Instructions for Miss America Contestant’s Resume
This is your opportunity to demonstrate to the judges whey they should consider you for the job of Miss
America. You may list as many or as few items under each category as you decide. Your only restriction
is that you must follow the established format and fit on one page. This page, with your Platform Issue
Statement, comprises your application for the job. The judges will receive exactly what is submitted.
1.
Start a new document in a word processing program.
2.
Set margins to 1” on all four sides. Font cannot be smaller than 10 and no larger than 12, and
may only be Times New Roman.
3. Type “Name:” in bold. Hit the space bar twice. Type your names as you wish the judges to
know it.
4. Type “Hometown” in bold. Hit the space bar twice. Type your hometown with city and state.
5. Set justification to RIGHT. Type “Date of Birth:” in bold (space twice). Type Month, date and
year of your birth.
6. Move justification to LEFT. Double space. Type “Education:” in bold, tab three times and list
your most recent school first. List the degree you are seeking on the same line as the name of the
school. List all schools attended listing backwards (example: Graduate school, undergraduate,
high school).
7. Double space. Hit tab once, type “Platform Issue:” in bold. Hit tab three times. Type the title of
your platform, making sure it lines up with the information above it. Just list the title!
8. Double space. Hit tab once, type “Scholastic/Career Ambition:” in bold. Hit tab once, making
sure it lines up with information above it. Type the degree/education you would like to achieve
and list your career ambition beneath.
9. Double space. Tab once. Type “Talent:” in bold. Hit tab three times. Type your talent and
specific selection. (example: Pop vocal – “Crying,” Tap dance – “Staying Alive”)
10. Double spce. Type “Scholastic Honors:” in bold. Space twice. Each item should be separated by
a semi-colon.
11. Double space. Type “Leadership Roles:” in bold. Space twice. in bold. Space twice. Each item
should be separated by a semi-colon.
12. Double space. Type “Accomplishments:” in bold. Space twice. Each item should be separated
by a semi-colon.
13. Double space. Type “Interesting Facts:” in bold. Space twice. Each item should be separated by
a semi-colon.
14. Double space. Type “Employment:” in bold. Space twice. Each item should be separated by a
semi-colon.
15. Double space. Type “Marketing Plan:” in bold. Space twice. In sentence form, explain how you
would market the Miss Las Cruces/Miss America “brand.” Please include any relevant
experience you have which would uniquely qualify you to serve in this position.
16. Double space. Type “Legacy:” in bold. Space twice. In sentence form, describe your legacy as
Miss Las Cruces – answer the question, “A year after giving up your title as Miss Las Cruces,
what will we remember about your year of service?”
17. Double space. Type “Why I should be Miss Las Cruces this year:” in bold. Space twice.
Explain to the judging panel why you should be Miss Las Cruces. Why is it important for you to
be Miss America right now?
Remember:

Use your best judgment on what is most important for the judges to know about you.

Use your space wisely.

If it is proven that any information on your resume or platform statement is not true, correct and
factual, you risk losing your title.
Name: Jane Doe
Hometown: Anytown, USA
Date of Birth: December 29, 1981
Education:
University of State – sophomore – Bachelor of Science, Liberal Arts
Frederick Douglass High School
Platform Issue:
Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Inclusiveness
Scholastic/Career Ambition: Obtain a Masters of Business Administration
Talent:
Pop Vocal – “Fallen”
Scholastic Honors: Recipient of national Coca-Cola scholarship; Dean’s List
Leadership Roles: Created and implemented a comprehensive Cultural Diversity Education Curriculum
for grades K-12 in public schools; University Student Body Senator; HS Sr. Class President
Accomplishments: Recipient of the JC Penney Golden Rule Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service
to Community; have completed two marathons; Piano Performance scholarship at State University.
Interesting Facts: First person in family to attend college; studied abroad in high school.
Employment: Internship with a Law Firm; Internship is ABC television affiliate
Marketing Plan: I would combine my experience as an intern with a major national marketing firm with
my strong belief in the Miss America Organization to establish a three-step plan to market this national
program. I would work at educating these corporate and commercial sponsors on the “truth” of our
organization. Through meetings with key decision makers within these organizations, I would change
their attitudes toward the benefits of partnering with our organization. Finally, I would then “ask for the
sale” and demonstrate to them how a joint partnership would further the goals of both organizations.
Legacy: My hope is that in the year of my service as Miss America, I would leave a marked, concrete
and measureable difference in the nation regarding the way we respect each other’s cultural heritage. I
hope that through my continued involvement of the national level with the National Conference for
Community and Justice that we will hold events at the grassroots level which not only discuss that top,
but bring about local and state-wide policy changes in which we address cultural diversity in the
workplace.
Why I should be Miss America this year: It is critical that the national face and embrace its cultural
diversity issues and it must be done now. The traditional make-up of our country is rapidly changing and
unless we confront and inoculate the potential conflicts that might arise, we are headed to potential racial
conflicts we have not seen since the 1960s. Through a nation-wide spokesperson who can give this issue
a face and a voice, we can begin the education process which needs to take place. By placing Miss
America in the midst of our nation’s young people we start the process of changing mindsets and,
ultimately, changing the way in which they will treat one another. There is no greater role for Miss
America than to educate, empower, and embrace the issue of cultural diversity at this point in our nation’s
history.
Instructions for Platform Issue Statement
This is your opportunity to explain to the judges what your chosen platform is and why it is important for
the Miss America Organization to embrace this platform. In addition, it should explain how your
platform will further the Miss America brand to the public.
1.
Set margins for 1” on all sides. Times New Roman font no smaller than 10 point and no larger
than 12.
2. Type “Name:” in bold, space twice, type name.
3. Double space and center. Type in bold and underline the title of your platform.
4. Double space. Write what you feel is critical for the judges to know about your platform and why
it is necessary for you to have the job of Miss Las Cruces/Miss America to promote this issue.
5. This essay may include some of the following items:
a. A clear definition of the platform and the specific issues you wish to address
b. A plan on how you have or will create awareness of this issue
c. The way in which you have or will change attitude or behavior related to the issue
d. The way your platform will move the Miss America Organization forward
e. Your media plan
f.
Your marketing strategy
g. How you propose to fund your ideas/plans
h. Any significant accomplishments you have made in regard to your issue.
6. At the bottom of your page, set justification to the right. Type a line of 26 spaces. Below that
line type Signature/Date. Once you have printed the document sign and date on that line.
Name: Jane Doe
Celebrating Cultural Diversity and Inclusiveness
It is imperative that this nation face and embrace its cultural diversity. While many people have talked
about this issue, I believe that many of them have only paid lip service to the true necessity of what needs
to be addressed related to this issue. There is a false truth in merely accepting and tolerating cultural
diversity. I intend to prove that in order to accept and understand people of other cultures one must be
willing to step out of a personal cultural comfort zone and identify the nature of their prejudice. I will
specifically focus of three areas: Children, Communities and Businesses.
The title of Miss America, combined with the national media already looking at the surface issue, will
allow me to create the national awareness that must exist. Currently, the term “cultural diversity” is well
know in the halls of institution of higher learning and perhaps, even in the public classroom because of
the need of some to be politically correct. But, in order for us to make true changes in attitudes and
behaviors of Americans we must move beyond talk and into action and policy changes.
My plan is to motivate the media and to partner with the National Conference for Community and Justice.
This organization has a chapter in every major city in the national and in many cases, those chapters have
community leaders involved who can, with encouragement and challenging, bring this issue out of hiding
and into the pubic light in each of those communities.
Obviously the NCCJ and the media already exist. However, what is lacking is a lightning rod to draw
attention to this issue. What better role is there for Miss America than to be an agent of change in
organizing our nation to accept our differences and to create an environment that values each person on
individual characteristics than on stereotypes or assumptions?
For years, Miss America was seen as a young woman who cut ribbons and appeared in parades. It is time
for Miss America to step out of the convertible and lead the parade. Our country’s ethnic makeup is
changing rapidly and our citizen’s fear of terrorism can explode already existing but deeply hidden
prejudices. I want to be the leader this nation needs.
This nation needs this issue addressed now and through the already existing NCCJ and its local and state
organizations combined with the power of Miss America, we can make a concrete difference now, which
will change the direction and future of our nation.
__________________________
Signature/Date