Resumes
Resumes are deceptively complex documents. While the finished product looks like a simple, clean summary of
your qualifications, the process of writing your resume can be quite challenging.
Most people think their resume is an informational document; a basic summary of their education, experiences
and skills. Not so!
To be an effective tool in your search for a job or internship, your resume should be a marketing document. It
should be focused on delivering a specific and relevant message about you to your target audience. It should help
the reader understand who you are, the qualifications you offer and the type of opportunities you are seeking.
In order to know what to include in your resume, you must be able to answer the following question:
What do you want employers to learn about you, your education, your experience
and your skills when they read your resume?
In short, what is the core message of your resume?
If you are a college student, chances are you will have to limit your resume to one page. That means it cannot (and
should not) try to tell everything there is to know about you.
What should you include on your resume? The relevant aspects of your education, experience, skills and
characteristics only!
The relevant aspects of your education, experience, skills and characteristics
comprise the core message of your resume.
Once you know your core message, you can begin creating your resume.
What resume format should I use?
There are two primary resume formats: the chronological resume and the functional resume.
Generally, the chronological resume is recommended for students with relatively little experience. In certain
cases involving complex work histories, the functional format may be more suitable. Ask your career advisor for
guidance in deciding on a format.
Powered by
1
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
Chronological Resume
In chronological resumes, education, experience, skills and activities are entered individually within specific
categories; and these entries are made in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent.
Functional Resume
Functional resumes feature functional skills under their descriptive headings, such as “Marketing”, “Training &
Development”, and “Research”, and illustrate these functional skills through accomplishment statements. The
positions, employers and dates of employment related to these skills and accomplishments are listed separately
later in the resume.
What about resume templates?
Resist the urge to jump directly to a resume template, such as you will find in Microsoft Word, in job search books,
and on the internet. These templates, while easy to use, restrict your ability to customize the content and format
of your resume. They are designed to be “one size fits all” answers, and one size rarely fits anyone very well under
any circumstance. When it comes to your resume, “easy” does not necessarily equal “good.”
Resume templates can be beneficial when your education and experience align directly and clearly with your job/
internship search goals. If you are an Accounting major with accounting experience looking for an opportunity
in accounting, your education, experience and other qualifications align directly with the kind of work you are
seeking. A resume template may be a good option for you. If you are an English major with varied experience and
are interested in training and human resources with a small, start-up company, you might want to avoid using a
resume template.
Who Should Consider Resume Templates
Who Should Avoid Resume Templates
• Students in majors that track directly into specific
professions such as engineering, accounting and
computer science where qualifications can be easily
described, defined or measured in quantitative terms
• Students in majors that do not track directly into
specific professions and/or whose qualifications
cannot be easily described, defined or measured in
quantitative terms
• Students applying for management trainee, sales, or
other entry-level opportunities with a Fortune 500
Company or similar “bulk” employer
• Students applying for opportunities with required
qualifications that are not directly related to their
college major
Powered by
2
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
What sections should I include in my resume?
Resume construction is a very subjective art; however, following is a list of commonly used required and optional
sections.
Required sections can be renamed to suit your specific needs and focus your resume. Optional sections should be
included only if they will enhance your ability to deliver your core message.
Contact Information (Required)
Your contact information is the masthead of your resume. It must include your name, phone number and email
address. It may also include your personal website and your LinkedIn URL. Include your current address and/or
your permanent address only if they are relevant.
Objective (Optional)
An objective places your resume in specific context. It tells your reader how to interpret the content of your
resume. Objectives are not required, but if you choose to use one, be specific. For example:
An entry-level position in sales & marketing.
An entry-level position in advertising.
An internship in nonprofit management.
An opportunity in investment banking.
Summary of Qualifications (Optional)
A Summary of Qualifications allows you to briefly state your core message (your relevant experience, education,
skills and characteristics) at the beginning of your resume. The purpose of the Summary is to give the reader a
brief overview of the more detailed information found later in the resume.
Education (Required)
Current students and recent graduates usually put the Education section at the beginning of their resumes.
Experienced candidates will usually lead with their Experience section. Your Education section should include
the post-secondary institutions you attended and the degrees and programs you have completed (or are in the
process of completing). It can also include your GPA, honors and awards, study abroad, relevant course work,
special projects, and percentage of your education costs you self-funded. High school information is rarely kept
on a professional resume unless directly relevant to your core message.
Powered by
3
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
Experience (Required)
The experience section may include internships, part-time jobs, regular positions, volunteer experience and
temporary positions. Possible headings include experience, professional history, experience highlights, and
relevant experience. Jobs are typically listed in reverse chronological order.
When describing your experience, focus on your accomplishments, rather than providing a job description.
Highlight the position or company, depending on which of the two you wish to emphasize. Since what you did
is more important than when you did it, place more emphasis on position and company and less on dates of
employment.
Ensure that verb tense matches relevant dates and use strong language by starting every statement with an
action verb! Some Effective Resume Action Verbs include:
Acted
Designed
Identified
Motivated
Resolved
Administered
Devised
Implemented
Negotiated
Revised
Advertised
Drafted
Initiated
Organized
Scheduled
Advised
Edited
Installed
Participated
Simplified
Analyzed
Enforced
Maintained
Prepared
Supervised
Arranged
Established
Managed
Produced
Supplied
Contributed
Executed
Mapped
Reduced
Trained
Coordinated
Facilitated
Marketed
Represented
Utilized
Created
Generated
Maximized
Researched
Wrote
Skills (Optional)
The skills section may include technical, research, language and industry-specific skills. If interested in a
technical position you may feature your production and computer skills. Language skills may be listed
as bicultural/bilingual; speak, read, write, translate, interpret, including contracts, scientific and technical
documents; conversationally fluent; proficient; business proficiency; intermediate; and basic. In order to
facilitate reading, group your skills into appropriate sub-categories. For example:
Powered by
4
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
Analytical:
ROI, P/L & New Market Opportunity Analysis; Ad Performance & Behavior, App Sales,
Download and Subscription Tracking
Business:
Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Training, Administration
Computer:
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, PageMaker
Creative:
Dreamweaver, Flash, FrontPage, GoLive, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator
Digital:
Adobe Omniture (SiteCatalyst & Search Center); Dun & Bradstreet Market Insight; eDialog
Email Marketing; Google Analytics & Webmaster Tools
Language:
Proficient Spanish, Intermediate Japanese, Basic French, Basic American Sign Language
Marketing:
Email Marketing; Search Engine Optimization (SEO); Search Engine Marketing (SEM);
Display Advertising; Mobile App & Web Marketing; Site Traffic Generation; Event Marketing
Credits (Optional, for creative professionals)
The credit section may be used to feature personal work or freelance projects either completed or in progress.
The format should follow that which is used for the resume in general. You may include awards/honors won or
format of work.
Affiliations/Honors/Leadership & Service/Activities/Interests (Optional)
These are optional sections you may include if you want to highlight certain of your extracurricular activities you
feel says some important and relevant things about you.
Check out the Resume Gallery for Ideas
Why recreate the wheel? Check out the 100+ example resumes in the CSO Resume Gallery to get ideas for your
own resume:
www.thecampuscareercoach.com/resume_gallery
Powered by
5
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
How and where should I list my references?
Always remember to ask permission before listing someone as a reference. Share your resume with all your
references so that they may be better equipped to speak on your behalf.
Generally, references should be listed on a separate sheet of paper following your resume and presented only
after they have been requested. Use the same page heading as on your resume to make it look like a professional
package. Below that, list your references centered or flush with the left margin. Include three to five people who
can present insight into your academic and work experience and offer positive comments on your abilities.
Following is a sample reference page layout:
Charles S. O’Research
512-555-1212 • [email protected]
REFERENCES
Name, Title
Company/Organization
Mailing Address
Telephone
E-mail Address
Name, Title
Company/Organization
Mailing Address
Telephone
E-mail Address
Name, Title
Company/Organization
Mailing Address
Telephone
E-mail Address
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
So, here’s the bottom line: You must be actively and personally involved in the creation of your resume. No one else can do
this for you. It makes good sense to get professional assistance when crafting your resume, but you can’t pay someone to
make your decisions for you. You need to make the decisions regarding what your resume should/should not include and
how it should look, because you will have to defend its contents and appearance to potential employers. If you don’t know
what your resume says about you and why and how it says it, then when an employer asks . . . you will lose credibility with
that employer. Put in the time, effort and attention up front, and your resume will be a valuable marketing tool in your
search for a job or internship.
Powered by
6
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Resumes
• Remember, your resume is a marketing document. Most of the information it contains should be directly
relevant to the type of jobs or internships for which you are applying.
• Be concise. Keep in mind that an employer will typically spend about 15 seconds initially scanning your
resume.
• Use resume grammar – not formal prose or MLA, Chicago or AP Style. Avoid first person pronouns (I, we);
most of the helping verbs (have, had, may); most being verbs (am, is, are, was, were); and articles (the, a, an).
Lead with action verbs, and write action verb-driven accomplishment statements.
• Focus on position and place of employment; do not emphasize dates. Employers primarily interested in what
you did and secondarily in when you did it.
• Be CONSISTENT. Every entry should follow the same format. For example, if you abbreviate TX once, do it
every time thereafter. The same goes for using semester and year or month and year.
• Use industry lingo and abbreviations as appropriate, but do so with caution.
• Use spacing, underlining, italics, bold and capitalization for emphasis, but do so with restraint. Less is best and,
above all, be consistent in the way you use formatting.
• PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD; and then, proofread again! As you become familiar with the
content of your resume you should allow someone else to edit; they will see things you won’t. Remember that
resume typos and errors are deadly to your candidacy.
• Use 8 1/2 x 11-inch resume paper when mailing or giving a resume in person. Resume paper can be purchased
at any other office supply, copy or stationary store. Generally, white paper is your best option. Colored paper
can add a nice touch of creativity, but be aware that darker colors do not photocopy well, a disadvantage
when your resume is shared across many departments. When printing, use a laser or letter quality printer.
• Save your resume in document and PDF format, and double check your PDF to make sure you had a clean
conversion from document to PDF. Email employers the PDF version.
Powered by
7
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Cover Letters
& Thank You Letters
Whether sent via email or written in a traditional letter format, job search correspondence like cover letters and
thank you letters are an essential part of your search for internships and jobs.
Well written and targeted cover and thank you letters set you apart from other candidates because they
specifically market you as a candidate for the position for which you are applying.
Poorly written and/or generic letters say that you are not really interested.
Cover Letters
Good cover letters present a brief overview of your qualifications as they directly relate to the qualifications
sought by the employing organization. They motivate the reader to want to learn more about you and, hopefully,
invite you in for an interview.
Cover letters should never be (or even appear to be) generic or mass produced. Each cover letter should be
tailored to the position for which you are applying.
In most instances, cover letters should NOT exceed one page!
There are three main parts to every cover letter:
Part One (the introductory paragraph) - State Your Case: Tell the reader why you are writing
Be specific, including the position for which you are applying and how you learned about it. If you have
been referred by someone, mention that person’s name here. You can also introduce your relevant
qualifications here, but save the detailed information for Part Two.
Part Two (the body paragraphs) - Defend Your Case: Tell the reader why they should care that you are applying
Use this section to give examples/details of your education, experience, skills and other qualifications
that match with the qualifications the employer is seeking (as outlined in the position description, job
announcement, etc.). This section offers a preview of your qualifications and “teases” the reader to get
more information about you through your resume. Not all of your accomplishments are relevant, so only
present information about you that is relevant to the reader’s decision-making regarding your application.
Powered by
1
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Cover Letters
& Thank You Letters
Part Three (the closing paragraph) - Close Your Case: Wrap up the letter and talk about next steps
Use this section to reinforce and summarize your most relevant qualifications, cite attachments (resume,
writing samples, references, etc.), suggest a follow up meeting/interview; provide information about your
availability; and thank the reader for her/his time.
Cover letters can be:
1. Sent directly in the body of an email (with your resume attached as a PDF document)
2. Type-written and formatted to fit cleanly on 8.5x11 inch stationery paper for postal mail delivery along
with your resume, or
3. Saved as a PDF document in the same format described above and sent via email as an attachment
The Rule: A cover letter should accompany your resume every time you apply for a position, whether the
employer asks for one or not! It is a valuable marketing tool that should not be neglected.
Exceptions to the Rule: (Yes! Just about every rule has a couple of exceptions, and this one is no different)
• If you are applying for positions in fields that do not require good written communication skills, you may
not need to write a cover letter.
• If you are applying for positions in some clearly defined technical fields where you qualifications can fully
be assessed by the quantitative information in your resume, you may not need to write a cover letter. This
could include some science, technology, engineering, math and computer science positions.
How can you tell whether or not you need to write a cover letter?
Ask yourself:
“If I get this position, will I have to be able to write well, persuasively, according to
specific technical or industry standards and/or in a grammatically correct manner as a
part of my work?”
If the answer to that question is YES, you need to write a cover letter as part of your application.
Powered by
2
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Cover Letters
& Thank You Letters
Thank You Letters
Thank you letters should be written to everyone with whom you interview and sent within 1-2 days of your
interview.
Effective thank you letters:
• Thank the interviewer for the time they invested in your interview;
• Reference some aspect of your interview or qualifications that was of particular interest or importance to
that interviewer;
• Reinforce your qualifications for the position; and
• Express your continued interest in the position.
Thank you letters should NOT exceed one page.
Thank you letters can be
1. Type-written on traditional 8.5x11 inch stationery or on 6x9 inch personal stationery ( for formal
relationships),
2. Handwritten on a note card and sent via postal mail (for somewhat formal relationships), or
3. Sent via email (for more familiar relationships).
The medium you use will depend upon the nature of your relationship with the person to whom you are sending it.
The more formal the relationship, the more formal the thank you communication should be.
Email, Fax or Postal Mail
When sending your application via email, you have three options. The right option to choose depends upon the
position, the company, and the employer’s preferences in receiving your information.
Your primary goal is to present your qualifications in the best possible format for the employer.
Your options are:
1. Cover letter in the body of the email with resume (in PDF) attached (RECOMMENDED);
2. Cover letter and resume (both in PDF) attached to the email as two separate documents;
3. Cover letter and resume (bundled together into one PDF) and attached to the email as one document.
Powered by
3
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com
Cover Letters
& Thank You Letters
In general, do not send your cover letter or resume as Word document attachments as the formatting can be lost
or altered and your text can be edited.
If you are sending your cover letter and resume via postal mail, format the letter and resume for printing, print
all documents on stationery paper and send via postal mail. Overnight or registered mail is usually not worth the
added expense.
If you are sending your cover letter and resume via fax, format as you would to send via postal mail, but don’t
waste your good stationery paper. Plain white copier paper will suffice.
Formatting Tips
For business correspondence via mail: Basic HTML or plain text without any formatting (as formatting can be
lost or jumbled in transmission).
For traditional business correspondence: Full block letter format; that is, all dates, addresses, salutations, body
paragraphs, etc. left-justified with no indentations.
For PDF submission: Use standard fonts and check the integrity of your document after it has been converted
to PDF format. Non-standard fonts are often substituted for standard fonts and documents with very narrow
margins often convert into two-page documents when converted from Word to PDF.
Always check your documents after they have been converted to PDF format to make sure the formatting
remained intact.
Powered by
4
© CSO Research, Inc. / TheCampusCareerCoach.com