Guidelines for Writing a Successful Resume
Provided by:
Career Development Center
California State University, San Bernardino
(909) 537-5250 University Hall 329
http://career.csusb.edu
Your Résumé
Generally, résumés are only one page in length. They use action words to help an employer scan your résumé and determine if an interview is needed. Résumés contain no pictures and are all structured similarly, so it is important to highlight your strengths and abilities positively by using action and descriptive words. Résumés are almost always accompanied by cover letters, which briefly explain your background and your interest in the company.
Purpose
A résumé is a self-marketing tool, designed with the goal of obtaining a job interview. Résumé information is targeted succinctly to a career field and addresses the needs of a specific employer. Your résumé should market your relevant skills, knowledge, and accomplishments.
Preparation
It will be difficult to begin the process of writing your résumé unless you identify the career field and types of employers that will be the focus of your job search. When you know how you will use the résumé, then you will be able to write an effective, targeted résumé that gets results. You will likely spend a considerable
amount of time developing your résumé, choosing the right words and phrases to describe your marketable skills and experiences. It is not uncommon to write several revisions before arriving at the final version. One-page résumés are preferred for most entry-level positions. Two-page résumés are acceptable if the information on both pages demonstrates the skills and/or experience relevant to your profession. Résumés should highlight skills and accomplishments that meet employer qualifications, excluding irrelevant information and experiences. Well-designed résumés will be visually appealing and free from any spelling, typographical, punctuation, or grammatical errors. All résumés should be written concisely in an organized format that presents the most important information first. In most cases, employers only spend 30 - 60 seconds reading individual résumés. Many large employers are now using optical scanning machines and
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various software programs to assist them with this initial review. (A special format called a Scannable Résumé is needed for these employers).
Types of Résumés
Information related to skills and experiences can be presented in a
Chronological Format, a Functional Format, or a Combination of the two. Each format has its advantages and disadvantages. To select the type that best supports your strategy, review the following descriptive information and the résumé samples on the Career Development Center’s web site.
Chronological Résumé
In the chronological résumé, job history is organized chronologically with the most recent job listed first. Job titles and employers are emphasized and duties and accomplishments are described in detail. A chronological résumé is easy to read, and can highlight career growth. It is suited to those whose career goals are clearly defined and whose job objectives are aligned with their work history.
A chronological résumé is advantageous when:
• Your recent employers and/or job titles are impressive.
• You are staying in the same career field.
• Your job history shows progress.
• You are working in a field where traditional job search methods
are utilized (e.g., education, government).
A chronological résumé is not advantageous when:
• You are changing career fields.
• You have changed employers frequently.
• You want to de-emphasize age.
• You have been recently absent from the job market or have gaps
in employment.
Functional Résumé
In a functional résumé, skills and accomplishments developed through work, academic, and community experiences are highlighted. Your skills and potential can be stressed and lack of experience or possible gaps in work history deemphasized. The functional résumé is advantageous when
• You want to emphasize skills not used in recent work experience.
• You want to focus on skills and accomplishments rather than a
lengthy employment history.
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• You are changing careers/re-entering the job market.
• You want to market skills and experience gained through
coursework and/or volunteer experience.
• Your career growth in the past has not been continuous and
progressive.
• You have a variety of unrelated work experiences.
• Your work has been freelance, consulting, or temporary in nature.
The functional résumé is not advantageous when
• You have little work experience or leadership experience.
• You want to emphasize promotions and career growth.
• You are working in highly traditional fields, such as teaching,
accounting, and politics, where employers should be highlighted.
Combination Résumé
This format combines the elements of the chronological and functional types. It presents patterns of accomplishments and skills in categorical sections or a single section called "Qualifications Summary." It also includes a brief work history and education summary. This format is advantageous for those who wish to change to a job in a related career field or strategically promote their most marketable skills.
Constructing Your Résumé
Categories of information you include on your résumé should provide answers to these questions:
Contact section Who are you and how can you be reached?
Objective statement What do you want to do?
Experience section What can you do?
Education section What have you learned?
Employment section What have you accomplished?
Sequence the categories according to what is most important to the employer and your career objective. A recent college graduate with limited experience will usually put the education section first since it is the most significant qualification. Education will also be listed first when it is a qualifying requirement, as in the case of teaching, law, medicine, or engineering. If an applicant wants to
emphasize significant work or leadership experience, or apply for jobs in fields
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such as sales, public relations, or merchandising, it may be useful to present the experience or employment sections first.
Contact Information
• NEVER write “Resume” on the document itself.
• Begin your résumé with your name by capitalizing and using bold
type.
• Include street address, city, state, and zip code.
• Include phone number (s) where you can be reached weekdays,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Designate your home phone with an "H," and work number with "W," or a "Messages" number.
• Add an appropriate e-mail address.
• Email address SHOULD NOT be offensive or embarrassing to
the employer. (i.e., hotchick@hotmail.com)
Career/Job Objective
The purpose of the objective statement is to inform the employer of your career goal and targeted interests. The statement should describe the focus of your job search. If your résumé is broader, relay the most relevant objective in an accompanying cover letter. A good objective includes type and/or level of position, type and style of organization, and skills/qualifications.
A career/job objective is advantageous when:
• You want to specify your interests and where you would fit in the
organization. (i.e. “management trainee in retail sales”)
• You want to present the impression of a focused, self-confident
person.
A career/job objective is not advantageous when it is:
• Too broad and meaningless, reflecting indecision. (i.e. “To use
my skills and experience to contribute to a company’s growth and
market share.”)
• Too exclusive, eliminating you from jobs for which you might be
considered.
Qualifications or Experience Summary
A summary of qualifications can condense an extensive background by emphasizing experiences and accomplishments in brief keyword phrases. The qualifications summary is accomplishment-oriented and provides an overview of your work experience. It can also serve to summarize relevant academic,
volunteer and leadership experience for those who have limited work experience. A summary is most appropriate for someone with substantial experience, for someone who is changing careers and wants to demonstrate transferable skills,
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or for someone with a varied background. Scannable Résumés also rely on specific skill statements. If you know your résumé will be electronically scanned, consider a summary.
oExample :
Accomplished editor, news reporter and promotional writer; Demonstrated skills in project management and staff development.
oExample :
Two years experience as office administrator; four years teaching
experience living abroad; two and one-half years' high school teaching experience; M.B.A. in International Business and Information Systems; B.A. Mathematics; French language fluency.
Education
If your education relates to your objective and is within the past three years, itshould be the first section. If not, education normally would follow the work experience section of your résumé.
• Start with your most recent degree or the program in which you
are currently enrolled. List other degrees or relevant education in
reverse chronological order.
• Highlight your degree by using bold type or capital letters.
o Example:
B.A., Communications
California State University, San Bernardino, June 2003
•If you are within one quarter of graduation, do not use "expected" or "anticipated" with month/year of graduation.
• If you have a high GPA, include it on your résumé. You may want to highlight your GPA on a new line, or in an educational highlights section.
o Example:
B.A., Communications
California State University, San Bernardino, June 2003 GPA 3.4
• DO NOT list high school or GED completion dates.
Educational Highlights
This section is most effective when you have experiences from your education that are impressive and/or directly related to your objective. Adding this section is useful when you have developed skills and specific knowledge through education and related activities rather than work experience. This section can be used to
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highlight coursework, research, study abroad experience, leadership and student activities that complement your objective.
• Consider listing relevant coursework under the appropriate
degree.
o Example:
Relevant coursework:
Investment and Portfolio Management, Advanced Financial Management, Marketing Research, International Banking.
• An alternative to highlighting courses is to list the skills and knowledge acquired through important courses and research.
o Example:
Developed model investment portfolio for Fortune 500 company.
Analyzed stock market trends using state-of-the-art computer
simulation programs. Invested innovative capital formations strategies at metropolitan Washington area investment firms.
Designed promotional campaign for new consumer product in a
targeted market.
• You may want to describe research or design projects.
o Example:
Design Projects:
RF radio control, Laser and Microwave Amplifiers, Transmission Lines.
Research:
"Brazilian Economic Policies Beyond the Coffee Exports". "U.S. Foreign Policy: Transition in Latin America".
Employment Experience (Chronological)
• Begin with your current/most recent position and work backward,
chronologically. Devote more space to recent employment.
• Start each position description with job titles.
• Follow job title and organizational information with the
organization's city and state.
• Use the first and last month and year to describe dates of
employment.
Example:
Telecommunications Aide May 2001 – present
Center for Telecommunications Studies Washington, D.C.
• Describe the last three to five positions in detail.
• Do not show every position change with each employer. Only list
in detail the most recent job and briefly summarize promotions.
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• Do not repeat skills that are common to several positions.
• Within each listed position, stress the major accomplishments
and responsibilities that demonstrate your competency. It is not
necessary to include all responsibilities, as employers will
assume them.
• Tailor your position descriptions to future job/career objectives.
If writing a two-page résumé, make sure the most marketable
information is on the first page.
Employment Experience (Functional)
• Use two to four sections to summarize each area of functional
skill or expertise.
• Develop the functional skill headings based on the skills you want
to market to employers and/or that are most relavent to your
targeted objective.
• Describe your skills in short phrases and place under the
appropriate functional skill categories.
• Rank the phrases within each category and place the most
important skill or accomplishment first.
o Examples:
• WRITING SKILLS
• Reported on-the-spot news stories for suburban
Washington newspapers.
• Provided in-depth coverage of Capitol Hill issues,
including unemployment compensation and merit pay for
teachers.
• Edited and marketed a brochure for a cultural program focusing
on life in London, resulting in a 30% increase in program
attendance.
• Do not identify employers within functional skills sections.
• List a brief history of your actual work experience at the end of the
section, giving job title, employer and dates. If you have had no
work experience, leave out the employment section entirely. If you
do this, be prepared to discuss your educational experiences
and projects in more detail at the job interview. Both
chronological and functional résumés must be succinct,
emphasizing your experience and accomplishments. Résumés
are often your first introduction to the employer and dramatically
impact the screening process. Invest the time to create an
excellent marketing tool - your résumé - to increase job
opportunities and career advancement.
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For more assistance with your resume, contact the staff of the CSUSB
Career Development Center at (909) 537-5250.
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The CSUSB Career Development Center.
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Last updated: January 7, 2005
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