RESUME TIPS
Williams Career Center
Your Resume is Never “Done.” It’s a constantly evolving document –because you are
always gaining new experiences and because it may have to emphasize different things for
different situations. Sometimes the content stays the same and it’s a matter of just changing
the sequence or format for new emphasis. But other times you might create new categories,
add content strategically, or expand descriptions to highlight your “fit.”
Create a Chronological Master Resume. This is the core archive to which you always
return– update it every semester or year so you don’t leave out any accomplishments or
experiences. You’d be surprised how often you do forget things that you’ve done in the past
– in part because they didn’t seem relevant at the time. But interests and careers change:
you never know when something will turn out to be of value in a new application context.
So get in the habit of recording everything, even though you won’t send this version out (it
will get looong over time and most situations limit your resume to 1 or 2 pages [please note:
for those going on to advanced study, an academic C.V. is a different beast – can be longer.]
Chronology and Resumes. First, remember – it’s reverse chronology: list your current
engagements first then work your way back. [How far back? Try the 4-year rule: as you
advance, older things will drop off. Caveat: Relevance Rules! If a significant high school
achievement would boost your case something specific, include it no matter how far back.]
In general, a chronological resume is most advantageous for people in later stages of their
careers whose histories show advancement or stability over time. Most students have
short-term experiences so chronology is not the selling point. So: De-emphasize dates by
moving them to the right hand side. This will re-focus readers first on where you worked or
your job title – especially helpful if you had a meaningful role in a valued organization.
Functional or Thematic resumes. Most liberal arts students find their self-presentation
improved by functional or thematic categories (within which you’d still list everything in
reverse chronological order). This conveys that you have multiple forms of expertise and
would be a good fit for jobs that require different skills. Related bonus: Sometimes,
breaking your experiences into two or more different thematic sections allows you to bring
more prominence to an item that would have been further down the list in a single
chronological “Work” section, as the first few entries in every category are the most visible.
Establishing Content. A common mistake is to think through campus categories rather
than how employers would see you – in terms of field knowledge or skills. Resumes with
generic divisions between Education, Employment and Activities can actually make you look
less accomplished because your formal, paid, work experience may be limited at this point.
In fact, some of your most substantive work as a student may come through the curriculum
or campus activities – commitments you may sustain for years! So don’t bury them in
Activities at the bottom or let “Williams College” stand in for your whole educational
experience at the top! Create sections for Relevant Coursework or Research Experience or
Athletic Achievements or Event Management Experience or Leadership, depending on:
1) how your experiences cluster together and
2) what the audience is looking for.
The point is that you can blend academic/nonacademic, on/off campus and paid/unpaid
experiences within a thematic or functional category – what matters is their relevance.
Think context and relevance. The relevance of any item or section to a specific purpose is
what determines whether, and where, it goes on a resume (this is why most resumes will
not be identical to your generic, chronological, Master Resume).
Example: Like many multifaceted Ephs, you have two or more categories of experience, e.g.
Scientific Research and Outdoor Leadership. Last summer you might have applied for
research jobs and thus emphasized that section at the top of your resume, fleshed out in
some detail. But if you are now applying to work with a summer adventure outfit, you
would reverse the order to highlight and expand the other category, and perhaps cut down
the research section if needed to fit one 1-2 pages.
Example: The Relevant Coursework section that may appear under EDUCATION is a
selective list that is never set in stone, but reconfigured to send specific messages
(especially if there’s no transcript; you can’t presume they know your curriculum). Let’s say
you’re a history major applying to Ph.D. programs that are strong in 20th century American
history; you might want to highlight courses in that field (they already know you’re a
History major, but now you’re telling them you have an American history specialization.
Alternatively, let’s say you’re the same history major applying for summer jobs in finance.
Now your Relevant Coursework section might include: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics,
and Statistics to convey relevant knowledge beyond the historical.
Translate for external audiences. Don’t just say “Baxter Fellow” or “JA” but add something
like: “residential leadership position.” Don’t just say “tutorial” but add “semi-private
seminar with intensive weekly writing and analysis.” College council: “student government.”
Be consistent. It matters less exactly what font, style or phrasing you use (assuming the
whole is grammatical, neat and readable). What matters most is that you apply your own
formatting and style rules consistently throughout the entire resume so the reader is never
confused or distracted by unexpected changes in format or style. Such consistency conveys
a positive attention to detail as well as good design and organization skills.
Use “resume speak,” not full sentences – find crisp, active, verbs and phrases that describe
your activity as succinctly as possible, e.g. “Organized community service weekend for 100
students and staff.” It is okay to precede this kind of list of your responsibilities with a brief
overall description of the organization and its mission, especially if not nationally known.
Don’t overuse bold, italics and underlining. Begin by left aligning all text in the same font
as your “blank slate.” Then use caps for section headers, insert line breaks and a hierarchy
of indentations to create separate blocks of text with sufficient white space. THEN make
specific phrases “pop” further through selective use of bold or italics and other graphics.
Use your judgment! There is no way to cover all the permutations a resume might take.
Assuming the basic criteria of clarity, honesty, and legibility have been met, there are many
ways to create an effective presentation. The important thing is that you have thought
about what experiences or qualities your readers are looking for and have arranged your
resume so they can easily perceive those attributes in you! Always consider your audience.
To follow up, drop in for additional resume review during daily walk-in hours, 1-4PM in Mears.
And, tune in to careers.williams.edu for news, events, job listings and other helpful tools.