Davidson College Career Services

Makes the reader want to interview you
Communicates your qualifications for employment
Highlights your education and experience
Provides a sense of your style, attitude, and ability

Getting Started on Your Resume

It might be helpful to pull out your Davidson application to help you get started. Write out a complete listing or autobiography of your life considering areas like:

Education                                            Special skills
Jobs                                                    Leadership experience
Research experience                             Presentations
Honors/Awards                                    Student / Professional organization(s)
Activities                                             Languages
Community service                               Computer skills
Publications                                         Special projects
Interests                                               Athletic involvement

Identify what experiences, skills and/or attributes make you a strong candidate for the goal(s) or position(s) you are targeting

Resume Pointers

·   Create ways to emphasize your relevant experiences, skills, and/or           attributes
·   Generate different versions of your resume, each targeted to a specific type of work or industry
·   Make your resume easy to read and graphically appealing (consider the way the words look on the page and the spacing between the words and sections)
·   Follow a consistent style throughout the sections of your resume
·   Specify particulars of your accomplishments in your descriptions
·   Avoid using pronouns – such as “I” or “me”
·   Be sure there are no misspellings or grammatical errors

Elements of a Resume

Resumes include many of the following components. The order and style in which you present information should reflect your personality and highlight strengths and abilities most relevant to the goal(s) you are pursuing.

Contact Information
Full name
Mailing address
Phone number where you or your answering machine may be reached during the day
E-mail address

Career Objective
A career objective is a concise, specific statement describing the position sought that focuses the reader’s attention on what you are presenting. An effective objective includes the job function you are seeking, the industry and the 3-5 skills you will use to fulfill the position’s responsibilities.

SAMPLES

Pharmaceutical sales position utilizing proven communication, customer service and self management skills.

Audit position with public accounting firm utilizing excellent analytical, problem-solving and client relation skills.

Fundraising position for an international non-profit requiring excellent communication, organizational and Spanish language skills.

Education
Institution(s) attended
Degree(s) earned, and major(s) and minor(s) obtained
GPA
Unique courses taken
Special projects
Academic honors
Independent research projects or thesis

Other information included under education or under a separate heading may include:
Study Abroad
High school information

Experience
Descriptions of your experiences should highlight: accomplishments; skills; abilities and results (including how many, how long, and how effective).

Include the position title, company or organization, city, state, dates and description

Be descriptive—if you don’t describe your achievements in sufficient detail, your
reader will draw his/her own conclusions

Do not assume that the reader knows anything about you or Davidson College

SAMPLES

EDITOR IN CHIEF - Davidsonian. Davidson College, Davidson, NC. Fall 2004 to present

-Oversaw daily activities of weekly campus newspaper serving population of 1600 students
-Led weekly news meetings to determine upcoming week’s content
-Managed yearly budget of $9000
-Awarded “Best College Newspaper” by Associated Press in Spring 2005

Or

DAVIDSONIAN - Davidson College, Davidson, NC

Editor in Chief. Oversaw daily activities of weekly campus newspaper serving population of 1600 students. Led weekly news meetings to determine upcoming week’s content. Managed annual budget of $9000. Awarded “Best College Newspaper” by Associated Press in Spring 2005. Fall 2004 to present.

Re Remember the purpose of the resume is to obtain an interview--do not hold
ba back on documenting significant accomplishments or achievements on your resuresume with the intent of discussing them in an interview.

Other Section Headings

Include additional headings/sections only if they offer additional evidence of your qualifications for the career objective you are pursuing.

Possible section headings:
Related experience
Honors
Activities
Publications
Special skills
Presentations
Languages
Industry experience (i.e. Teaching)
Awards
Community service
Interests
Leadership experience
Student/professional organizations
Computer skills

The References section only contains a statement indicating that references are availabl available, e.g.:

Placement of key information

Your contact information is the most important element of your resume and should appear at the top of the resume

Include dates on the right side of the page or at the end of the entry

Appearance

Use margins, spacing and fonts that are easy to read

Select bold, enlargement, italics, bullets, ALL CAPS, or underlining for emphasis

Consider the amount and placement of white space

Maintain your format style throughout the entire resume

Word choice

Use only positive words including action verbs to capitalize on strengths

Avoid nondescriptive words including is, was, used, worked, assisted, helped, duties included, and responsible for

Use the language of your profession/ discipline

Do not abbreviate or use unnecessary jargon

Use concise, specific statements

Focus on what you did for the organization, not what the organization was about

Paper selection

Select high quality bond paper

Use matching paper for resume, cover letters, reference lists, and envelopes

Consider the copy-ability of your resume paper choice

Formatting cover letters and reference lists
Carry over your format style to your cover letter and reference lists

Proofreading

The minimum standard for a resume is perfection

Misspellings, grammatical errors, and improper punctuation are not acceptable

Avoid overly long descriptions and disorganized formats

Solicit feedback on your resume from many sources

The Purpose of a Resume

Getting Started on Your Resume