CREATING YOUR RESUME
Penn State New Kensington Career Services
724-334-6065
**PURPOSE
The main purpose of your resume is to stimulate the interest of a potential employer by presenting a concise,
accurate, and realistic picture of your qualifications. It should demonstrate your knowledge, skills, abilities, and
accomplishments relative to the particular position you are seeking.
Because a resume is a written document and often the first contact you will have with a prospective employer, it
is important to follow the rules of good writing. You want to be sure to use action words and keep your
thoughts clear, concise, and in an order that is easy to follow.
The resume is a marketing tool for yourself and your qualifications, and it will be the greatest factor in whether
or not you are called for an interview.
**FORMAT
Ideally, your resume should emphasize your strong points while expressing uniqueness and individuality.
Choose and arrange categories so that the most relevant information is placed where it will catch the employer’s
attention and be easily distinguished.
For most undergraduates and recent graduates, one page is the length most employers prefer. Some people will
format more than one resume for each of the areas they are interested in … this is a personal choice and the
same results can usually be accomplished with a good cover letter.
In the case of extensive amounts of experience or multiple degrees more than one page is perfectly acceptable.
**KEEP IN MIND
Personal information such as age, marital status, hobbies, etc are irrelevant.
Do not use a label at the beginning such as “resume” or “data sheet”.
High school can be omitted when it is more than 5 years past.
Be careful to highlight your skills and abilities; most times it is more important to show what knowledge you
bring to a position rather than just listing previous employers.
Be sure the information supports the position you are seeking. This is especially important when you are
changing career paths.
For more information contact
CAREER SERVICES
Penn State New Kensington
724-334-6065
www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/careers.htm
LAYOUT AND INFORMATION
**HEADING
The heading should include your name, address, and phone number. It may also include e-mail
address or personal web page address.
**OBJECTIVE
Restrict the objective to one or two, concise, easy to read sentences. Do not be too general; you should
state position or field of work. Avoid asking for personal gain such as “a challenging position”,
“advancement opportunities”, or “to gain knowledge and experience”.
**EDUCATION
List education starting with the most recent and work backwards, chronologically. GPA is optional;
list it if above 3.0. High school is usually not relevant. Other colleges are usually only listed when
coursework was completed or credits earned.
**SKILLS
More and more employers would rather know what skills and abilities you are bringing to the position,
not necessarily every company you worked for. It is important to do a self-assessment of knowledge,
training, skills, and personality traits that would be desirable to an employer.
Courses, activities, class projects, volunteer programs, and leadership opportunities can all be a part of
what makes up your skills.
**EXPERIENCE
List experience starting with the most recent position first and work backwards chronologically.
Sometimes it is best to separate experience into two sections: field related and other positions. Include
internships, special programs, work-study, and volunteer positions. Military duty can be listed here or
in a separate section.
**ACTIVITIES
List most relevant activities first. Give details to highlight participation and knowledge gained. Also
include any offices held or special duties performed. List any honors groups or special achievements.
For more information contact
CAREER SERVICES
Penn State New Kensington
724-334-6065
www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/careers.htm
NOTES ON RESUME WRITING
•
Be precise, concise, and clear! Do not force the reader to search through the whole resume to get to
your credentials. Put your relevant information first and foremost, and highlight areas for easy reading.
•
If you have a lot of experience or a variety of information, do a synopsis or summary of skills and
knowledge first so the reader is encouraged to continue. Then list positions or experiences in more
detail where necessary.
•
If you have little or NO actual field related experience, do a summary of abilities gained through
education and coursework.
•
Recent or upcoming graduates should ALWAYS list courses relevant to your objectives.
•
Your content should mainly be supportive of your objective and the position you are seeking; any other
employment or non-related activity should be listed only if there is room.
•
NEVER include personal information or characteristics unless appropriate for the position, i.e.
modeling, acting.
•
Objectives need to be clear and to the point. They should state what you want to do for the company,
not ask for personal gain. Do not ask for advancement, experience, or a challenge.
•
Avoid being too specific in company type or position title as this can lead to restricting your choices and
the opportunities an employer could present.
•
You should present your information in a way that will catch the reader’s attention and want them to
find out more. Remember your resume must stand out in a stack of possibly a few hundred applicants.
•
Be sure your layout is pleasing to the eye and easy to follow.
•
It is best to type your resume on a computer; this enables you to make updates and changes quickly and
easily, and take advantage of spell-check.
•
Always have someone “proof” your resume after you think you are done. Many people have typos they
just don’t catch due to over-familiarity.
•
Proof your resume while at the printer—if they have made a mistake, they will correct it free of charge
as long as it is not your typo and is caught before you leave their establishment. For this same reason,
you need to have the original for comparison. You should also check that the document is straight.
•
Remember your layout is important for first impressions. One page is preferable. Margins need only be
½ inch around the page, and white space should be at a minimum. You should use a 12- or 10-point
font (no smaller). Do not hyphenate words or carry single words to new lines.
For more information contact
CAREER SERVICES
Penn State New Kensington
724-334-6065
www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/careers.htm
SELF-ASSESSMENT SKILLS LIST
Think about previous positions and activities, along with personal traits and characteristics to help
compile a list of skills relevant to the position you are seeking. Below is a list of examples to help you
organize your thoughts, but is in no way a conclusive list.
PEOPLE SKILLS
• initiate/motivate
• meeting organization
• group leadership
• influence/persuade
• define and summarize
• negotiate/bargain
• mediate/reconciliation
INSTRUCTIONAL
• teaching/tutoring
• advising
• seminar preparation
• training of others
• illustrate with example
• lead and facilitate
• present creatively
COMMUNICATIONS
• written/verbal
• public speaking
• editing
• detailed explanation
• convey ideas clearly
• define and summarize
• networking
MANAGEMENT
• delegate responsibility
• plan and forecast
• establish procedures
• direct and supervise
• organize/coordinate
• team leadership
• evaluate others
PROBLEM SOLVING
• gather information
• clarify problems
• trouble-shooting
• analyze
• review and critique
• test data
• prioritize projects
ORGANIZATIONAL
• manage budgets
• allocate resources
• filing and records
• make arrangements
• project follow-through
• systemize/coordinate
• classify/file/process
HUMAN RELATIONS
• advocate/negotiate
• empathize
• counsel/guidance
• motivate others
• collaborate with others
• teamwork
ANALYTICAL
• appraise
• observe/reflect
• reasoning
• perception of potential
• learn quickly
• assess situations
MANUAL
• operate equipment
• use of tools
• assemble/build
• installation
• modeling skills
• labor knowledge
For more information contact
CAREER SERVICES
Penn State New Kensington
724-334-6065
www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/careers.htm
For more information contact
CAREER SERVICES
Penn State New Kensington
724-334-6065
www.nk.psu.edu/StudentServices/careers.htm