EXPLORATION: RESUME WRITING

FIVE GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE RESUME

1. Limit the length of your resume to one page unless you have a remarkable amount of related experience, have worked in your field for many years, or you are an education or nursing major.  Be concise and specific.  The resume is not meant to be a detailed history of your education or career, rather a summary of your qualifications, experiences and skills.  Ask yourself: is your resume clear, sharp and easy to read?

2. Tenses should agree; put present experiences in present tense and past experiences in past tense. 

3. Always choose the most accurate words to describe your skills and experiences; use a dictionary and thesaurus and continually update with improvements. Avoid jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, and personal pronouns.

4. For hard copies, avoid unusual sized paper or flashy colors; your resume should be on 8 1/2” by 11” neutral-color stock paper.

5. Appearance: Pay attention to the overall appearance and aesthetic presentation of your resume.  You want your resume to be attractive. Maintain consistency in font size and style, and be sure that there are no spelling, grammatical or typographical errors. Avoid overcrowding; watch margins; and use underlining, bold and capitalization for emphasis.  Have several people proofread your resume prior to sending it to an employer.