How to Write an Effective Resume
Purpose of a Resume
The purpose of a resume is to market yourself to an employer. A resume is a concise document that highlights your
relevant education, experience, accomplishments, and skills.
Formatting Your Resume
There is no right or wrong resume format. However, there are some tips you want to remember to make your resume
memorable (in a good way!) to employers.
• Keep your resume to one to two page – employers typically look at your resume for 30-60 seconds the first time.
• Make it consistent and easy to skim. Use bold, italics, bullets, and spacing consistently throughout your resume.
• Avoid templates. Templates are easy to spot and difficult to use. Create a resume that you will be able to adapt
easily as you make changes and updates.
• The top third of your resume is your ‘sales’ section. You should market your most relevant experiences here.
Your resume should have the most important information toward the top. Order your categories accordingly.
• Within each category, keep your experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first). This format is
easiest for employers to read.
• Every field is different, so it is important to do some research and have your resume reviewed by professionals
within your field to make sure you are following the standard acceptable format.
Content of a Resume
HEADING
Your resume begins with your contact information.
• Your contact information includes: your name (largest font on resume), address, phone number, and email.
• Look at various samples to see how you can display this information.
TARGET STATEMENT OR OBJECTIVE – Entry level positions
A customized target statement or objective can be an effective way to grab the reader’s attention. A statement should:
• Be one line, two at max
• Tell the recipient what type of position and/or industry you are seeking
• Share what skills or experience you offer an employer, not what you are looking to gain
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY – Experienced professionals
A concise, well-written statement or series of bullet points that may include:
• Top 3-5 professional accomplishments
• Top 3-5 skills with brief description of how the skills are developed
• Specialized skills, knowledge or abilities (such as language proficiency, training/certifications, technical skills)
EDUCATION
Your education should highlight your post-high school education. Your education section should include:
• Name of educational institution and city and state where the school is located
• Date of graduation
• Degree received and major field of study
• GPA (optional)
• Related coursework (optional)
• Education honors (optional)
EXPERIENCE
Your experience section and how you format it is highly customized to you. Experience includes work, volunteer,
internship, and other related experiences. Headings can include Experience, Related Experience, Additional Experience,
Volunteer Experience, Professional Experience, etc. You want to select the headings that will move your most relevant
experiences toward the top of your resume. Each experience should include:
• Name of organization and city and state where the organization was located
• Span of dates you participated
• Your title
• Description of your skills and accomplishments (written in bulleted format)
Describing Your Experience
Your experience description should paint a picture of what it would be like to have you as an employee. Descriptions
that simply state what you did at a previous job are weak. To write effective descriptions:
1. Look at the job description of the job you want. Highlight all key words and skills.
2. Think about each of your past positions. How did you develop the skills desired?
3. Create statements describing your skills and accomplishments. Always start with an action word.
4. Qualify your experience by describing it using enough detail that an outsider understands what you did.
5. Whenever possible, quantify (use numbers) your experience.
Additional Resume Categories
Some resumes include additional sections, such as: Skills, Honors and Awards, Professional Development, Volunteer
Work, Certifications and Presentations. If these apply to you, you may include them. Just be sure to keep your format
consistent from category to category.
Resume Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Use a clean format that is easy to read/scan
Make it relevant to the employer
Put the most important information first
Stress results, skills, and accomplishments
Use correct tense
Begin sentences with action verbs
DON’T:
• Include irrelevant personal information
• Misspell or have grammatical errors
• Be Inconsistent (with font style or size)
• Use personal pronouns (I, me, my)
• Use abbreviations, slang or jargon
• List ‘References Available Upon Request’
New Grad
newgrad@indiana.edu
Home 317-555-5555
313 East Employed Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Assistant Merchandiser
Seeking a position as an Assistant Merchandiser at Target where experience in product strategy development
and consumer research is valued
Education
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
May 2013
Bachelor of Arts, Fashion Design
GPA 3.8/4.0
Capstone Project:
• Created a marketing plan for a new line of handbags and accessories for JC Penney
• Identified target audience and specific methods for reaching the audience
• Presented marketing plan in mock board meeting, successfully fielding questions regarding the plan
• Received an A for exceptional work
Leadership Experience
Retail Studies Organization, Indiana University
August 2009-May 2013
Vice President of Membership
August 2012-May 2013
• Marketed benefits of participation in the Retail Studies Organization to new majors at orientation, in
classes, and during campus organization events
• Created a dynamic marketing piece that outlined the benefits of involvement in the organization
• Increased membership by 5% from previous year by marketing the club to minors as well as majors
Hollister, Bloomington, IN
August 2011-May 2013
Sales Associate
• Managed a 15 hour/week part-time job while maintaining a full-time course load
• Ensured store was visually appealing and strategically marketed products throughout the store
• Provided exceptional customer service, hitting weekly sales goals of $1000 on a consistent basis
• Collaborated with team members to create a store attitude consistent with the Hollister brand
Kohls, Milwaukee, WI
Summer 2012
Merchandising Intern
• Researched competitors prices on items with lower sales success over the last sales quarter
• Analyzed customer survey and made recommendations on products to be marketed as Kohls exclusives
• Presented findings of Kohls exclusives research to 15 full-time merchandising staff members
• Communicated with three major vendors on quote sheets and sample requests
Experienced Grad
23 West William Street ● Chicago, IL 60057 ● (857) 777-7777
S UMMARY
•
•
•
•
Ten years of management experience within the retail sector
Demonstrate leadership ability, receiving two promotions within two years
Create effective teams through strong communication and measurable performance metrics
Recipient of ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award, given to the top manager from each region as nominated by peers
E XPERIENCE
My Style, Inc., Chicago, IL
May 2008-Present
Regional Manager
August 2010-Present
Oversee 15 retail stores in territory. Travel to each location once a month to assess quality, discuss goals, and provide
feedback.
Selected accomplishments:
• Managed rollout of new employee incentive program, designed to award employees for high-quality customer
service and loyalty to the company.
• Increase efficiency of customer experience in receiving assistance by 10% across region.
• Lead 15 store managers in receiving ‘Gold Star’ ratings on all performance metrics for the two years in a row.
Store Manager
May 2009-August 2010
Offered comprehensive oversight of store, including management of 50 staff and sales of $500,000 annually.
Selected accomplishments:
• Promoted to store manager after only six months in an assistant manager position.
• Implemented pilot program of company’s new look, which included promotion, press, and community events.
• Led eight assistant managers through professional development series aimed at increasing professional image of
staff and creating career ladder opportunities for employees.
Assistant Manager
January 2008-May 2009
Led team of 10 sales associates in shoe & accessory department. Provided extensive individual feedback to maximize the
performance of each individual and the team.
Selected accomplishments:
• Increased department revenue from previous year by 3%.
• Designed and implemented incentive program to motivate team toward weekly and seasonal goals.
• Presented incentive program to store managers across region at annual awards event, which was then
implemented by seven additional stores.
Macy’s, Chicago, IL
May 2007-May 2008
Retail Sales Representative
Provided exceptional customer service in busy shoe department. Assisted up to 20 customers per hour. Trained new
sales representatives on Macy’s customer service expectations.
E DUCATION
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Bachelor of Science, Telecommunications
3.7/4.0, Hutton Honors College
May 2007
Ima Functional Resume
28731 Highlighter Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46207
(317)555-1212 or ima@hotmail.com
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SALES
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Sales and Customer Service
• Raised $10,000 for non-profit after-school programs by leading fundraising team of 10 volunteers
• Increased donations by 15% from previous year by use of marketing materials, cold-calling and
developing corporate sponsorships
• Demonstrated effective persuasive skills in retail sales and met monthly quotas by 110%
• Provided excellent customer service by phone and in person in high volume, fast-paced environments
• Dealt with customer complaints effectively and efficiently, improving satisfaction survey results by 22%
Management
• Trained 15 new employees in effective customer sales techniques
• Managed store, included five full-time employees, ensuring each shift ran smoothly and was staffed
appropriately during peak hours
• Supervised various youth recreational activities for non-profit organization, including management of
100 volunteers
Organizational
• Documented customer service calls using Microsoft Access
• Created a volunteer database using Microsoft Excel to track volunteer information, availability, and
volunteering history
• Recognized by supervisors for efficiency and nominated for Employee of the Year (2008)
• Designed and developed a coding system in Microsoft Excel for a course research project
• Created monthly calendar, secured volunteers, and implemented activities for after-school program that
served over 100 area youth
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fruehauf Leasing Corporation Indianapolis, Indiana
Customer Service Representative, December 2011-Present
YMCA Fishers, Indiana
Youth Activity Coordinator, August 2010-December 2011
Things Remembered Indianapolis, Indiana
Retail Associate and Trainer, May 2008-May 2010
EDUCATION
Indiana University, Kokomo, Indiana
Bachelor of Science, Business, May 2010