Career Development Office

Resource Guide

How to:

Write A Resume

contents
2: Introduction- So, you need a resume?
2: What exactly is a resume?
What is it supposed to accomplish?
2-3: Format, Design, and Delivery
3-4: Step by Step Ready to start?
5: E-mail Delivery
5: Types of Resume Formats
6: LinkedIn on Your Resume
6: Resume Checklist
7: Sample Resumes

So, you need a resume?

Whether its your first or fifteenth time writing a resume, you want to target it to your audience. For example, a resume targeted toward a position working in a research lab will be
formatted and organized differently than if you were using it to apply for a small, local, nonprofit organization. Stop by for drop-in advising and have a staff member evaluate your
resume for your specific situation. Before you come in, consider the following.

What exactly is a resume?

What is it supposed to accomplish?
It is (typically) a one-page marketing tool succinctly summarizing your qualifications and experience. Do not
underestimate the role of a resume in your job search process: it could lead to, or even stand in for, an interview. Preparing a thoughtful and effective resume takes time, so dont expect to come up with your best the
night before it is due!

Format, Design, and Delivery

Resume writing is definitely part art. Show your resume to three different people, and you will probably get
three different perspectives. This is normal because part of creating a resume is about personal preference.
You will want to choose a look that best fits your preferences, but dont ignore these guidelines:

Format, Design, and Delivery

Length: One page. Some special circumstances require two pages, but one page is usually the maximum
Margins: Keep your TOP/BOTTOM margins and LEFT/RIGHT margins consistent. No less than 0.5 and no
more than 1.0
Font type: Use a professional-looking font such as: Times, Helvetica, Palatino, or Garamond
Font Size: 11 or 12 (your name can be bigger, but probably not more than font size 16)
Keep it nice, clean, and simple: Dont go crazy with too many italics, CAPS, bold, underlines, indentations,
columns, and all combinations thereof
Not necessary to use complete sentence structure-use pithy bullet statements
Headings: Divide your resume information into clearly labeled sections, which may include some or all of
the following (not necessarily in this order): Education, Experience, Honors and Awards, Activities, Skills,
Interests. List in reverse chronological in format.
Print: Laser print your resume on quality 8.5 X 11 inch bond paper that is white, off-white, or possibly
light gray. The CDO provide resumes paper.

Step by Step- Ready to start?

1. Begin by making a list of all of the things you have ever done. Include work/internship experiences, extracurricular and volunteer activities, leadership positions, honors/awards, major academic research projects,
coursework, special skills (language, computer, technical knowledge or other talents you think are pertinent), and any other pieces of information that could help tell your story.

Step by Step- Ready to start?

1. Begin by making a list of all of the things you have ever done. Include work/internship experiences, extracurricular and volunteer activities, leadership positions, honors/awards, major academic research projects, coursework, special skills (language, computer, technical knowledge or other talents you think are pertinent), and any other pieces of information that could help tell your story.
2. Go back and put in the dates and names of the organizations.
3. Next, based upon where you plan to send your resume (a specific job/internship industry or academic
area), select from your list the experiences, skills, activities, and awards that best fit your intended target
area. You only have one page on which to list these attributes so make sure everything on the page is
relevant. If you do not have specific experiences in your target area, choose the experiences and activities
which illustrate some of the qualities essential for success in that field.
For Example:

If you want an entry-level position in business, select experiences which show leadership ability, teamwork, the ability to work under pressure, the ability to work with a variety of people, etc.

If you want a teaching position, choose experiences which show your sensitivity to others needs, commitment to education, interest in children. Through your activities and jobs you have developed a variety of
skills that are transferable to professional positions. It is up to you to identify those skills and show how
they will suit the needs of your target audience.

4. Time to start composing the draft. Look at the basic resume format (above) and some of the other samples
provided to see how to structure your resume, the most common format is the chronological (listing your
experiences in reverse chronological order). Keep in mind the following points while writing:

Make your writing as powerful and as compelling as possible. Begin each phrase (dont use complete sentences) with the action verb. Dont be wordy! Be factual.
Highlight your responsibilities and what you specifically accomplished. It is useful to use numbers to illustrate your achievements, e.g. increased membership by 15%, or supervised 50 residence hall students.
Avoid subjective adjectives like designed excellent pamphlets, or wrote outstanding program. Employers will make their own evaluations.
Employers appreciate clarity and brevity. Aim for a tone that is positive and enthusiastic, a style that is succinct and to the point.

Now that you have a draft, proofread it, then bring it in to the CDO and we will help you polish it for a
resume that is a great reflection of you!

E-mail Delivery
In todays world, resumes and cover letters are often sent via e-mail. Here are some typical guidelines to use
when e-mailing your resumes and cover letters:
Use a professional-looking email address. This is often the first thing the person reading your application will see. If your email address is crazycecil@hotmail.com, consider getting another free email
account that uses your name instead. Cecil.Sagehen@gmail.com will give the hiring manager a professional first impression.

Turn your resume and cover letter into one PDF file.
Create a brief, professional e-mail that states you have attached your resume and cover letter.
In the subject line of the e-mail, put information that will easily identify your email, perhaps your name and
resume - i.e. John Doe Resume or position to which youre applying.

types of resume FORMATS

There are three basic resume formats to choose from and modify: chronological, functional, and combination.
Chronological: Organizes information within sections in reverse chronological order

Most commonly used format

Especially good if you have progressive experience in the type of position you are seeking

NOTE: Experience is listed in reverse chronological order in a Chronological Resume

While dates may be listed by year(s) only, month and year are often most appropriate
Combination: Organizes information chronologically within functional categories

A good way to separate different types of experiences, such as Marketing Experience and Arts Experience

Allows you to include relevant positions closer to the top of your resume, even when you may have done
a less relevant position more recently

NOTE: Employment listed with accomplishments in reverse order like the Chorological format, but is categorized functionally, in this case by job titles. Notice how this allows the job seer to put the most relevant
experience at the top even though it is not the most current.

types of resume FORMATS

Functional: Organizes information functionally by types of skills, qualifications and accomplishments

De-emphasizes dates and highlights transferable skills rather than work history
Grouped into relevant categories such as Leadership, Technical and Interpersonal
Work History listed separately to include position, employer, location and

NOTE: There is no set number of accomplishments that must be included under a given section
Tailor the functional headings based on your experiences and the job you are seeking
Work history is still listed in reverse chronological order and needs to include the 4 basic parts

linkedin on your resume

LinkedIn Profile URL: Yes- Add your LinkedIn public profile to your resume 90% of hiring managers now use
social media, with LinkedIn as a primary resource, to research candidates. Your email address and LinkedIn
URL have are more important to an employer than where you live. In fact, omitting your address from the
header and including just city and state, has become common place, since correspondence often are processed by email. If you do not have a LinkedIn Profile, the Pomona Career Development office has helpful
tools for creating your profile.

RESUME CHECKLIST

Do you have the resume components listed in an order that highlights your most relevant experience?
Is your format consistent throughout the resume?
Does each experience listed contain all the key components: position, employer, location and dates?
Are the descriptions of your experience results-oriented in terms of accomplishments?
Are your experience descriptions in the correct verb tense? (Use the present tense for current experience
and the past tense for previous experiences; for example, assist versus assisted.)
Is it on one page- no more than two in length?
Are dated listings in reverse chronological order within each section?
Does your resume look neat, crisp and well spaced on the paper?
Is your resume free from errors?
Is your resume an honest and accurate representation of your professional self?

Sample Resumes
Take a look at the following samples to get ideas on formatting your resume. While some formats may be
more effective when applying to particular fields, keep in mind that, in the end, you want your resume
to represent you and what you have to offer to the employer. Use these examples as guides but use your
best judgment. If there are pieces of the different sections that you like from different samples, feel free
to combine them, ensuring that it makes sense (and looks appropriate) to both you and your audience.
The resumes on next pages are often used when applying for positions in the arts, non-profit, education,
science, research, computers and other non-business sectors. Those with high school information are
geared for first or second year students, but by leaving off all high school information, they are suitable
for juniors and seniors as well.

RESUME SAMPLE#1-

ARTS AND NON-PROFIT

Resume Sample#2: Research and Design

Sample Resume #3: Business

Sample Resume #4: Education

Sample Resume#5: Financial- Consulting

Sample Resume#6: Full Bright

Sample Resume#5: Law School