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Create a Strong Résumé

Your Résumé Is Your Professional Fact Sheet to Gain an Interview

Résumé Basics

  • Need to be clear and concise
  • Easy to read and format is consistent
  • Length can be up to 2pgs, 1pg for entry level with little experience
  • Only relevant information is included

Recruiters judge your resume in seconds!

Résumé Language & Content

  • Be specific, include actual results and applicable skills
  • Include content unique to you, avoid over used jargon
  • Stick to the facts and professional language, no "I" or "My"
  • Use action verbs to describe experiences
  • Most used format is reversed chronological (newest to oldest experiences)
  • Include up to the past 10 years experiences

Résumé Do’s

  • Include relevant examples that show how you meet the job qualifications
  • Use legible and professional fonts
  • Provide white space for skimming
  • Use bulleted lists
  • Use professional voice

Résumé Don’ts

  • Do not include SSN, photos, family info
  • Do not use more than 2 fonts
  • Do not put references - provide them on a separate reference sheet
  • Do not use excessive bolding/italics
  • Do not use loud colors, traditionally only black

Sample Résumé Section Titles

Name and Contact Information

  • Place your name in the header (your name should be large enough to stand out on the page)
  • Use a local address and phone number (you can use your school address)
  • Make sure you use a professional e-mail address and voicemail (such as your .edu e-mail)

Education

  • List Florida Tech first
  • Add graduation date at the right alignment (can be future date)
  • Include official major title and your GPA if over 3.0

Including education on a resume

Skills

  • Most relevant or impressive skills listed first, technical skills preferred
  • Avoid clichés and be specific; skills that can proved and measured are best (instead of strong communication - use public speaking, negotiation, conflict resolution, or mentoring)
  • Lab skills or machinery used; programming languages or software programs
  • IEEE, APA standards, or other industry regulations and mastered concepts
  • Aircraft flown or flight time
  • Treatments or clinical assessments used
  • Foreign Languages

Experience

  • List paid & unpaid experiences related to career path
  • List organization, location, and start/end dates (month and year)
  • Newest experiences first (most recent to oldest)
  • Start each bullet with an action verb and use past tense for previous positions - be specific!

Including experience on a resume

Honors

  • Dean's List (years)
  • Honor Society
  • Competition, professional, or student awards

Co-Curricular Activities

  • Professional association or campus organization roles/memberships
  • Non-major related volunteering and charity work; sports teams or sponsored events/conferences
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