Resume Guide
A resume is a brief document that summarizes your education, employment history and experiences
that are relevant to your qualifications for the particular job in which you are applying. The purpose of a
resume is to convince an employer to give you the opportunity to interview for the position. Your
resume should be geared toward your audience and describe the skills, experiences and
accomplishments you bring to the workplace.
Getting Started
There are two important components of a good resume:
 Content
 Presentation
 Content
In order to have the appropriate content in your resume you can do the following:
 Identify target job(s)
 Review related job postings
 Look up job title(s) on O*Net Online, a career exploration and job analysis tool you can use to
find correct industry terms
 Research the organizations where you will be sending your resume
 Determine the type of resume you need.
 A chronological resume lists your work history, with the most recent position first. This type
of resume works well for job seekers with a strong, solid work history.
 A functional resume focuses on your skills and experience, rather than on your
chronological work history. It is used most often by people who are changing careers or who
have gaps in their employment history.
 A targeted resume is customized so that it specifically highlights the experience and skills
you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
 Use key words. Many companies now require job seekers to upload their resumes into a
database. Hiring managers then use industry-related keywords to filter and identify those
candidates they feel are likely to be most qualified for the position.
 Make a master list off all your experiences and skills.
 Include education, certifications and licenses, field placements, projects, jobs, internships,
volunteer positions, presentations given, research conducted, professional development
activities (trainings, conferences, memberships, committee work),
 Language and Computer skills, interests, activities
Your finished resume may not include all of this information but it’s useful to have it written down.
Keep this master list updated as you gain more skills and experiences.
 Research the skills and keywords required for job(s)

Those seeking clinical positions typically begin with Education followed by Social Work
Experience or Clinical Experience. An additional experiential heading might simply be called

Additional Experience or something more specific such as Teaching Experience, Research
Experience or International Experience.
Review the key words and skills below and identify which skills you have developed in your
jobs and internships. Brainstorm examples that support these skills. This will serve as the
basis for your resume bullets.
♦ Clinical (Micro) Related Key Words and Skills - Discharge Planning
 Psychosocial Assessment
 Diagnostic Assessment
♦ COPA (Macro) Related Key Words and Skills •Programming
 Strategic Planning
 Program Planning and Implementation
 Program Development
♦ Development and Outreach
 Marketing
 Fundraising
 Resource/Fund Development
♦ Human Capital
 Organizational/Staff Development
 Staff and Management Coaching
 Supervision/Management
♦ Research
 Needs Assessment
 Policy/Legislative Analysis
 Community Mapping
♦ Advocacy
 Community Organizing
 Coalition Building
 Legislative Advocacy
♦ Specialized Training
 Assault
 Domestic Violence
 AIDS
 Alzheimer’s
 Identify accomplishments
 Why should you have an “accomplishment-driven” resume?
• Employers want to see what you contributed/accomplished
• Shows employers you are qualified because it helps “connect the dots”
• Avoid just listing tasks or job duties; demonstrate skills, don’t just state the
 Possible examples of accomplishments can be:
• Problems and challenges you were able to solve and their outcomes
• Something you helped create or build and benefits it provided (include programs,
special projects, resource guides and grant writing)
• Management or supervision of individuals, teams, budgets and outcomes (e.g., reduced
costs, achieved outcome measures)
 Presentation
 Format of the Resume

The format and the presentation of your resume matter a lot as the format might decide if
your resume catches the attention of the employer or not. As many readers spend less than
30 seconds reading a resume, your resume should be organized and easy to read. Here are
some key points which can help you improve the overall presentation of your resume and
will make it easy for the reader to follow:
• Margins, headings, caps, bullets, bolding, italics, underlining and font style/size direct
your reader’s attention to important information.
• Aim for a font size no smaller than 11 point.
• Good font choices include Ariel, Times New Roman and Helvetica.
• This is a professional business document and hiring officials are drawn to and impressed
by content, not with wild font styles

The length of your resume depends on the audience
• MSW resumes for clinical positions may be two pages if you have significant experience.
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV), required for academic, research and post-doctoral positions,
can be multiple pages as it includes teaching, research, publications, dissertation
summary, honors and professional activities.
 Sections of the Resume

Your contact information.
• Put your name at the top with your address, phone number and e-mail below.
• An Objective heading is an optimal statement referencing the specific job or type of
position you are seeking, however an objective can limit the use of your resume, so we
suggest specifying it in your cover letter instead.

Education
• Academic detail comes first for most students and recent graduates.
• Start with your degree and major, the name of your college/university and the date that
your degree was awarded or expected to be awarded. Cumulative GPA or GPA in major
is optional but beware that leaving off a good GPA could work against you as employers
may assume your GPA is low if you don’t include it.
Licensure and/or Certifications should be included on your resume.
Experience categories should be chosen according to your intended audience and the job(s)
for which you are applying.
• It is best to group your experiences that are related to the job in question under a
heading titled “Related Experience,” “Professional Experience,” or “Social Work
Experience.”
• Unrelated experiences that you want to list on your resume can be listed under a
heading such as “Additional Experience.”
• This might be part-time job that you held throughout college to help pay for your
educational and living expenses.


•
Use action verb phrases not complete sentences, keep the usage of personal pronouns
to minimum
 Professional activities such as relevant memberships, awards, trainings, conferences
attended and presentations given should be included.
 Foreign language proficiency, computer skills, etc. may be included on your resume if you
determine that they will be an asset to your potential employer.
 Interests and travel are optional unless they are relevant. For example, if you hope to
combine your clinical skills with outdoor education, your outdoor skills and experiences are
important.
 Personal Information such as age, marital status, religion, disability, political affiliation,
ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity should not be included on your resume.
These are protected categories by law and employers cannot inquire, nor should you offer
information in these categories.
 References typically appear on a separate page titled “References”
 Include the name, title, company/organization, address, phone number and e-mail address
for each listed reference. Get permission from your references to list them and let them
know when you apply for a job and that they may be contacted and for what position.
 It is a good idea to provide your references with a copy of your resume.
Your work is not done yet! Proofread your resume with utmost care, check your spelling and
grammar and make sure the information is presented consistently and accurately as it is going to
speak on your behalf.