RESUMES 101
Office of Career Services
Suite 103 – Trinity Library
www.trinitydc.edu
202-884-9636
Resume Preparation Do's and Don'ts
Here are the keys to successfully preparing and writing a resume. Follow these simple
rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.
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Do consider a bulleted style to make your resume as reader-friendly as possible.
Don't get overwrought about the old “one-page resume rule.” It’s good to keep
your resume to one page, if possible, but if you have a lot of experience, two
pages may be more appropriate. If your resume spills beyond one page, but you
have less than a half a page of material for the second page, it may be best to
condense to one page.
But don't go beyond two pages with your resume.
Do consider a resume design that doesn’t look like everyone else’s. Many
jobseekers use Microsoft Word resume templates and wizards. There’s nothing
wrong with them, per se, but your resume won’t look distinctive if you use one;
it will look like the resume of everyone else who used a Word template. These
templates and wizards can also be a bit inflexible to work with.
Don't use justified text blocks; they put odd little spaces between words. Instead,
make your type flush left.
Don't ever lie on your resume.
Do include as much contact information as possible -- any information that
would enable an employer to reach you during business hours.
Do give your resume as sharp a focus as possible. Given that employers screen
resumes for between 2.5 and 20 seconds, you need a way to show the employer
at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. One way to sharpen
your focus is through an objective statement. The objective statement can be very
simple and straightforward; it can be simply the title of the position you're
applying for, which can be adjusted for every job you apply for. Or you can
embellish the Objective statement a bit with language telling how you'll benefit
the employer. Something like: "Objective: To contribute strong ________ skills
and experience to your firm in a _________ capacity."
In this day of being able to manage our own computer files, you could have
several versions of your resume that are exactly the same except for the objective.
A specific objective is always better than a vague or general one.
Do consider a section such as "Summary of Qualifications," or "Profile," which
can also help sharpen your focus.
Don't discount the possibility of a functional format for your resume. This
format can be strategic for career changers, students and others who lack
experience, those with gaps in their employment, as well as those re-entering the
workforce. A functional resume is organized around functional skills clusters.
After listing three to four skills clusters and showing how you've demonstrated
those skills, you provide a bare-bones work history at the bottom.
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Don't use personal pronouns (I, my, me) in a resume.
Do list your job information in order of importance to the reader. In listing your
jobs, what's generally most important is your title/position. So list in this
preferred order: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of
employment.
Don't leave out the locations of your past jobs (city and state). This information is
expected, but many jobseekers unwittingly omit it.
Do list your jobs in reverse chronological order.
Don't mix noun and verb phrases when describing your jobs. Preferably, use
concrete action verbs consistently.
Do avoid the verb, "Work" because it's a weak verb. Everyone works. Be more
specific. "Collaborate (d)" is often a good substitute.
Do think in terms of accomplishments when preparing your resume.
Accomplishments are so much more meaningful to prospective employers than
run-of-the-mill litanies of job responsibilities.
Don't use expressions like "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," or
"Responsible for." That's job-description language, not accomplishments-oriented
resume language that sells.
Do emphasize transferable skills, especially if you don’t have much experience
or seek to change careers.
Do quantify whenever possible. Use numbers to tell employers how many
people you supervised, by what percentage you increased sales, how many
products you represented, etc.
Don't list too much experience on your resume. The rule of thumb for someone
with many years of experience is to list about 15 years worth of jobs. Age
discrimination, unfortunately, is a reality, and even more likely, employers may
think you're too expensive if you list too much experience on your resume.
Don't emphasize skills and job activities you don’t want to do in the future, even
if they represent great strengths for you. In fact, you may not even want to
mention these activities. Why describe how great your clerical skills are if you
don't want to do clerical work in the future?
Do remember that education also follows the principle about presenting
information in the order of importance to the reader; thus the preferred order for
listing your education is: Name of degree (spelled out: Bachelor of _____) in
name of major, name of university, city/state of university, graduation year
(unless you graduated more than about 15 years ago), followed by peripheral
information, such as minor and GPA. If you haven’t graduated yet, list your grad
year anyway. Simply by virtue of the fact that the date's in the future, the
employer will know you don't have the degree yet.
Don't list high school!
Don't include on your resume your height, weight, age, date of birth, place of
birth, marital status, sex, ethnicity/race, health, social security number (except on
an international resume), reasons for leaving previous job(s), names of former
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supervisors, specific street addresses or phone numbers of former employers,
picture of yourself, salary information, the title "Resume," or any information
that could be perceived as controversial, such as religion, church affiliations, or
political affiliations.
Don't include hobbies or other irrelevant information on a resume. In most cases,
they are seen as superfluous and trivial. An argument can be made that hobbies
are interview conversation starters or that they make you seem well-rounded,
but they are generally seen as fluff or filler.
Do, however, list sports if you’re a college student or new grad. Many employers
specifically seek out athletes because of their drive and competitiveness, as well
as teamwork and leadership skills. Collegiate athletes should even consider
listing their sports background in the Experience section.
Don't list references right on your resume. References belong in a later stage of
the job search. Keep references on a separate sheet and provide them only when
they are specifically requested.
Do realize that the phrase "References available upon request" is highly optional
because it is a given that you will provide references upon request. If you
couldn't, you would have no business looking for a job. The line can serve the
purpose of signaling: "This is the end of my resume," but if you are trying to
conserve space, leave it off.
Do proofread carefully. Misspellings and typos are deadly on a resume.
Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume
You probably have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve
an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education, and your
work experience, and should reflect your strengths.
What follows is an outline of a typical chronological resume -- best suited for entry-level
job-seekers or those who have stayed in the same field. Career changers and those jobseekers with varied work experiences and accomplishments may want to utilize a
functional resume style.
Not sure what kind of resume you need? Here are the key components of a standard
chronological resume:
Identification
It is essential that a potential employer can reach you. This section should
include your name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address. If a college
student, this section might also include a school address and a permanent home
address.
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Job Objective
A job objective is optional and should only be included for new college grads
and those changing careers. Otherwise, use your cover letter to show your career
interests and job objective.
If you do use an objective, make sure your objective explains the kind of work
you want to do, and keep it between two to four typed lines.
Key Accomplishments
Some resume experts are suggesting adding a section that highlights your key
accomplishments and achievements. Think of this section as an executive
summary of your resume; identify key accomplishments that will grab the
attention of an employer.
This section should summarize (using nouns as keywords and descriptors) your
major accomplishments and qualifications. This section can also be labeled
"Professional Profile," "Summary of Accomplishments," "Key Skills," "Summary
of Qualifications," or "Qualifications."
Education
For new college grads, this entry should be your next. For others with full-time
work experience, this section should follow your experience section.
This section should include school(s) attended (including years of attendance),
majors/minors, degrees, and honors and awards received.
For new grads only: There appears to be a growing trend of employers wanting
your GPA in this section. If you decide to do so, make sure to use the GPA that
puts you in the best light -- either overall GPA, school or college GPA, or major
GPA.
Professional Experience
This section can also be labeled "Experience, "Work History," or "Employment."
Using experience is recommended -- especially for new college grads, because
experience is broader than work history, allowing you to include major school
projects that showcase your skills and abilities.
This section should include company name, your job title, dates of employment,
and major accomplishments. List experiences in reverse chronological order,
starting with your most current experience.
List your accomplishments in bullet format (rather than paragraph format).
Avoid discussing job duties or responsibilities.
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If you don't have a lot of career-related job experience, consider using
transferable skills to better highlight your work experience.
Finally, make sure to make use of action verbs when describing your
accomplishments.
Affiliations/Interests
This section is optional; include only if you have room on your resume for it.
Items from this section are often used as an ice-breaker by interviewers looking
to start an interview on an informal basis. This section should only include
professional memberships and non-controversial activities/interests.
References
Many experts say this section is passé, but if you have room, include it. If
nothing else, this section signals the end of your resume.
This section should only include a statement saying references are available upon
request.
Do not include the names of your references on your resume.
Should You Consider a Functional Format for Your Resume?
Today's resumes generally fall into one of two broad categories. They are either
chronological (actually reverse chronological, listing all your experience from most to
least recent) and functional, which lists experience in skills clusters. If you're planning to
create your resume for the first time or update your old resume, you might wonder
whether a functional format is right for you.
Among jobseekers who should consider a functional format:
• Those with very diverse experiences that don't add up to a clear-cut career path.
• College students with minimal experience and/or experience unrelated to their
chosen career field.
• Career-changers who wish to enter a field very different from what all their
previous experience points to.
• Those with gaps in their work history, such as homemakers who took time to
raise and family and now wish to return to the workplace. For them, a
chronological format can draw undue attention to those gaps, while a functional
resume enables them to portray transferable skills attained through such
activities as domestic management and volunteer work.
• Military transitioners entering a different field from the work they did in the
military.
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Job-seekers whose predominate or most relevant experience has been unpaid,
such as volunteer work or college activities (coursework, class projects,
extracurricular organizations, and sports).
Those who performed very similar activities throughout their past jobs who
want to avoid repeating those activities in a chronological job listing.
Job-seekers looking for a position for which a chronological listing would make
them look "overqualified."
Older workers seeking to deemphasize a lengthy job history.
If you can look at a chronological resume without a stated career objective and know
exactly what field the jobseeker is headed toward and would be good at, then the
chronological format probably is working just fine. But if you can't guess what the
jobseeker wants to do and would be good at by looking at the chronology of past jobs, a
functional format may be indicated.
The functional format also can work well for college students because it allows skills
attained from experiences other than paid employment to be listed within the skills
clusters. For example, one student chose leadership as one of her skills clusters, and she
listed the following supporting experiences, none of them paid employment:
Leadership
o Selected as president-elect of Omicron Delta Kappa honorary and vice
president of Phi Eta Sigma honorary
o Acquainted new students with campus as orientation leader
o Serve as president of residence hall on Residence Hall Council
o Function as vice president for intellectual development and assistant
recruitment chair for social sorority
It's true that functional formats have been the subject of some employer backlash is
recent years. Some employers are unaccustomed to the functional format, and they may
become confused or even irritated by functional resumes.
Recruiters/headhunters particularly disdain functional formats, so this approach should
never be used if you are primarily targeting recruiters with your job search. Employers
in conservative fields, such as banking, finance, and law are not big fans of functional
formats, nor are international employers. Functional formats also are not acceptable on
many online job boards.
Some employers like to know what you did in each job. One solution is to structure your
resume in a mostly functional format but include a bare-bones work history in reverse
chronological order, creating what is variously known as a chrono-functional, hybrid, or
combination format. Such a work-history section need include only job title, name and
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location of employer, and dates of employment. You don't need to list what you did in
each job because that information already is listed in your functional section.
To make your functional resume as reader-friendly as possible for employers, include as
much context as you can within each functional description. That way, the employer has
a better idea of which skill aligns with which job. In the above leadership-skills example,
for instance, the student tells where she demonstrated each skill, thus making helping
the employer connect her skills with the experience that produced those skills.
If you're unsure whether a functional resume is right for you, try it both ways and show
the two formats to people in the field you wish to enter. See which one they feel presents
your skills more effectively.
References:
Hansen, K. (n.d.) Resume dos and don’ts. Retrieved July 29, 2005 from
http://www.quintcareers.com/resume-dos-donts.html.
Hansen, R.S. (n.d.) Fundamentals of a good chronological resume. Retrieved July 29,
2005 from http://www.quintcareers.com/resume.html.
Hansen, K. (n.d.) Should you consider a functional format for your resume? Retrieved
July 29, 2005 from http://www.quintcareers.com/functional_resume.html.
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