A résumé is a professional introduction of yourself to employers (or graduate schools) which clearly and concisely describes your skills and qualifications as they relate to the position you are trying to obtain. A résumé will not get you a job, but a well written résumé is key in securing an interview. Never forget a résumé is a tool used to market and promote yourself!

Identify one or more career directions (Academic and Career Advising staff can help you do this). It is easier to write a résumé when you have knowledge of the needs of employers in your fields of interest. Become aware of the skills required to be successful in these fields.

Identify your skills, strengths, interests and accomplishments as they relate to a job search. In order to write your résumé you must think about your past experiences, the skills you gained, what you accomplished and how these skills and accomplishments are transferrable to the job or internship you want to obtain.

Analyze job descriptions/advertisements. Identify the keywords which describe skills, abilities and qualifications required for the job. Use these words in your résumé. This requires individualizing your résumé for each job to which you apply.

Take time to create a résumé which is well-written, highlights your skills and accomplishments, and results in interviews. Start with a draft résumé, have the draft reviewed and leave time to make several revisions.

Chronological (reverse chronological): This résumé format is the one most preferred by employers. It lists experiences in reverse chronological order - from present to past.

Functional: This résumé format is organized by skills categories including leadership, communication, administrative, project management and other categories unique to you and the job for which you are applying. Functional résumés do not focus on employers and job titles, but may contain a brief job history at the end of the résumé.

• Contact Information

• Objective

• Education (including study abroad)

• Certification/ Licensure or specialized training - can be included with education

• Coursework

• Research/Senior Project

• Experience - you may have more than one experience section on your résumé ( Internships, Exhibitions, Work Experience, Additional Experience). These sections should emphasize all paid and unpaid experiences, especially those related to your field of interest.

• Skills - includes foreign languages spoken, computer skills, art skills, technical knowledge, specialized equipment

• Honors, awards, scholarships, publications

• Extracurricular involvement - athletics, clubs, organizations and volunteer work.

• Professional memberships

For more résumé samples and detailed information on creating a résumé go to KSC's Blackboard page and sign-in using the username and password: guest_aca.

Contact Information

• Name should be in bold and a font size larger than the text of your résumé

• Make sure address, phone number and e-mail are current. E-mail and voicemail

must be professional.

• Include professional social media sites (blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, E-Portfolio, YouTube, etc.) - May also create a separate section for this information if relevant.

Examples:

Jessica Smith

229 Main Street MS 0000, Keene, NH 03435

(603)555-5555 - jsmith@ksc.mailcruiser.com

Twitter: @jsmith * LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com.jsmith

Jessica Smith

(603)555-5555 - jsmith@ksc.mailcruiser.com

College Address 229 Main Street, MS 0000 Keene, NH 03435

Permanent Address 299 River Street Altoona, NY 12345

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Objective:

• The objective must be customized to each job/internship to which you are applying. It focuses your résumé and tells employrs what type of position you are seeking




• Objectives are optional if you are applying for a specific job and the objective is stated in your cover letter.

Examples:

OBJECTIVE: To obtain a position as a case manager in a public agency for at-risk children.
TEACHING OBJECTIVE: Teaching position in a public grades 1-5.
OBJECTIVE: To obtain an internship with Go Green America to apply my safety studies coursework and gain professional experience.

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Education:

• List your degree and major, college attended, college city and and state, date or anticipated date of graduation.



• Include specialization, option or minor. Education majors list both degrees and majors.



• Include GPA (if at least 3.5), honors and/or Dean's list.




• List degrees in reverse chronological order (Bachelor's Degree, Associate's Degree) and include Study Abroad experience.

Example:

Bachelor of Science, Health Science Keene State College, Keene, NH GPA: 3.8

Concentration: Nutrition Anticipated May 2011

International Exchange: College of York, York, England, Spring 2006

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Relevant Coursework

• An optional section designed for students seeking internships or those who have taken coursework related to their job objective. Only list courses related to internship or career field.




• If you have direct, relevant experience tis section does not need to be included.

Examples:

COURSEWORK:: Course #1 Course #4

Course #2 Course #5

Course #3 Course #6

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Research/Senior Project

• Highlights a culminating project or research endeavor in your academic career and demonstrates transferrable skills including research, analyzing data, communication, and teamwork.




• For research based positions, include all significant research projects and title this section "Research."




• If you are not seeking a research position but know the skills used or knowledge gained would be useful it is advised to include this section as well.

Examples:

Organization & Administration of Safety Programs: "Title." Conducted extensive research on the subject of fire extinguisher safety. Designed and developed a safety training manual with five separate sections for employer and employee use. Spring 2010.

Senior Project: "Title." Utilized professional literature to examine the effects of the media on teen body image. Researched topic, conducted a survey of 100 teens, ages 15-18, and evaluated results. Presented to class of peers and faculty. Fall 2010.

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Experience

• How your experience is organized and written largely depends on your goal or objective. This is a generalized look at experience. Have this section reviewed by a qualified person (ACA Career Advisor) to ensure that your résumé accurately reflects your strengths and skills.

• Experience can be divided into general categories (Related Experience, Additional Experience) or by types of experience (Teaching Experience, Exhibitions, Sales/Marketing Experience, Internships).

• Include job title, company name, city, state, and dates of employment. In addition, list what you did, skills used/learned and what you accomplished.

• Use action verbs, keywords and write short, crisp, descriptive sentences and/or bullet points.

• Write in present tense if still in the position. Use past tense if you are no longer employed in the position.

Example:

		Customer Services Representative United Central Bank, Surry, NH	March 2007 to July 2009
	Provided accurate, detailed information about financial services available. Used excellent memorization skills to learn customer names and generate repeat business. Earned reputation as a valuable and cooperative co-worker through attention to fairness and willingness to help when needed.

		Recruitment and Staffing Intern Cheshire Medical Center, Keene, NH
	Worked closely with department manager to maintain and update job openings for new cancer center; prepared job listings, position descriptions, and giveaways for weekly job fairs; attended job fairs and provided support for recruiters; and assisted staff with review of résumés.

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Skills

• List tangible skills such as computer (software and hardware), languages spoken, art mediums, equipment (ex: video editing equipment, radio sound board, machinery/equipment specific to job field) and other technical skills.

• Location of this information depends on the job and relevance of the skill sets to that job.

• Create a general skills section or create a section for each skills set.

Examples:

Skills:

• Knowledge of: Adobe, Dreamweaver, CTT and Quark Express
• Fluent in French and Spanish; proficient in Portuguese
• CPR certified

Art Mediums:

Ceramics, graphite, egg tempura, pastels, technical drawing, figure sculpture, mosaics, metal sculpture, collage, black and white photography, stained glass and water color.

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Additional Categories

• Other categories to include can be any or all of the following: Certifications/licensure, Leadership, Activities, Volunteer Experiences, Professional Memberships, Honors/Awards, and Athletics.

• Depending on space, you can simply list the information or describe it in detail.

Activities:
Biology Club, Keene State College, President (2008-2009) & member (2007-Present)
Big Brother/Big Sisters, Volunteer, (2010)
Environmental Outing Club, Event Coordinator (2009-2010) & member (2006-Present)

Volunteer Experience:
Soup Kitchen coordinator, Keene Lend a Helping Hand Society

add a description

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Participant

add a description

Alternative Spring Break

add a description

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Additional Resource

Action Verbs