EIU Career Services

Resume Quick Tips

Getting Started - How to market your skills to match what the employer wants:

• Begin by reviewing the job description.
• Take note of all skills and qualifications you have that match what the employer is seeking.
• Notice what type of language is used in the job description and within the industry you are applying for—use this language in your resume.
• Consider within the layout of your resume how you can market the skills and qualifications you have that the employer is seeking.
• List the most related experiences toward the top of your resume.
• Choose categories for your experiences that use the industries language.
• Beware, you should never lie on your resume - if you do not possess the skill set desired by an employer, you should not market something you do not have.

General Tips

• Limit your resume to one page.
• Always include your current address, phone number and email address.
• Do not use a resume template.
• Remember to always give specific examples of accomplishments, skills and results.
• Start sentences and phrases with action verbs followed by descriptive words.
• Communicate your abilities and personal qualities that pertain to the job.
• Focus on the employers needs, not your own.
• Be concise, simple and to the point.
• Eliminate the use of "I".
• Proofread carefully for typos, spelling and grammatical errors.
• Make sure verb tense is correct.
• Use simple/plain fonts (i.e., Times New Roman or Arial)
• Use traditional bullets (i.e., circle or square). Nothing fancy or decorative.
• Use traditional fonts sized 10-12.
• Use 1" margins on all sides.
• Give it a professional appearance - use resume quality paper, light colors are best.
• Always send your resume with a cover letter.

Header/Contact Information

• Use a traditional, centered heading.
• Don't forget your email address.
• Add your cell phone number, if desired.
• Bold and use a slightly bigger font for your name.

Objective

• Make your objective specific and focused on the employer and the specific job.
• Communicate your career goals and objectives in just 1-2 sentences.
• Use this area to state that you are "Willing to Relocate".
• Make sure the content in your resume relates to the objective.
  
  

Objective Examples

Seeking a management position utilizing my strong organizational skills, educational background and customer service focus.

To firmly establish myself in a challenging position with a growth-oriented company that will ultimately lead to a position in the field. Willing to Relocate.

To obtain a challenging opportunity in the areas of Fundraising, Customer Service, or Sales.

To obtain an entry-level position in publishing in the areas of promotions, advertising, design, and editing.

A position in data analysis where skills in mathematics, computer programming and deductive reasoning will contribute to new systems development.

A position as a General Sales Representative with a pharmaceutical firm which will use chemistry background and ability to work on a self-directed basis in managing a market territory. Willing to travel and relocate.

Education

• Start with your most recent degree and go back in time.
• Bold your degree, not the school attended.
• Add your graduation date (month & year) even if you have not graduated yet.
• Add your degree (Bachelor of Science in Business) and Major (Accounting).
• Add your minor or concentration if desired.
• GPA is optional. Most employers like to see it and will probably ask at some point. Do not add a GPA if it is lower than 2.8.
• Do not list your high school.

Work Experience

• Use reverse-chronological order (most recent jobs first).
• Include full time, part time, volunteer, military experience, student teaching, graduate assistant positions.
• Generally, you need only go back approximately 10-15 years of work experience.
• Identify job title, name of employer, location (city & state) and dates of employment.
• Include job responsibilities. Use phrases with action verbs and transferable skills.
• Ask yourself "What did I accomplish in this position?" and "How does that relate to my objective?"
• Give specific examples of things you accomplished.
• Research buzz words the company uses to describe their ideal candidate. Think about how your work experience has taught you these skills. Then, use those words in your resume.

Skills

• Add technical skills as well as foreign language and communication skills.
• Mention only skills with which you are strongly familiar.

Activities

• List professional organizations or clubs closely related to your major or career field.
• List all organizations in which you had an active duty to show leadership skills.
• Explain what your duties were in any office you held.
• Consider adding any volunteer work that may add transferable skills to your resume.

e-Friendly Tips

• Use 10-12 point font size.
• Create one-inch margins.
• Keep resume free of vertical and horizontal lines, graphics, italics and columns.
• For some downloadable resumes or to copy and paste into applications, you may need to left justify your entire resume. So keep a version of that as well.