Resume Writing

Create a Good First Impression

It is important to think of your resume as your "advertisement", or "marketing piece".  Resumes are representations of people on paper, and paper can too easily be filed and forgotten, particularly by employers who handle hundreds of resumes weekly.  The purpose of the resume is to get you an interview.  Put yourself in the employer's place — why should he/she hire you?  Design your resume carefully to positively and accurately reflect your experience, your education, and your qualifications.  To be most effective, a resume should be tailored for the type of position for which you are applying.  Here are a few guidelines:

• If possible, keep your resume to one page in length.
• Your resume should be laser printed and then copied on good quality paper.  Use either white, off-white, cream, or buff bond paper.
• Format your resume on the page so its visual appearance on the page is pleasing and easy to scan with clearly labeled categories.  Choose a professional font like Times Roman, Palatino, or Arial.
• Proofread carefully!  Allow no errors; a resume must be perfect.  And, don't rely just on spellcheck, have someone who is good at proofreading look over it.