Resume Contents
Before you start writing your resume, ask yourself these two questions...
- Who is your intended audience?
- What do you do well?
- Resume Overview
- Identifying Information
- Objective
- Education
- Experience
- Community/Extracurricular Activities
- Special Categories
- References
- Making Resumes "Technology Friendly"
Resume Overview
Identifying Information - Include your name, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail address here. Most students prefer to list their current (college) and permanent (home) address here, so they can be reached during breaks and in the summer.
Objective - If you plan to have an objective keep it brief - preferably one line. Include the following information: the position for which you are applying, the work environment you would prefer, and the skills you possess. If you are interested in several different kinds of work, you can either have two (or more) different resumes, each with a specific objective, or omit the objective from your resume, and state in your cover letter what type of employment you are seeking.
Education - Most employers want to know the name and location of your college, degree you will earn, your major as well as month and year of graduation. Other optional items include: minors, GPA, courses completed, honors/awards/scholarships, study at other U.S. institutions and abroad. Generally, it is not necessary to list your high school diploma under education. Exceptions to this may be for individuals who attended an independent school and now are seeking a teaching position in the same environment or underclass persons who are seeking a summer job/internship.
Experience - This section could include summer jobs, internships, campus jobs, volunteer work, related class projects. You will want to include the name of the organization, location (city and state), time frame that you worked, job title, and two or three phrases describing what you did (if not apparent from your title). Use action verbs such as those listed on the next page to begin these phrases.
Community/Extracurricular Activities - Keep this section simple. State the name of the organization, positions held, your accomplishments and time frame.
Special Categories - Almost anything can be treated as a special category on a resume. Presenting information under its own heading is a good way of highlighting it. Examples of possible categories are: Volunteer Work, Computer Skills, Languages, Leadership & Initiative, Awards and Honors.
References - Since you should always have references available, it is not necessary to indicate on your resume that your "references are available upon request." If references are requested, list the names, addresses and phone numbers on a separate sheet of paper, as opposed to your resume. A handout about "Providing References" is available at the CDO.
Identifying Information
There is where you put your name, address (college and home), phone numbers, and e-mail address.Example
WILLIAM TAYLOR
| Box 012 Gambier, OH 43022 (740) 427-5989 Email: taylorw@kenyon.edu | 8 Sherigen Avenue Manhasset, NY 10999 (647) 232-2312 Cell: (647) 239-8221 |
Example
GRAINNE BRENNEN
c/o The Levins
1567 Cherry Road
Centerburg, Ohio 43211
Phone: (740) 421-9812
E-mail: brenneng@kenyon.edu
Example
ANDREW STEWART
| 1987 Sharon Drive | Danby,VT 03192-1874 | (743) 675-1256 |
Objective
If you plan to have an objective, keep it brief -- preferably one or two lines. Include the following information: the position you are applying for and possibly something about the setting you would like to work in and the skills you posses. If you are interested in several kinds of work, you can either have two (or more) different resumes, each with a specific objective, or omit the objective from your resume, stating in your cover letter the type of employment you are seeking.
Example
"Opportunity in public relations applying skills in writing, editing, layout, graphics, and web maintenance."
"Position with a publishing firm focusing on technical publications."
"Assistant or associate position with a creative-focused consulting firm that would benefit from excellent research, leadership, and problem-solving experience."
Education
Most employers want to know the name and location of your college, degree you will earn, your major and date of graduation. Other optional items include: minors, GPA, courses completed, honors/awards/scholarships, study at other U.S. institutions and abroad. Unless you are a freshman, sophomore, or junior seeking a summer job/internship position, refrain from listing high school attended.
Example
EDUCATION
Kenyon College, Gambier OH. Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Economics, May 2007.
Courses include Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics and Calculus. Awarded an Honors Scholarship. 3.15/4.00 Cumulative GPA.
Example
EDUCATION
| Jan. 2003 - May 2007 | KENYON COLLEGE | Gambier, OH |
| Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. GPA: 3.06/4.00 Additional coursework includes Economics, Classics, History, and Art History. | ||
| May - Dec. 2006 | TEMPLE UNIVERSITY JAPAN | Tokyo, Japan |
| College of Arts and Science. Courses include Mathematics, Technical Writing for Business and Industries, Political Science, English, Spanish, and Women's Studies |
Experience
This section could include summer jobs, internships, campus jobs, volunteer work, andrelated class projects. You will want to include the name of the organization, location (city and state), time frame that you worked, job title, and three or four phrases describing what you did (if not apparent from your title). Use action verbs to begin these phrases.
Example
| EXPERIENCE | |
| Law Project Assistant, Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, Philadelphia, PA, Summer 2005 | |
| |
| Consultant, Horeshoes Unlimited, Gill, MA, 2006-Present | |
| |
Example
| EXPERIENCE | ||
| Sept. 2004 -May 2006 | APPRENTICE TEACHER OF JAPANESE Kenyon College. Created study materials to assist students in learning Japanese. Taught language and shared Japanese culture. Substituted for other Japanese TA. Enhanced presentation skills. | Gambier, OH |
| Summer 2005 | SALES ASSISTANT Crestar International, Inc. Responded to initial contact of potential customers. Provided information regarding international telecommunications services. Enhanced sales skills. | Boston, MA |
Community/Extracurricular Activities
Keep this section simple. State the name of the organization, positions held, your accomplishments and time frame. If some of your activities were substantive and relate to your occupational goals, you might move them to your "Experience" section and include descriptions of accomplishments.
Example
CAMPUS ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
| Student Advocate, Kenyon Sexual Harassment Advisory Council | 2005 - present | |
| Intern, Kenyon Career Development Center | 2003 - 04 | |
| Advisor, Law and Society Concentration Committee | 2004 - present | |
| Liaison, The Philadelphia Center | 2002 - 03 |
Special Categories
Almost anything can be treated as a special category on a resume. Presenting information under its own heading is good way of highlighting it. Examples of possible categories are: Computer Skills, Languages, Leadership & Initiative, Awards and Honors.
Example
LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES
Varsity Baseball, Outfield. 2002-present. 4 year letterman. Help lead team through hustle, versatility, work ethic and defense.
Delta Kappa Epsilon, 2004-present. Hosted Shawn Kelley Memorial Christmas Party for Head-Start. Educated pledges about this historical fraternity.
References
If references are requested, list them on a separate sheet of paper, perhaps using the same format with your name and contact information at the top as you've done with your resume. You do not need to list reference names, addresses and phone numbers on your resume; the separate reference page could serve as an addendum to your resume, to be viewed by the employer as needed. At one time, it was more common to indicate on your resume that references could be "Available Upon Request", but it is not needed. Most employers anticipate that you'll have some type of references available, whether in written form or through a sheet of references with contact information. Stop by the CDO for our handout about "Providing References" for more information.
Making Resumes "Technology Friendly"
Organizations that receive thousands of resumes may scan resumes into a computer system. Then, they will search these resumes using "key words" much like you may use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. If you pay attention to the content and presentation of your resume, you may increase the chances that your resume will appear in such a search.
Content - computers will often look for keywords that relate to the job. For example, a consulting firm with operations in Mexico City may seek a person who has taken Economics and Psychology courses and has experience with the Excel and Microsoft Word programs and is fluent in Spanish. If these "key words" are on the resume, it is more likely that the applicant will be considered. However, the computer also has to be able to read the resume.
Presentation - The computer can best "read" resumes that are printed on light-colored paper (not bright colors, stone-colored papers, or papers with different-colored flecks), with standard typefaces (serif or san-serif type fonts such as the one used in this document), and font sizes between 10 and 14 points Also, you should avoid fancy graphics, italics, shadowing and minimize underlining. In addition, even if your resume is not scanned, it may be photo-copied for distribution to other members on the search committee or even faxed to another office in, say, Mexico City. So, that is yet another reason to send a clear, clean copy to the employer.
Always have copies of your resume on hand... ...in hard-copy and virtual forms. You never know when a potential employer will ask you for a resume. It is best to keep a copy of your resume in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format (.rtf) on your H: drive and in floppy disk format. Many organizations will also allow you to "upload" your resume onto their website. In some instances, this might require submission of a plain-text resume, with no columns, bold, other common formatting features. For assistance when doing this, contact the Career Development Office.