step by step guide which works to help you think strategically about how you craft document and what information you want highlighted.

The Basics

When constructing, you should try to answer three basic questions:

Who am I?

Your resume should be an inclusive snapshot of who you are—what you are committed to, the issues or organizations you have been engaged in, and where your hope that your future professional path takes you. It defines you for an employer.

What have I done?

Though it may seem like it, a resume should never be just a list of past and present positions, interests, and other activities. It is a personal marketing tool that showcases your significant positions, recognitions, awards, interests, and overall achievements. Each item listed in your resume should demonstrate significant skills mastered, goals met, and should show an employer that you have actively sought opportunities to increase skills, knowledge, and general competency. 

What can I do for my potential employer?

Perhaps the key consideration in creating a resume comes from the employer, who only wants to know what you can do for him or her. Initially, the first way that is demonstrated is through your resume (one of the last ways is an interview.) The best way to answer this question is by knowing what a position requires and building the resume around the needed set of skills.

Brainstorming Experiences

When actually preparing to write a resume, it can be difficult to remember exactly what positions you have had during and after college and exactly what you accomplished in these positions. So, take time to brainstorm past positions (including present ones).  Use the following chart and these four questions:

• What was my position?
• What was my role?
• How did I fulfill my role?
• What was the result?

To help you with crafting your experiences, check out the Résumé Brainstorming, click here to access it.

Objective Statement

An objective statement is a concise one-sentence statement at the beginning of the résumé that tells an employer exactly what position you want and why you are applying. Essentially, it is the goal of the document. Yet, objective statements can be considered optional or even unimportant. However, this is one of the areas to easily customize: it will help you focus your résumé around a purpose and it will help let an employer know why you are interested.

Education

In this section, include any information about your education and degree(s), including where and when you attended; date(s); major, minor, or concentration; certification; and academic awards and honors. Make sure you use the official names for schools, degrees and majors/minors.

Include all honors, special awards, and recognitions. While commonly known awards, such as Phi Beta Kappa, do not need an explanation, less known awards should be briefly explained.

Include your GPA if it is an asset. If your GPA is not strong, focus your résumé on non-academic strengths and skills. A general rule of thumb is that if your GPA is a 3.0 or higher, include it. If the GPA for your major is strong, you can just put that down but make sure you specify that it is only for classes in your major.

If you are calculating a major GPA, make sure that if employers ask for your transcript, they will be able to follow your calculations. If not, they will assume you falsified your résumé! GPA is calculated as follows: 3.15 can be rounded up to 3.2. However, 3.14 cannot be rounded up. If you do not have a lot of relevant experience for the position you are applying for, it is a good idea to list courses and class projects of interest to the employer.

Awards and Accomplishments

Documenting awards and accomplishments on your résumé illustrates for an employer that the quality of your work and dedication to other positions and projects has been so high that you have received special recognition. Awards and accomplishments may range from something like “Volunteer of the Year,” to being selected to represent your school or community at a special event. 

Publications and Presentations

Publications and presentations on a résumé show an employer that your communication skills are above average and better. Publications may include having regular articles in your school newspaper or literary journal, fliers or trainings for your service program, and articles in other professional publications. Presentations do not include regular class presentations, but special presentations at conferences, summits, or other gatherings that exceed your normal class work. So, if you presented at IMPACT, you can put it on your résumé.

Additional Skills and Interests

The additional skills section of your résumé helps to show an employer aspects of your professional and personal development that may not be evident in other parts of the résumé. This section includes any special skills (i.e., languages, proficiency with computer programs, etc), extracurricular activities, community involvement (like regular volunteering or boards), interests, and hobbies. 

Experience and Language

Taking work and volunteer experiences and framing them appropriately within a document like a resume takes some attention and practice. The following sub-points will provide a working model to convert your experiences into resume language. First consider the characteristics of resume writing style. 

When describing work experience:

• Use brief, direct language and avoid unnecessary words 
• Use short paragraphs, ranging 1- 5 sentences
• Begin each sentence with powerful action verbs
• Make it is free from grammatical, punctuation, spelling, and typographical errors

To begin creating a description of work or volunteer description you want to refer to your brainstorming session where you outlined your role, how you fulfilled your role, and the results.

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