Recipe for a Great Resume

• Heading: Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email Address

• Education: List all degrees you have or anticipate having (ex-Bachelor of Business, expected May 2012)

• Objective: We prefer reading this in your cover letters, not resumes.

• Experience: List jobs, internships, and volunteer positions. Keep duties straightforward and in order-from present to past.

• Skills: Don’t forget computer skills, foreign languages, and creative skills.

• Honors & Awards: Only list relevant awards. Don’t list an award from High School, unless directly related to your career path.

• Activities and Special Interests: List useful activities (community service, student government, other groups, etc…) that show leadership, communication or other intangible skills relevant to the position you are seeking.

Do’s and Dont’s

Do

• Proofread, proofread, proofread

• Check for both spelling and grammatical errors that spell check won’t always catch

• Focus on accomplishments, not just responsibilities

• Use strong action words

• Use a decent size font – 10 to 12

• Use professional social media ex: LinkedIn

• Research the company

• Write a cover letter addressing the individual requests of each company you’re applying to

• Arrive 10-15 minutes early

• Have a strong, confident handshake

• Maintain eye contact

• Leave your cell phone in the car

• Dress professional no matter what the employer’s dress code is

• Create a professional voicemail message on your cell phone

• Create a professional email address: ex-TJackson@email.com

• Be your self

• Always send a thank you letter

Don’t

• Include false information on your resume

• Put your picture on your resume

• Print your resume on fluorescent paper with crazy fonts

• Share references until requested

• Write a selfish objective-instead use something more like: “To gain experience in…”

• Display unprofessional pictures or information on a personal website or Facebook page

• Forget your picture ID-some places require one at check-in

• Wear questionable items such as nose piercings or orange shoes

• Don’t wear perfume or cologne

• Complain about the receptionist, traffic or difficulty finding the office

• Allow your voice mail to fill up so employers are unable to leave you messages

• Share an inappropriate email address: ex-like2party@email.com

• Constantly call an employer after your interview