Resume
English 12
What Must I Have on My
Resume?

Name

Address

Phone number

Education


Profile or
Summary
of Qualifications
Experience
What Else Can Be Included on My Resume?

Licenses/Certifications

Accomplishments/Achievements

Affiliations/Memberships

Activities and Honors
What Should Never Be on My Resume?

Height, weight, age, date of birth, place of birth, marital
status, sex, race, health (some of these items may be
necessary on an International Resume) or social security
number (NEVER!)
 The word "Resume" at the top!
 Any statement that begins with "I" or "My"
 Reasons for leaving previous job(s)
 Picture of yourself
 Salary Information for previous positions or Salary
Expectations
 Reference names
 Religion, church affiliations, political affiliations
How Do I List My Name?

Use your "go-by" name. That is, if everyone knows you by a nickname
or your middle name, use it.

For example, Katherine Elaine Johnson – if everyone calls you Kate –
just put KATE JOHNSON on the top of your resume, if everyone calls
you Elaine – use ELAINE JOHNSON or K. ELAINE JOHNSON.

List any professional credentials (M.D., CPA, Ph.D.) that are
appropriate for the job sought.
Phone Numbers or Email addresses?

List your current phone (and permanent phone if you plan to
move soon) . Make sure you have a professional sounding
message on it!

Mobile phone #s? Be aware that you could be caught at the gym
or putting gas in your car. If you are in a situation that could
compromise your professional appearance, let the call go to
voicemail and call back.

Email address MUST be professional. addresses like
2hot2handle@mail.com , horseygirl186@hotmail.com or
braindeadat21@hottie.org would not be appropriate! Use common
sense.
Common emails are last & first names.
References

Reference names don’t go on the resume itself.

Separate document, using the same header as on resume.
Then list the reference names and contact information in block (envelope) style.

Do not send to employer unless they request it.

3-5 references.


Ask the references permission before you use them.


have direct knowledge of your job abilities (supervisor, etc.) or a professor who teaches a
major-related class.
Also ask them if they will give you a good reference. You don’t want to list folks who won’t
sing your praises! Make sure to ask where they would like to be contacted, i.e., home or
work and get the correct contact information for each person. Afterward, follow up with
your references by sending them a copy of your completed resume. This will help them
if/when they get a call on you.
Be sure to take copies of your references to all interviews. Most employers
will request them at that time.
What Is Focus In a Resume and Why Should Mine
Be Sharp?





Average employer looks at a Resume for 2-5 seconds before
deciding to overlook it or look it over.
Needs to be
Easy to read
Easy to spot the Name, Education, Experience (or skills)
Appropriate amount of white space.
Are There Any Absolute Rules of Resume
Writing?

Yes, but only a few! Almost every rule you have ever heard can
be broken, if you have a very good reason. Some rules, however,
are absolutes, including:

No typing errors

No errors in spelling

No lying or grandiose embellishments
What Are the Type/Design Details I Most Need to
Know and Follow?





Use bold, italics, different font sizes, upper-case and small
capitals lettering
Font 10 & 12 pt. Use: Times New Roman, Arial, Bookman,
Trebuchet, Lucida Sans, Garamond, Verdana or Courier. No
more than 2 fonts.
Use white space, but also spread out your information in an
aesthetically pleasing way.
Use bullets to draw the reader’s eye. But don’t bullet
everything!
Be consistent with headings (size, boldness, etc.) and body text
(indented, not indented, tabs right-justified, tabs left-justified,
etc.)
I Need My Resume to Distinguish Me From
Everyone Else, How Do I Do That?

Answer the question, "Why am I more
qualified than the next guy?" Then
develop your resume to reflect that.

DON’T try to distinguish yourself by
fancy fonts, clipart or non-traditional
papers. That is not the interest you want
to capture!

Make your resume uniquely yours with
the information, not the
graphics/style/colors