Identification: Include your
name, address, phone number and email address. If you are
currently residing in temporary housing, feel free to display your
current along with your permanent address at the top of the
resume. Be sure to include zip codes and area codes for both
your local and permanent address.
Objective: This section
should only be used if you have a clear career objective. A
broad objective is meaningless to an employer. However, too
specific of an objective may be limiting. You may want to use
a summary in place of the objective.
Summary/Profile: A summary
can be three or more biographical statements outlining specific
skills, accomplishments and strengths that you will bring to the
job. A summary of qualifications is also smart to use if you
are in the process of applying to an industry in which you have no
experience and want to emphasize transferable skills from past
experiences that qualify you for the job.
Education: List these
credentials in reverse chronological order, with your most recent
education first. Include the institution and its location,
title of the degree and major(s) and your graduation date.
Include your GPA only if you believe it is a selling point.
Professional licenses or special training may also appear in this
section.
Honors/Activities: This is an
opportunity to showcase academic accomplishments, campus and
community involvement as well as leadership skills. If you
have little work experience, you can also build a section
highlighting your academic projects or business casework.
Experience: Assuming you
choose the most commonly used Reverse Chronological Format, list
all positions in reverse chronological order with the most recent
first. This section can be organized into paragraphs or
bullet points and may include paid, unpaid and volunteer
experiences-because work experience can be paid or unpaid.
Include the name of the organization, location, positions held,
dates of employment and a description of your
accomplishments. Focus on accomplishments that relate to the
position you are seeking and begin all skills and duties with
action verbs (refer to page 16 for an extensive list of action
verbs).
Skills: You should include
specific computer skills as well as any foreign languages that you
speak. Use descriptors like fluent, conversant, proficient
in, knowledge of and familiar with to illustrate your proficiency
in a particular language.
Professional Affiliations:
You can list the names of the professional organizations to which
you belong; however, avoid acronyms.
Interests: You may list any
relevant interests or hobbies. Of course, do not mention
interests that may cause an employer to question your
candidacy.
References: It is not
necessary to include this on your resume because it is implied;
however, you must prepare a list of three to five professional
references on a separate sheet of paper. Include the name,
title, company name, phone number and email address of those
individuals that agreed to be your reference. Remember to
include your name, address, phone number and email at the top of
the reference page. Bring this list to all interviews.
References should not accompany your resume unless requested.
As for what information, or headings, should be included on
your resume, all are optional with the exception of your personal
information, education, work experience and skills.