Resume Tips

Follow these tips to create an effective resume!

You may be tempted to use a template since much of the formatting work is done for you. You simply need to plug in your own information into the document and, voila!, instant resume. However, templates have a few problems:

  • They are not unique.
  • They are difficult to reformat.
  • They are not tailored for your goals. A resume template may not include all the sections or be in the order that best reflects your unique experience. Consider using one of the CMC’s 15+ resume samples as a model for formatting and style!

Rather than an objective statement, use the first portion of your resume to sell your reader on how you can benefit them, by summarizing how you are qualified for the role. To create a strong profile, consider how your skills and background relate to the position. Identify 4-6 bullets that illustrate how you match the qualifications the position requires. Show your reader how you used a particular skill or achieved something, don’t just list your strengths.

Consider the difference between these two profiles, both for the same person:

Providing evidence that illustrates how you’ve successfully used a skill makes for a stronger profile and helps your reader envision how you would employ those same skills in a new role.

Undergraduate:

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO MM/20YY
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration GPA 3.5
Concentration: Finance & Marketing

Graduate:

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO MM/20YY
Master of Business Information GPA 3.5

*Students pursuing public accounting careers have unique education section components. See the Public Accounting Sample Resume as a guide.

Consider creating a “Related Experience” section, which would allow you to combine relevant experiences from multiple areas of your resume (e.g., internships, volunteering, projects, etc.) into one, highly targeted section!

Helpful Hint: Limited Work Experience?

Haven’t had a formal job yet? That’s okay! Try to think about experience more broadly than just as paid, formal work. Maybe you worked odd-jobs in your community—that’s experience! Maybe you helped with a family business, volunteered, were a student athlete—that’s all experience! Paid or unpaid, whatever experiences you’ve had that allowed you to demonstrate or hone skills and knowledge, that is the kind of content you can include on your resume.

Include basic details of all employment/internships:

  • Job title
  • Company name
  • Location (city and state)
  • Dates of employment (Month Year—Month Year / Present)
  • Describe the relevant details of your experience in bulleted statements (See Tip 6!)

Beyond listing the basics of your work experiences, describe what you did in each role. You’ll do this by writing bulleted statements (2-6 per experience). To start, generate a list of your duties, as well as moments of pride. From there, see how you can transform your list into persuasive and descriptive statements, showcasing your relevant skills and accomplishments. A “formula” you can reference to help you craft strong bullet statements is:

Action Verb + Task / Skill + Result / Purpose

Using this formula can help you migrate simple statements like “operated a cash register” or “provided customer service”, to:

  • Managed daily reporting for a busy department store to ensure adherence to procedure for accurate handling of funds
  • Outperformed monthly quota for warranty sales 11 out of 12 months
  • Communicated promotions and answered all questions for customers to secure return visits

Focus on what you uniquely brought to the role, based on your skill set. Think about what you accomplished and how you achieved those outcomes. When possible, quantify information to help illustrate your impact and abilities. As you’re writing, remember to omit first-person pronouns (e.g., I, me), vary your word choice, and be specific!

You’ve probably done a lot, in addition to school and work—and those extracurricular experiences can also be included on your resume! Provide context and details here, as it makes sense, just as you’ve done in your experience section and bullet statements. Possible other section headers and content you might include on your resume are:

References are professional contacts who can serve to provide credibility for your work ethic, strength of character, people skills, and various achievements. Even with a limited scope of employment, you can request references from any number of people, even if you have not worked for them in an employer-employee relationship. Potential references can be faculty members that have worked closely with you, leaders from volunteer experiences, supervisors from a summer job, or anyone in a leadership role from a club / organization you’ve been a part of.

Tips to ensure quality references:

  • Only send references when you’re prompted for them; follow the specific application instructions closely.
  • Create a separate document for your references using the same header and font as your resume.
  • Always ask your references if they are willing to serve as a reference for you as well as for their current and preferred contact information. The chances of getting a good reference are higher when the person has time to prepare what they will say about you!
  • Make sure your references are in a position to provide you with a strong, positive reference.
  • Assist your reference by sharing your resume, cover letter, and the job description. It is okay to give them some prompting that expresses what you hope they might say!
  • Ensure that you inquire early in the process about what type of reference the employer is seeking. Typically, employers will either request a name of someone to speak with or a formal letter of recommendation. (In case of a letter of recommendation, it helps your reference if you give them at least one month’s notice ahead of the application deadline.)
  • Be sure to follow-up to thank your references and keep them updated on your progress!

Resumes are self-marketing tools; they market the product (YOU!) to the target audience (the role / organization you’re seeking). You must know your audience and customize your resume to your reader to be effective. To help you understand the required qualifications, what keywords to infuse, and which experiences and knowledge to focus on:

Target your resume toward your goal by only including the most relevant information. This may mean omitting parts of your background. This may mean creating multiple versions of your resume. And this definitely means reviewing your resume and making updates, rearranging sections, and/or modifying language and keywords before applying to each and every position! Tailoring your document will yield greater response rates and help with overall success

đź’ˇ Not sure what skills to highlight for your targeted career? Use the Job Market Trend Data tool to skills and core competencies for the field you are pursuing.

Create an eyecatching resume means it will be easy for the reader to quickly identify your key skills and experiences. Be sure your name and contact information is prominent and your sections are easy to follow and well defined. Add graphic elements such as lines or shading to create some interest. Refer to our resume samples for formatting ideas.

Here are some Standard Formatting Tips: