Resumes And Cover Letters With Samples (Page 3 of 27) in pdf

Writing a Resume Employers Will Read

Use action verb phrases to describe your experiences. Instead of “Responsibilities included training staff“ say

“Trained five new staff.” A list of action verbs is on page 5.

Be concise; omit personal pronouns and “a,” “an,” and “the” whenever possible. Instead of “I created and

maintained a database using Excel,” say “Created and maintained database using Excel.”

Stress accomplishments and results; quantify your results when appropriate. For example:

Draft #1: Waited tables. Opened and closed restaurant.

Draft #2: Provided customer service to patrons of high-traffic café. Opened and closed restaurant.

Draft #3: Provided quality customer service to patrons of high-traffic café, serving up to 100 meals

during busy lunch and dinner shifts. Developed loyal return clientele. Selected by manager over more

experienced wait staff to open and close restaurant. Totaled up to $200 in tips per shift.

Create different resumes for different audiences. All fields have different keywords and expectations of

resumes. If possible, have it reviewed by a professional in your field as well as the Lazarus Center.

Make it clear. Avoid confusing acronyms and abbreviations. Instead of S.O.S., say “Service Organizations of

Smith.” It’s OK to use postal abbreviations for states, but be consistent.

Sections of a Resume

NAME. Put it at the top, centered or flush left. Use caps, bold, and a larger font to make it stand out.

CONTACT INFORMATION. List your current address, phone, and email on one line (saves space) or blocked.

Also list a permanent or forwarding address if it’s in your search region.

OBJECTIVE (optional). We suggest you omit an objective from your resume and state it in your cover letter.

SUMMARY or PROFILE (optional). More experienced applicants may begin with a summary geared to the

reader. For example: Five years communications and marketing experience in non-profit sector. Skilled

researcher, writer, and editor. Excellent public speaking and workshop facilitation skills. Strong fundraising

background with special expertise in grant writing. Experience recruiting, training, and motivating volunteers.

EDUCATION generally comes first for students and recent grads. From present to past, list school, location,

degree, date awarded or expected, major, minor, and concentration. Study away, other degrees, thesis, related

courses, projects, and research papers may be included. GPA is required for finance or consulting but optional

for other fields. If your combined SAT is 2100+, we suggest including it on a finance resume. List major and

cumulative GPA if you like.

High school experience is often included by first years and sophomores. Others may include it if relevant, for

example, if you’re searching in the region where you attended high school or if you had significant high school

experience related to your objective.

HONORS and AWARDS, if you have them, may go under Education or as a separate category.

Resumes And Cover Letters With Samples Page 3