School of Communications - Elon University

Step 1: Write a Successful Resume

A resume is an opportunity for you to showcase and summarize your work experience and skills to a prospective employer. Resume formats vary, but you want to give employers a good understanding of your qualities within 30 seconds. Readability is key. Don’t clutter your resume, don’t overuse bold and underline elements.

It should begin with your formal name and contact information, such as an address, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Next, you list your objective. The rest of the resume has sections describing your education, experience related to the prospective job, other work experience, skills related to the position and honors and awards. List the most up-to-date and relevant information first. Finally, you will need to create a separate references page. You will want to list about three references, who are previous employers and professors who know your work. And most importantly, be absolutely sure your resume is error-free.


For more resume tips, visit the Career Services Web site.


For resume examples, see the links below.

Journalism
Broadcast and New Media
Strategic Communications
Cinema