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how to write a resume

Résumé tips and hints

It’s your ticket to the job and college markets. How you frame your education, skills and interests can make your résumé stand out.

 

Words for Success:

  1. Résumé: A one-page document clearly showing a student’s education, work and extracurricular experience.

You might be the perfect candidate for a college or job opportunity, but how will employers and admission people know? Here are some tips to make you and your résumé stand out from the crowd.

What to include

  1. Summarize skills you learned through high school sports, clubs, activities or other experiences. Concisely describe activities that show a pattern of interest and are relevant to the job or school.
  2. Mention any leadership positions held and recognitions received.
  3. List your employment history, with the most recent jobs listed first. Include your title (or position), employer, the dates you worked and your job responsibilities.
  4. Include your education history, with the most recent school listed first. List any awards, honors or certificates you earned.
  5. Note useful skills. These might include fluency in a foreign language or experience with computer programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
  6. Display your contact information, including your phone number, email and address.

How to do it

  1. Put the most important information close to the top of the page.
  2. Make your résumé as focused and concise as possible, preferably one page. Do not go beyond two pages.
  3. Use active verbs and specific descriptions to make your experiences stand out. For example, saying that you taught a group of fourth graders to use metaphors in a summer creative writing class is more effective than saying you worked as a fourth-grade writing counselor.
  4. Tailor your résumé to the specific job or school to which you are applying to demonstrate your interest.
  5. Use bold headings to emphasize key points and keep things organized.
  6. Spell out all names and terms. Avoid abbreviations.
  7. Leave one inch of white space around the outside of the text.
  8. Use an easy-to-read font such as Helvetica or Times. Use a standard 12-point font size.
  9. Be consistent with formatting such as bold headings, italics, bullets and margins.
  10. Check your spelling and grammar carefully. Have a friend or family member review your résumé to check for errors and readability.

For more résumé-writing tips, check out JobWeb.com’s tips at: http://www.jobweb.com/Resumes_Interviews/resume_guide/restips.html

Sample résumé

[Heading]
Name
Street address
City, State Zip
Telephone number
Email address

Education
Name of School
Year completed
Address of School
GPA (optional)

Activities
Sports or extracurricular activities
Year(s) of participation
Clubs
Student government/other leadership roles

Employment (jobs or internships experience – most recent first)
Position held
Dates of employment
Employer
Tasks and responsibilities (bullet list, use active verbs)

Skills and Experience
Foreign languages
Technical or computer skills

Interests
Appropriate interests, in order of importance
Relevant volunteer experience
Awards or recognition

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