Helpful resume tips.pmd - Franklin College

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Resume tips
RESUME FORMAT:
When you select a format for a resume, it is important to show yourself off to the best advantage. For most
students, the CHRONOLOGICAL and FUNCTIONAL/SKILLS style are the most popular formats; some
students choose a more CREATIVE style. Each approach has its selling points and drawbacks; a lot will
depend on how comfortable you feel with a format and how receptive a prospective employer will be to how
you present your qualifications. A resume that will work wonders in an advertising agency may be entirely
inappropriate for a bank or large corporation and vice versa.
The CHRONOLOGICAL resume lists your background in chronological time sequence, starting
with the most recent experience first and working backwards. This is the most common format.
The FUNCTIONAL/SKILLS resume can be eye-catching. If you’re thinking about using this style,
you should know that it is not an easy type of resume to put together and it tends to be lengthier
than the standard chronological resume format. In the functional resume, skill areas list work
experience and abilities. The functional resume allows you to do some things that a chronological
resume would never permit. You can choose headings featured in the job for which you are applying.
Also, instead of repeating the things you have done in similar work settings, this approach allows
you to group responsibilities from a variety of experiences. The emphasis is on what you have done
rather than on when and where you did it. Another advantage of this approach is playing up your
strengths and putting them up front.
1. Keep your resume short! Resumes should never be longer than two pages.
2. Proper spelling is paramount. A perfectly wonderful resume will be overlooked if it has spelling errors.
Keep a dictionary by your side and have your resume read by several friends (who can spell). A spell
checker is a good way to rough out spelling errors, but don’t rely on it totally. It can’t detect words
that have been used improperly (e.g., “if ” in place of “in”); good grammar is essential.
3. Keep your descriptions crisp and clear. A short phrase like: “created a database system to handle an
inventory of more than 2200 items” is better than long expository statements.
4. Strive for balance. Visually attractive resumes command more reading time than cluttered pages filled
with big blocks of print. White space is welcome as long as it does not consume too much of the page.
5. Be professional, packaging counts. Good quality bond paper is essential. Colorful resumes are eyecatching
but often inappropriate; stick to off-white, buff or some other neutral shade.

6. Avoid the appearance of a photocopied resume. Laser or ink jet printed resumes are appropriate.
With a word processor, you can experiment with different formats and various typefaces and you can
store your resume for future revisions. You can also tailor your resume to fit a particular job. Avoid
the temptation of using multiple fonts in your resume - this usually makes the resume look cluttered
and busy.
7. Be sure your resume represents you well; it is an employer’s first impression of you.
8. Don’t be vague. Be sure to customize your resume for each employer. The inability to do this on-line
accounts for some of the low return rate on on-line applications. Anytime you try to do a “one size fits
all” approach (by agency, computer or just passing a resume around an organization courtesy of a
friend) you lose the all-important opportunity to craft the resume to fit a particular position.
9. Resume readers want a quick summary of what you’ve done with just enough detail to let them know
the depth of your skills. The rest they’ll find out in the interview. If you drown them in verbiage,
you’ll never get to the interview.
10. Students and recent grads: put your education up top. Include relevant courses, if appropriate.
11. Find out which skills the employer is seeking and be sure to showcase them. If you’re short on actual
job experience, include a HIGHLIGHTS or SKILLS SUMMARY section to “editorialize” about
yourself a little.
12. Use verb phrases - “conceived campaign for student elections”, “created online student newspaper”,
“initiated weekly meetings for minority students”, “lead charity drive” - not sentences; this is not an
essay or an obituary.
13. Use dates to show when you did things, not just the vague “one year.”
14. AGAIN, NEVER overlook spelling errors or typos. That’s a one-way trip to the circular file. Check
and recheck. Typos and spelling errors usually occur when you try to do something at the last minute.
Leave enough time!
15. For new grads without much work experience, have an EXPERIENCE section rather than one called
EMPLOYMENT. You can include internships, class projects and independent study.
16. Tailor the objective to a given position or leave it out altogether. Objectives are helpful when you’re
trying to show the relationship between your skills and a particular position, and they merely annoy
when they say inane things like “a challenging position suited to my education and skills.” What
position? What skills? Resume readers will give yours, on average, seven seconds; don’t make them
cranky with filler.
Brought to you by the
Career Services Office
Franklin College 317.738.8801