Building a Resume

Resumes are the paper representative of yourself to the outside world. As creative and beautiful as some may be, resumes require some basic components in order to make the first cut in some interview and vetting processes. Below is a high level breakdown of important formatting and content requirements to assist in making a strong resume. 

Formatting

• Name
• Minimum 20pt font
• Can be a different font style
• Contact Information
• Email address, phone number, and address
• Do not hyperlink the email address

• Section Headings
• Should be bolded / underlined / all caps / italicized to stand out from the rest of the contents
• Sample section titles include:
• Education
• Employment Experience 
• Leadership & Involvement
• Honors, Skills, & Awards
• Dates
• Should always contain the month and year 
• ex: February 2013 – May 2013
• If you are currently doing the position, it goes through present 
• ex: January 2014 – Present
• Date in education section will be the expected month and year 
• Placement can very but justified to the right hand margin and italicized is common.  
• Margins
• Minimum of a .5 margin as a frame around the paper 
• Maximum of .75 
• Font
• Pick simple fonts and use bold / italics / all caps for titles
• 10pt font is the smallest size you can use
• Length
• One page maximum 
• Never have one word on a line alone

Content

A great bullet is made of three key components:

Action Verb + Transferable Skill + Result

• Action Verbs
• Start each bullet with a past tense action verb 
• Ex: Initiated, implemented, updated, organized, created
• Transferable Skills
• What did you do or accomplish in this position that can be transferred to another position
• Look for skills or traits that made you successful in this position and how you can use this skills in the next position
• Ex: Created monthly financial statements using Microsoft Excel and QuickBooks
• Ex: Worked within a team of seven to implement a new marketing strategy
• Results
• Focus on what you delivered or implemented
• What are you leaving behind or what did you accomplish
• Ex: Increasing the chapter’s financial stability
• Ex: Raised over $5,000 for Children’s Miracle Network

• Quantify and Qualify
• Use numbers and results to make each bullet on your resume stand alone and showcase your strengths
• EX: Selected as one of 22 mentors out of a pool of 300 people
• Numbers
• Numbers less than or equal to twelve should be spelled out (e.g. one, two, three)
• Numbers greater than 12 can be written using numbers (20,350,4000)
• Avoid Laundry Lists
• Do not list out every responsibility or task
• DON’T DO THIS - Wrote emails, held meetings, and developed a new marketing strategy

Hope this was somewhat helpful. Post any other questions below :)