Download Writing an Effective Resume A Strong Resume:

Writing an Effective Resume
A Strong Resume:
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Provides a professional introduction to a potential employer.
Has a clean, professional appearance.
Uses action verbs.
Uses present tense for current work, past tense for former experience.
Encourages an employer to want to know more about you via an interview.
Provides an employer with a first impression of your skills and the value that YOU bring to
a job.
Is your personal marketing tool – your first opportunity to sell yourself to an employer.
A Strong Resume does not:
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Provide a check list of everything you have ever done (whether it is of value to the potential
employer or not).
Require more than two pages, especially for new graduates. More than two pages takes too
much of the employer’s time.
Look too crowded and difficult to read.
Contain grammar or spelling errors.
Tips …
Your resume will be one of many – sometimes hundreds that an employer receives. Most employers
spend less than 15 seconds looking at resumes for the first time.
Read your resume from the employer’s perspective. Is it easy to read? Do you have bullets rather
than paragraphs? If you are unable to present a concise, easily readable resume to an employer why
should they think your work will be any better?
When sending or uploading your resume, ensure it is in PDF format so you don’t have formatting
issues.
A list of courses is not necessary, unless it is very specific to the job description.
A laundry list of soft skills is also not helpful.
Your work experience/internship/extra-curricular activities are important to employers. List it at the
beginning - usually right after your education. It illustrates what you have done in concrete terms. For
example, if you were in a service position you learned to communicate with people in sometimes
difficult situations.
Ask someone else to proofread your resume for typos, misspellings, etc. If that is not possible put it
aside for a while and go back to it so you see it from a fresh perspective. It also helps to read it aloud.
You often catch more mistakes that way.
A one or two-page resume, when done well, will effectively market you - as long as the information
you provide is related to the employer’s goals and objectives.
Resume Checklist
Layout & Appearance
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Is your name at the top of the page and in bold?
Are your address, phone number, and email easy to read?
Is your email address professional?
Is your resume an appropriate length? (1 page preferred – 2
maximum if you have extensive related job experience)
Is formatting (e.g. bold, font, bullet sizes, heading style) consistent
throughout the resume?
Are the headings and statements evenly spaced?
Are verb tenses in the present tense for current jobs? Are
verb tenses in the past tense for previous jobs?
Do you have approximately 2-6 statements per job?
(Bullet form is recommended.)
Content
Did you include the following headings: Education, Experience,
Activities, and Skills?
Does your education section state your official degree and
expected graduation date?
Did you include your cumulative GPA (if a 3.0 or above)?
Is your GPA accurate?
Do your statements demonstrate major accomplishments rather than
routine tasks/duties?
Check that statements demonstrate your accomplishments.
Do your accomplishment statements start with action verbs?
Do your statements demonstrate the results of your
accomplishments?
Did you quantify your results (i.e. use numbers when possible)?
Does your resume end with strength? (e.g. Skills, Activities section)
Is your resume completely free from spelling, punctuation, and
grammatical errors?
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