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Resume Tips
Resume Do's and Don'ts
Do's
- Feature Your Accomplishments: When including information about the positions you've held, go beyond listing the duties and responsibilities involved. Give several examples of things you did or recognitions you've received in each position that demonstrate how you've made a difference.
Here are twelve examples of accomplishments to include on your resume (or to mention when negotiating a raise or a promotion):
- Increased revenues
- Saved money
- Increased efficiency
- Cut overhead
- Increased sales
- Improved workplace safety
- Purchasing accomplishments
- New products/New lines
- Improved record-keeping processes
- Increased productivity
- Successful advertising campaign
- Effective budgeting
- Customize your Resume Toward the Position to which you are Applying. Dedicate the most space on your resume describing the experience or accomplishments that are most relevant to the position to which you are applying.
- Proofread Thoroughly. Then give it to several colleagues to get fresh perspectives on grammar, spelling, or formatting gaffes you may have missed.
- Use a Plain Font and Print on Plain Paper. Use 10-14 pt. Font sizes. Stylistic embellishments on your resume (while sometimes useful for careers in the creative arts) will serve only to compete in a negative way with your professional accomplishments for the attention of the employer.
- Use a Telegraphic Writing Style. Eliminating the use of "I" and other personal pronouns will give your resume its most professional voice.
- Keep your resume to 1-2 pages in length.
- Include Dates. Remember to include the dates for each position listed on your resume.
- Use a Chronological format, if possible. Most employers prefer to see work experience listed, job-by-job, in reverse chronological order (from most recent to most distant work experience), with pertinent information regarding responsibilities and accomplishments listed directly under the company name and job title where they were achieved.
Example of a Chronologically-Formatted
Resume [PDF]
Functional resumes (which divide your achievements into functional categories, like "leadership," "sales," etc.) are less desirable, but can be helpful for new graduates or candidates in career transitions.
Example of a Functional Resume [PDF]
- Eliminate Unnecessary Words. Phrases such as, "responsible for," "duties include," and the tag line "References available upon request" are already assumed by the reader.
- Be concise. Ironically, one of the things a employers relish in a resume is what is NOT there: i.e. the amount of remaining white space on the page. Employers prefer formats that are bulleted and brief, versus resumes that contain chunky paragraphs of text.
- Be Truthful. Degrees, dates of employment and accomplishments are being verified now more than ever.
Don'ts
- Don't include reasons for leaving a job on a resume. The interview is the appropriate forum to discuss these issues. Regardless of the way you word it on the resume, the reader can find a negative connotation to even the most reasonable explanation and therefore turn you down for an interview opportunity.
- Don't use exact dates (i.e. 8/31/03). Months and years are sufficient.
- Don't repeat yourself. If you performed similar jobs for more than one employer, use the space on your resume to distinguish the accomplishments you achieved in each position.
- Don't include personal information. Remarks regarding your height, weight, physical appearance, or health, and photographs are not welcome additions.
- Don't include salary information. Save it for the interview. If information is requested regarding your salary expectations, reveal in your cover letter that your salary is negotiable pending further discussion of position expectations.
- Don't list High School or Grammar school information. Particularly true if you are listing any college education.
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