Creating a Resume

Resume Styles

Resumes generally fall into one of three format styles:  reverse chronological, functional, or a combination. Choosing your style can be dependent on factors such as the amount of work experience you have and the breadth of your transferable skill set. Most people choose the reverse chronological format, as these tend to offer the most easily-followed road map of your experiences.

Review sample resumes.

Header/Identification

• This should include your full name (larger than everything else), address, phone number and e-mail address. Do not include more information than the reader needs. If you are applying for an internship locally, you do not need to put your permanent address. On the flip side, if you are graduating or are applying for a job in or near your hometown, you may not need to include your Elon information. If you put your cell phone number, you do not need your parents’ home phone number as well.

Objective statements

• Not all resumes will include objective statements. If a resume is being submitted along with a cover letter in an application process, the cover letter generally serves as an elaboration of the objective statement, so it is not necessary to include one on the resume. If you are distributing your resume at a career fair or if you are sending it to someone through whom you are networking, an objective statement can be very helpful to the reader, so it should be included.
• Briefly state the name of the position for which you are applying and, if appropriate, the time period (e.g., “A summer internship in the finance department at IBM”). If you are doing a post-graduation job search, you may need to be less specific so as to not pigeon-hole yourself.  Just be direct, with no unnecessary verbiage.

Education

• List the name of your school, the location (city, state), the degree you will be receiving (spell it out), your major and your minor, if you have one. Include your month and year of graduation. It is not necessary to say ‘anticipated’ or ‘expected.’
• GPAs are optional. You may put your cumulative GPA alone or both your cumulative and major GPA. Some employers will expect to see your GPA, while others will care more about your skills and experiences.
• List any scholarships or other academic awards you have received, as well as honor societies to which you belong. If your list includes more than three or four, you may consider creating a separate section for ‘Honors’ or ‘Academic Awards.’ Don’t forget Dean’s List and President’s List citations.
• Study abroad experiences are a part of your Elon education and should be included in this section of your resume. State where you went and when you were there. You may also include a brief description of the course (its academic focus and the countries you visited).  If you have had multiple experiences, you may consider creating a separate section (‘International Experience’ or ‘Studies Abroad’).
• Include any other colleges you have attended and the dates of attendance.

Experience

• If you have done an internship within your field of study, you should start with this.  A subject heading of ‘Internship Experience’ will stand out to a reader and will ensure that the internship won’t be lost within a group of other work experiences and that the reader will see it first.  
• Subject headings such as ‘Additional Work Experience’ or ‘Other Experience’ can follow immediately or be placed lower on the resume, depending on their relevance.
• Employment experiences should be listed as: employer, location (city, state), dates of employment, job title and then two or three bullets detailing your performance in the job.  
• Bullets should not read like a job description; you are describing your performance and accomplishments within the job, not the job itself. Quantify whenever you can: how many, how much, what percentage, etc.

Activities

• List activities in order of importance. Include the name of the organization, the location, and any position you held.  Activities can be bulleted if you had a role that reflects leadership, project planning, fund raising, or other significant function.  
• Consider creating a ‘Leadership’ section if you have held offices such as president, director, founder, etc. If the experience is directly related to your major, you may want to include it in a ‘Relevant Experience’ section.  These experiences should be bulleted; if you can’t provide evidence of leadership, don’t claim it as a leadership experience.
• It’s okay to simply list groups or organizations of which you are a member with no additional information. You can include volunteer/service groups, club sports, Greek organizations or other activities in which you are involved.

Skills

Develop a list of any skills that will help sell you as an ideal employee. This list should include:

• Technology skills (computer software/programs, operating systems, experience with web design, etc.)
• Language skills—identify your level of expertise: beginning, intermediate, conversational, advanced. Could you serve as an interpreter within a company or are you skills limited to reading the menu at a Mexican restaurant? Do not exaggerate your conversational abilities, as you may be called upon to demonstrate.
• Any special skills that are related to your major/career ambitions…..research and lab skills for science majors; new media skills for communications majors; writing skills for English/journalism majors, etc.
• You may include Interpersonal Skills, Communication Skills or another similar category for career fields in which this skill set would be valued.

Additional Subject Headings to Consider

• Profile/Summary of Qualifications
• Academic Research
• Relevant Coursework
• Academic Projects
• Publications
• Presentations
• Practicums
• Honors
• Community Involvement
• Campus Involvement/Employment