Perhaps more than you realize, resumes reflect what you think is important about your accomplishments and skills. Agonizing over finishing a draft of your resume will go a long way toward helping you understand more about what you can offer a potential employer and how you can effectively present yourself in an interview. Here is a framework for building a solid resume. All it needs is your input!
LYNN A. STUDENT
(www.uidaho.edu/your web site/, if designed for employers,
or e-mail address if you have limited space)
College Address: Street Address, City, State
Zip Area Code/Phone Number E-mail Address
Permanent Address: Street Address, City, State
Zip Area Code/Phone Number E-mail Address
OBJECTIVE
Briefly indicate the kind of position (e.g., internship, summer, entry-level) and mention field of study or career field.
EDUCATION
University of Idaho, Moscow ID
Expected Graduation Date: Month Year
Your Degree, Major
Minor/Emphasis/Option: [whichever apply, or omit]
GPA: ____/4.0 [If below a 3.0 consult with Career Center staff.]
Earned _____% of college expenses.
Course Highlights: [List the courses of most interest to the employer and most advanced first. If you are currently taking a course but will complete it before the internship begins, indicate the semester and year after course name, e.g., Fluid Mechanics (spring 2006)]
SPECIAL SKILLS
List skills unique to your major or career interests.
COMPUTER SKILLS
Computer skills are a MUST and may be included as a separate section or with special skills. List specific programs.
PROJECTS
Name of Project. Describe briefly. (Class name, semester year)
[Projects help identify hands-on experience through lab, design, team or research.]
EXPERIENCE
Organization, City, State (month year – month year)
Your Job Title. Describe briefly using action verbs. [See examples on the back.] Focus on unique tasks within the project. Emphasize “transferable” skills. Both paid and unpaid experiences may be listed here.
REMEMBER: Internships and volunteer work help you build critical, career-related skills. Use paid and unpaid work as experience. Also, bulleted items often stand out more effectively.
HONORS/ACTIVITIES/SERVICE
List in reverse chronological order by category [most recent first]. List those which will be of employer interest. As freshmen/sophomores, you may use some high school activities; however, you MUST build college-level activities. Involvement in a student professional organization is important.
REFERENCES
Available upon request. (This line may be omitted or may be centered as References available upon request at the bottom of the resume.) Develop a separate reference page listing at least 3 professional references. See the example on the back of the page.
Sample Reference Page
LYNN A. STUDENT
(www/your web site/--if designed for employers--
or e-mail address if you have limited space)
College Address: Street Address, City, State
Zip Area Code/Phone Number E-mail Address
Permanent Address: Street Address, City, State
Zip Area Code/Phone Number
REFERENCES: Name, Title
Address
Telephone with area code
E-mail address, if known
[Optional but helpful to an employer: A comment about the
individual’s relationship to you, i.e. Academic advisor, instructor for
two upper division courses, former supervisor].
List three to four professional references. If possible, list at least one faculty member in your major and an employer or supervisor. Most references are contacted by telephone; it is vital that the telephone number is correct.
TIP:
Before listing a reference, ask that person if you can use them as a reference. If they agree, provide them with your resume and information about the types of positions you will be applying for. This will help your reference better provide a good reference for you.
ACTION VERBS
Describing your experience using action verbs will more directly and forcefully express your qualifications. The following list will be helpful as you describe your work, service, and academic experiences. The list is not exhaustive; however, these words appear most often in official position descriptions. Although these verbs are all past tense, use verbs in the present tense to describe current or on-going experience.
accomplished |
constructed |
directed |
implemented |
perceived |
reviewed |
achieved |
consulted |
discerned |
improved |
performed |
revised |
administered |
contacted |
displayed |
initiated |
persuaded |
rewrote |
advised |
continued |
distributed |
inspected |
planned |
scheduled |
amassed |
contracted |
drafted |
instructed |
prepared |
screened |
analyzed |
contributed |
edited |
insured |
presented |
selected |
applied |
controlled |
encouraged |
interpreted |
prioritized |
served |
arranged |
cooperated |
enhanced |
interviewed |
probed |
sold |
assembled |
coordinated |
established |
introduced |
processed |
solved |
assessed |
corrected |
estimated |
investigated |
programmed |
sought |
assisted |
counseled |
evaluated |
involved |
projected |
specified |
briefed |
created |
examined |
issued |
promoted |
spoke |
budgeted |
critiqued |
exchanged |
learned |
provided |
structured |
catalogued |
dealt |
expanded |
led |
published |
studied |
classified |
debriefed |
explained |
maintained |
qualified |
suggested |
coached |
decided |
finalized |
managed |
rated |
summarized |
collaborated |
defined |
financed |
modified |
recommended |
supervised |
communicated |
delegated |
finished |
monitored |
redefined |
targeted |
compared |
delivered |
formulated |
motivated |
redesigned |
taught |
compiled |
demonstrated |
gathered |
negotiated |
referenced |
tested |
completed |
designed |
grouped |
observed |
regulated |
trained |
complied |
determined |
guided |
ordered |
related |
translated |
conceived |
developed |
handled |
organized |
repaired |
updated |
concluded |
devised |
helped |
originated |
reported |
volunteered |
conducted |
differentiated |
identified |
participated |
researched |
wrote |