Resume Parts

Identifying Information

Your name, present and permanent addresses and telephone numbers including area codes. Include an e-mail address, but be sure it is professional in nature. If this is a temporary e-mail account, specify that it will only be functional until a certain date.

Career Objective

Writing a career/job objective is optional. If you have a specific job which you are pursuing, you may wish to write a brief objective. If your resume is on disk, you may be able to change the objective to tailor your resume to the job in which you are interested. If you are interested in more than one career field and are not able to modify each objective statement on your resume, omit this section on the resume and include it in the accompanying cover letter.

Summary of Qualifications/Skills (Optional)

Instead of an objective statement or in addition to one, you may want to include a section that summarizes your skills and/or qualifications. This section will help you to focus your resume on specific skills, achievements, or training that are important to your potential employer. Be sure to support any claims you make here in the resume.
Examples of summary skill statements are:

Excellent time management skills developed through working 25 hours per week while attending school full time.
Developed leadership skills by serving as a community assistant responsible for 40 residents.
Knowledge of Windows 98 and higher, the Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint, and Access.

Education

Your degree (do not use abbreviations).
Major, minor, and concentration.
The name of what college/university and the city and state in which it is located.
Date of graduation.
Include your QPA if it is a 3.0 or better. If your QPA is less than 3.0, you may want to identify only your major QPA.

Curriculum highlights and special projects.
Certificates and licenses.
Workshops and conferences you've attended.
Study abroad experiences.
If you have worked during college, consider including the percentage of the college expenses you paid for.

Experience

Provide information that is relevant and positive; avoid a boastful or dishonest resume; and accentuate your most marketable skills and experiences. Quantify when possible. You can use one of two formats:

Functional: To emphasize skills and talents, cluster your experience under headings that highlight these skills, for example: leadership, research, computers, etc. This format can be helpful if you have little relevant work experience.
Chronological: This format emphasizes work experience. Begin with your most recent job and continue on in a consistent style.

If you have career-related experience, you can divide your experience into two sections:

This allows you to put the most relevant items together. Experiences may include full-time or part-time employment as well as summer jobs, volunteer work and internships.

Include your job title, the employer's name, city, state and dates employed (month/year), related skills, responsibilities and results of your actions.
Highlight when an increase in responsibility occurred or you received a promotion.
Use numbers to quantify and specify information i.e., cash sales of $9,000 or supervised four clerks.

Do not be discouraged if you have never had employment in your field. Instead focus on skills, accomplishments, and responsibilities relevant to your field. Don't get bogged down in details that are not of interest to potential employers.

Activities

Employers look for well-rounded individuals who involve themselves with extracurricular activities. You may want to:

Include both college and community activities, highlighting any leadership roles.
Identify organizations to which you belong, the role you play in each, and your dates of participation.
Emphasize activities closely related to your career goals and/or the needs of the employer.
Note: When you include religious or political activities, carefully consider whether you want to identify specific denominations or parties. The potential for bias may be an issue.

Honors

List any honors that indicate your strong academic abilities, i.e., honorary societies, scholarships, awards, and dean's lists.

Military Service

Identify the branch of the service, locations, your rank, and dates of service. Briefly describe your assignment, achievements, and demonstrated skills in terms relevant to employers. Avoid using technical military terms.

Related Interests

If you have space, you many want to briefly identify some of your personal interests that relate to the company location and/or position.

References

You may attach a separate sheet listing 3 to 5 references with work addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses if available. Remember to make sure you have permission from individuals before listing them as references. See a Reference Example.

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