RESUMES
Career Development
University of Pittsburgh
224 William Pitt Union
412-648-7130
www.careers.pitt.edu
Revised 06/09
The Resume – Your Marketing Tool
Whenever you begin a job search, the first step is always creating (or updating) your
resume. Your resume is a very important document, as it serves as your advertisement, or
marketing tool, when contacting employers. The purpose of sending your resume to
employers is to convince them that you are a well-qualified candidate and that they need to
spend time interviewing you for the positions they have available. Because of this, always
focus on the things that "sell" you the best, and be sure to highlight them when writing your
resume. Also try to take the employer's point of view when writing your resume; employers
recognize that you want certain things out of a job (such as salary, benefits and growth
opportunities), but are most interested in what you can do for them as an employee. If you
keep this perspective in mind, it will help you to write a resume that presents you as an
asset to their organization who will make a valuable contribution to their bottom line.
Remember that there is no one "right" way to structure your resume. The following
guidelines are suggestions of the things most employers like to see; however, you need to
tailor your resume so that it best reflects your skills and qualifications for the job. If you
have specific questions, remember that the staff of Career Development is available to help
you. Feel free to utilize our walk-in hours (please call for days and times), during which a
Career Counselor or Peer Career Advisor will be happy to critique your resume and give you
feedback. You may also want to access our Cyber Career Counselor at
www.careers.pitt.edu/cybercounselor/cybercounselor.htm for more information or additional
sample resumes.
Getting Started
Before you begin to write your resume, it is helpful to reflect on your past experiences,
especially those related to your career field. Make a list for yourself of all your experiences
– educational, work and volunteer – and keep it handy while you write your resume. For
each experience, make sure you include the company or organization name, your position
title, the dates you were there and your responsibilities. The resume worksheet on the
following page will help you to do this. When completing the worksheet, try to focus on the
skills you gained through each experience you have listed. By focusing on your skills, you
draw a direct line for the employer between your past experiences and what you will be able
to do as an employee. Remember, skills are transferable, so the customer service skills you
learned while working at your local burger joint during the summer after high school may be
put to good use when you’re trying to convince an employer that you work well with the
public.
2
RESUME WORKSHEET
EDUCATION
DATES SCHOOL DEGREE MAJOR Q.P.A.
WORK/INTERNSHIP/CO-OP EXPERIENCE
DATES NAME OF CITY, JOB TITLE DUTIES SKILLS
ORGANIZATION STATE USED
VOLUNTEER WORK
DATES ORGANIZATION CITY, STATE DUTIES SKILLS USED
3
Types of Resumes
Chronological
This is the most common type of resume and is usually the most suitable for college
students and recent grads. Sections in this type of resume are usually listed in order of
importance, and experience is listed in reverse chronological order (with most recent
experiences listed first). A chronological resume is the easiest to prepare and works well for
people who have stayed in the same field and have had progressive advancement.
Functional
This type of resume focuses more on skills and achievements, as opposed to listing the
positions you have held and the responsibilities you had with each position. This resume
seems to work best for people who are changing careers, who are looking for work
unrelated to their major or who wish to focus on a particular set of skills. Although this
resume format can be effective in drawing attention to skills you want to highlight, many
employers prefer to see a chronological resume, as it is usually easier to read.
Targeted
A targeted resume is a resume created for a specific job or position for which you are
applying. Targeted resumes can be very effective in drawing attention to your experience in
one particular field, but can be time-consuming to write if you have more than one area of
interest. As an alternative, many people will use the cover letter to focus on specific
information that they want to bring to the employer’s attention.
Scannable
Because many large companies and organizations will receive hundreds (if not thousands)
of resumes in a year, many have begun to use computer systems and scanners to store the
resumes of potential candidates. Usually these resumes are scanned into one large
database, and employers will do a keyword search to find candidates of interest when they
are hiring. Keep the following in mind when you are creating a scannable resume: keep
the layout simple; avoid italics, underlining, bullets, shading and graphics (these do not
scan well); use standard fonts, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Courier in 12 to 14 point
size; don’t staple multiple pages of your resume. Also remember that keywords are often
nouns, instead of verbs, so you may want to include a section of keywords as a part of your
resume.
E-mail
If you have a specific contact at a company, you may want to e-mail him/her a copy of your
resume. If you would like to do this, it’s best to include both the cover letter and resume in
the text of your e-mail, as some organizations do not allow their employees to open
attachments from senders they do not know. The following rules apply to e-mail resumes:
the right margin should be 2”, while the left margin should be 1”; text should be 11-point
font; use capital letters for headings, since boldface may not be compatible with everyone’s
e-mail software; avoid bullets, shading, graphics, underling and italics (again, these may
not be compatible with the e-mail program your recipient uses). You can check the format
and content of your e-mail resume by sending it to yourself or to a close friend.
4
Sections of a Resume
There are many sections you can include in your resume when trying to best highlight your
qualifications for a job. You may not need to use everything that is listed here, so choose
what you think will be the most effective for you. Also, it’s usually best to keep the most
important information towards the top of your resume, since most employers will read your
resume top to bottom.
Contact Information
Believe it or not, your contact information is some of the most important information on
your resume, as it allows the employer to get in touch with you to schedule an interview.
Be sure to include your name, street address, telephone number and e-mail address. If you
are including your e-mail address, make sure it sounds professional – no one wants to hire
“partyanimal@yahoo.com”. Also, if you have both a local (school) address and a permanent
(home) address, it is fine to list both on your resume. An example:
Amanda Hugginkiss
234 Hopscotch Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 123-4567
amandah@hotmail.com
Objective
Although the objective is optional, many people choose to include one because it allows the
employer to immediately see the kind of position you are seeking, and enables you to target
a specific job or field. You can also highlight a few skills in your objective, if you like. When
writing your objective, avoid using phrases that highlight what you want out of a job (such
as “potential for advancement” or “growth opportunities”). Objectives should be short, to
the point, and are the only section on the resume in which you can use first-person
wording. Here are some examples:
To obtain a position as an electrical engineer.
Seeking a position as a pharmacist in a retail environment.
To obtain a position in higher education that focuses on program
development and grant-writing.
Summary of Qualifications
This section allows you to highlight specific skills, achievements and experiences that are
highly relevant to your employment objective and set you apart from other candidates. This
section can be very helpful for the candidate who has a lot of experience in his/her chosen
field. An example:
Ten years of experience in accounting, including “Big 4” experience.
Proven ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
Effective communication skills and ability to work with diverse groups of
people.
Education
If you are still a student or are a recent grad, this is the section that will probably interest
employers the most, so list it near the top. Once you have some professional work
experience, you can move this section to the bottom of your resume. When listing your
education, include the schools you attended, the cities and states in which they are located,
5
the degree you are earning (or have earned), your major(s), minors(s), concentration(s)
and certificate(s), and your graduation date. You do not need to include all of the years you
attended school; you also should not include high school once you have finished your first
year of college. You can include your QPA if it is above 3.0; if your major QPA is above 3.0,
you may wish to include it, as well. Some examples:
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING
Certificate: Conceptual Foundations of Medicine
QPA: 3.45
Graduation Date: April, 2003
University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
Master of Fine Arts
Major: English Literature
Anticipated Graduation Date: December, 2005
Relevant Experience
Relevant experience includes anything you have done that pertains to your employment
goal, including internships, volunteer work, paid part-time or full-time jobs or
campus/community activities. List your experience in reverse chronological order and be
sure to include the name of the company or organization, the city and state, the dates you
were there, the title of your position and your responsibilities. An example:
Community Case Management Services Pittsburgh, PA
Intern, Homeless Case Management Unit September – December, 2002
Provided case management services to approximately thirty-five clients staying in
Pittsburgh-area homeless shelters
Created social case histories and assisted clients in setting goals for housing during
intake appointments
Facilitated use of community services in obtaining funding for security deposit, rent,
utilities and furnishings
Provided transportation to clients for appointments to view prospective apartments;
toured apartments with clients to ensure living spaces were safe and sanitary
Kept complete case notes on each client and maintained accurate daily log
Participated in non-violent crisis intervention training and educational seminar regarding
signs of illicit drug use
Other Experience
This section includes the experiences you have had that are not relevant to your career
goal. This may include things like waiting tables, babysitting, working the drive-thru at
McDonald’s, etc. You can structure the listings in this section in the same way you
structured them in your “Related Experience” section, but you may find yourself running out
of room if you include everything. If this is the case, you may just want to stick to “where,
when and what”: where you worked, when you worked there and what your job title was.
Honors, Awards, Achievements
If you have a number of awards or other achievements, you may want to create a section
on your resume in which to list them. Be sure to include memberships in honor societies,
scholarships, departmental honors and appearances on the Dean’s List.
6
Relevant Coursework
If you have taken a few (say, five or less) specific courses that are relevant to your
employment goal, you can list them here. Don’t list all of the courses you have taken in
your major – if an employer wants this information, you will be asked to provide a
transcript.
Computer Skills
Chances are, most employers are going to expect that you have some basic knowledge of
common computer programs, so you may want to list the hardware and software programs
with which you are familiar. If you are a technical major (especially computer or
information science) this section of your resume is very important, and you should include
programming languages, as well. Also, you may want to highlight this section by moving it
closer to the top of resume.
Language Skills
If you speak a foreign language, be sure to list it on your resume, along with your level of
proficiency.
Selected Research, Selected Projects or Presentations
If you have participated in research or other projects that are relevant to your employment
goal, you can list them here. These can enhance your qualifications for a job and certainly
give the employer something to talk to you about during the interview.
Certifications, Licenses or Professional Memberships
If you have any of these, list them on your resume. These are especially important for
people going into fields like healthcare and education, where you must have a license or
certificate to practice in the field.
Campus Activities or Volunteer Work
Even if these are not related to your career goal, you may want to include campus groups to
which you belong or volunteer work you have done, just to show employers that you have
gotten involved and are able to organize your time well. Be sure to highlight any leadership
positions or offices you have held. As a word of caution, you may want to avoid including
anything that is overtly religious or political, as some employers could use these things to
discriminate against you (not that they’re allowed to do this, but it does happen). However,
if your religious or political life is important to you and you would not want to work for
someone who is not comfortable with your views, then you may want to list them. The
important thing is to do what is most comfortable for you.
References
Do not waste space or burn out your references by listing them on your resume – you can
enclose them on a separate sheet of paper if you are asked for them. If you would like to
include the statement “References Available Upon Request” on your resume, that is fine, but
not necessary.
7
Helpful Hints
Be consistent. There is a wide variety of formatting tools you can use to highlight
elements of your resume: boldface, capital letters, underlining, italics, indenting, centering,
etc. Regardless of what you choose, stay consistent throughout your resume (for example,
if you put one section heading in boldface capital letters, they should all be in boldface
capital letters).
Be honest. Although everyone jokes about “stretching the truth” on a resume, it is very
important that you be honest and do not embellish your duties in any way. If an employer
hires you and then later finds out that you lied on your application materials, you can be
fired. If this happens you have no recourse, even if you have worked in the job for several
years and have had positive performance reviews.
Use clear, easy-to-read formatting and layout. Because your resume is your
marketing tool, it is paramount that you make sure it is clear and easy to read. Use white
space well; use at least a 1” margin around the entire resume and make sure your text is
not too crowded. Also, choose a standard font, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Palatino
or Courier in 12 to 14 point size. Use a laser printer or a professional copier when printing.
Avoid resume template programs. In general, resume templates are hard to work with
and are not scanner-friendly. Many recruiters and human resources professionals dislike
the layout of templates and may think that you are lazy or have poor computer skills
because you did not format your resume yourself. Most often, it is easiest to start your
resume on a blank document and create the formatting yourself.
Use correct language. Resumes should not be written in the first person, except for the
objective, so avoid the words “I”, “me” and “my”. Your resume should be written in the
present verb tense for things you are doing now, past tense for everything else. Try to
avoid overused words (for example, “strong” or “solid” may be more convincing than
“excellent”) and try to be specific by using numbers and percentages when appropriate.
Use resume-quality paper. Although some employers are not choosy, it’s best to print
your resume on a resume-quality or bond paper, usually in some shade of white, cream or
light gray (avoid other colors, as they may seem inappropriate or flashy).
Keep your resume short. Although it is important that your resume best sell you for a
job, employers quickly tire of reading multiple-page resumes. If you are currently a student
or a recent grad, one page should suffice. If you have more experience, you may want to
use two pages, but be sure to use the second page (don’t just have three little bullet points
at the top of page two and leave the rest blank). Resumes should never be more than two
pages long.
Proofread, proofread, proofread! One of the worst mistakes you can make is not
proofreading your resume before you send it to a potential employer. A spelling or
grammatical error can be the kiss of death – after all, why would an employer want to take
the time to interview you if you can’t even take the time to carefully check your own
resume? Make sure that others proofread your resume, as well; show it to your friends or
take advantage of walk-in hours in Career Services.
Leave it out. Personal information (height, weight, marital status, children, hobbies),
photographs and salary information, while once included in resumes, should now be left out
of any job application.
8
Research. The Career Reference Room in 236 William Pitt Union contains book with
hundreds of resume samples. The internet also has good information on resume-writing,
especially on Cyber Career Counselor. There are many good ideas out there – don’t limit
yourself to just one source.
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS/ACTION WORDS
Advocate Negotiate Synthesize
Provide Hospitality Determine Policy Demonstrate Foresight
Take Care of Others Supervise Improvise
Listen Delegate Design
Counsel Mediate Invent
Teach Initiate Compose
Coach Organize Operate Equipment
Explain Plan Repair
Facilitate Groups Coordinate Restore
Write Analyze Calculate/Compute
Promote Evaluate Cooperate
Sell Problem-Solve Speak to Groups
Meet the Public Research Solve Problems
Motivate Categorize Train
Interview Manage Records Concentrate
Influence Edit Work Under Pressure
Consult Budget Provide Leadership
Serve as Liaison Monitor Brainstorm
Make Decisions Conceptualize Follow Through
9