Resume Basics

How is your resume looking these days?  If the answer is ‘Ummm…..not so good’ or ‘Resume… what resume?!” you’ve come to the right place. 

Before I go any further, log into your ZebraNet account, click on ‘Resource Library’ on the left side panel, and then click ‘Resume Packet’.  A pdf document will download.  Save it… this is an invaluable resource!

Ok, back to that resume! Did you know that recruiters take, on average, under one minute to look over each resume they come across?  That means you have just a few seconds to get capture their attention.  How exactly do you do this?  Your resume needs to reflect the absolute best version of you, your skills, and your experiences.  All of this needs to fit neatly on one sheet of paper.  Yes, one sheet.  If you have something that sounds like this, you can skip ahead to step two.   If not, read through step one carefully.

Step one:  Open up a new Microsoft Word Document and add information under each of these headings: contact information, education, honors/awards, relevant courses, related experience, skills, activities, and interests.  You won’t necessarily need all of this information for every resume, but it’s a good idea to have it all written down in one place to start.  And it’s ok if this looks like a mess.   Refer to the Resume Packet from ZebraNet (as well as the resume information on the Career Center website) for further explanations of the content you need to include, as well as vocabulary suggestions, etc.  

Step two: One of the main components of an effective resume is proper formatting.  Some of the information on your resume (such as your contact information) will generally stay in the same place regardless of the type of position you are applying for.  However, you may need to alter the format and/or revise the information on your resume in accordance to a job or internship description.  Save different versions of your resume (ZebraNet allows you to upload and save up to 50 versions!) to have on hand. 

Step three:  It’s important to have your resume reviewed.  No matter how rough or messy it is, you can stop by the Career Center during our drop-in hours to have a career counselor help you clean it up.  We can help you tailor your resume to a specific job or internship (be sure to bring a copy of the description!), increase the effectiveness of your word choices, or just take a quick look to be sure it’s totally polished. 

Lastly, click here for a list of video clips related to writing a strong resume!