RESUME WRITING TIPS

A resume is a targeted personal marketing document that Summary of Qualifications

summarizes your education and experiences to highlight your According to RobinRyan.com, in a “national survey of 600 hiring
qualifications as they relate to the job (part or full-time jobs, managers, the overwhelming majority said the most important
internships, leadership positions, scholarships, etc.) you are part of your resume is the Summary of Qualifications.” It should
seeking. It is also a way to obtain an interview. consist of 3 to 5 bullets that “present an overview of your
Sales Zone: The top two thirds of a resume is where the most experience, accomplishments, talents, work habits and skills.”
relevant information should appear. Use the summary to quickly market your skills and personal traits
to an employer.
Reinforce Zone: The bottom third of the page is where you
provide supporting evidence. Don’t bury information in this Do not lie, exaggerate or misrepresent yourself. Highlight your
section that is required for the job for which you are applying. experience and accomplishments based on solid facts. Do not
repeat information from your cover letter, state the obvious or
Design and layout matter. Do not use templates as they make you narrow your opportunities too much.
look the same as other candidates, and they can be difficult to
personalize. Highlight skills at the bullet rather than burying them Education
within the phrase and keep headers to the left as well as the List in reverse chronological order (present to past) and include
reader will scan top to bottom and left to right. Recruiters may GPA if 3.0 and above; do not round up. You may include the
spend as little as six seconds on an initial review of your resume. following categories in this section, but consider creating a
The following tips will help make your resume as easy to read and separate section if you have more than three in the category:
as effective as possible.
 Awards, honors and scholarships
Types of Resumes  Education abroad experience
Chronological (sample, p. 3)  Special training, certifications or workshops

Use when experience, education and activities are relevant to Experience

your career goals; previous job titles or company names are List your experience in reverse chronological order (present to
impressive; job history shows growth or emphasizes related past). Decide whether to list job title or employer first and be
accomplishments. Warning: This style makes non-impressive job consistent. Create both Related Experience and Other Experience
titles and frequent career changes clearly visible. sections to move more related positions to top. Use bullets to
Functional/Skills (sample, p. 3) communicate successes, starting each with an action verb that
communicates a related skill. (See Action Verb list in this packet).
Use to deemphasize irrelevant job titles and work history in order
Incorporate numbers to quantify outcomes when possible.
to draw attention to transferable skills. Draw on all sources of
experience (jobs, volunteering, activities and coursework) to Activities, Honors and/or Research
describe skills. Warning: This style draws attention to an absence These sections are optional and may be combined or listed in
of related experience. separate sections depending on how many of each you have. List
Combination (sample, p. 4) activities that demonstrate job-related or leadership skills and
memberships in career-related organizations. Do not just list an
Combine aspects of chronological and functional formats to
organization because you paid dues as you should be prepared to
emphasize work and skills/accomplishments equally.
talk about your involvement in an interview.
Header
Key Skills
 Include full name, email and phone number
Include skills that align with job description. Consider including
 Include address unless privacy is a concern
Computer, Foreign Languages, Personal and/or Certifications. For
 Email should be professional, contain your name and not be
some majors, certifications should be listed higher on the resume.
work-related (remove hyperlink)
 Include link to portfolio, website or LinkedIn if applicable Miscellaneous
 Name will be bolded 18–22 pt font Consider including service, publications, presentations,
willingness to travel or relocate and date of availability. While

210 University Center | 731.881.7712 | [email protected] | www.utm.edu/careers

facebook.com/utmcareer | twitter.com/utmcareer | Instagram.com/utmcareer
interests demonstrate uniqueness, weigh their relevance.  Include gender, social security number, high school info (unless
relevant), marital status, height/weight, birthplace, birth date
References
or picture.
Do not list “Available upon request” on your resume. Prepare a
separate page and list 3 to 5 references, using the same name There are exceptions to these recommendations depending on
format as your resume. Always obtain permission and keep your industry of interest or if you are applying in another
references informed of the positions you are pursuing. Include country. Research your industry and network to confirm any
the following information (sample, p. 4): unique approaches in the job search that you need to
implement.
 Complete name (using Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms. or Dr.)
 Job title and name of the organization Emailing Your Resume
 Work address Prior to emailing a resume, inquire as to what file type the
 Email address and phone number (identify if office or cell) employer prefers. Typically, the best formats are the following:
Choosing your references PDF: A Portable Document File (PDF) is a common option as the
Ask people who have the knowledge to speak highly of your past document’s format won’t change when opened on another’s
work performance (job, class work, research, etc.), and ask them computer. Save as a PDF, rather than print/scan.
if they have the time to serve as a positive reference. Work DOCX/DOC: This format is widely used and accepted. It allows
supervisors or organization advisors are ideal. Colleagues are for effective formatting and is a good option if the employer uses
appropriate if you worked on a team project together. Character/ MS Word or has compatibility software.
personal references should only be provided if requested or if
your choices are limited. RTF: A Rich Text Format (RTF) is more versatile as it isn’t specific
to a program (MS Word). It preserves common formatting but
Educating and informing your references doesn’t allow as many options as a DOCX.
Provide a copy of your resume to your references so they may
TXT: To insert your resume into a website text box, have a Text
speak intelligently about your past experiences. Inform them of
File (TXT) version available. Edit your resume in Notepad to create
the kind of positions you are seeking. Coach them about the skills
a version with no formatting (italics, bold, etc.).
and strengths you would like them to emphasize. Notify them of
positions for which you apply so they may anticipate the call. Type position title and/or job number in subject line. Use the
Thank references and notify them when you accept a job. body of the email to professionally and briefly introduce yourself.
Let the reader know what documents are attached and note
On your Resume, do…
when you will follow-up. Check that documents are attached
 Update and change content for each position and consider if before sending.
format needs to be altered as well.
 Keep to one page if have less than 10 years of experience. Uploading Your Resume to Company Websites
 Omit high school information by mid sophomore year. Due to the number of applications companies receive, many
 Use bullets, not blocks of text to encourage readability. resumes are screened first by an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
 Communicate skills through bulleted statements. or Automated Resume Screener (ARS). This means that your
 Prepare a separate reference page. resume must be in a format the software can read (DOCX, DOC
 Tell the truth 100% of the time. and PDF are safest options) and rich with key words relevant to
 Have at least three people proof it: the position for which you are applying. Use common fonts it can
 Career Planning and Development professional. read and avoid putting content in tables or the header/footer.
 Professional in the field (professor or supervisor).
Despite your efforts to create a visually pleasing resume, some
 Personal “cheerleader” (family, friend or mentor).
employers will ask that you simply cut and paste text into a text
On your Resume, don’t… box. To do this, create a resume in Notepad where all formatting
 Use a generic template or poor formatting. is stripped from your document. Everything will be left justified.
 Make it too long. Use all caps for headers and use asterisks or hyphens to identify
 List JUST your job title, company and dates. bulleted information.
 Use pronouns. Mailing Your Resume
 Date or title it “RESUME.”
Stack your cover letter over your resume and paper clip (do not
 Introduce anything that could be perceived as a negative.
staple). Insert into a large manila envelope that does not require
 Refer to religion, political party or national origin. Consider
that you fold the documents. Check for correct postage.
using general terms to indicate experience in these areas.
 Include salary information.
 Forget to proofread.
 List references on your resume.
 Use unprofessional email address.