Whether it’s an internship application or a job interview, potential employers are more than likely going to want a copy of your résumé, said Monster.com career counselor Jill Mackey.
“A résumé, which is meant to offer a brief description of your prior experience and qualifications, is the best way a potential supervisor can get to know you before or during an interview,” Mackey said.
To make your accomplishments stand out from the rest, Mackey offered her “easy and brilliant” guide to putting together your résumé.
Give it a personality
The first thing that a possible employer will see on your resume is the text and the design. For that reason, Mackey said it’s important that you make the right first impression.
“A lot of people use Microsoft Word to develop their résumé, but getting more creative — if you’re able — is definitely not a bad idea,” she said.
Mackey suggests using a template for Microsoft Word, but she also said more eye-catching designs can be found online. And if you’re good with design software like Adobe InDesign, Mackey said it will likely take away the generic feel.
“Don’t get too elaborate and have a crazy design layout, but try out some professional-looking color palettes and get creative, especially if you’re applying for a position that looks for your abilities to make or envision unique things,” Mackey said.
If you need inspiration, Mackey said looking at examples on the Internet can help you envision the spacing, line order and flow of good résumés.
TIPS:
- Times New Roman is hard to read on a screen for many people. If you are emailing or uploading your resume, consider using Georgia instead for a more readable serif font.
- You can use multiple fonts for different parts of your resume, but try to limit it to two maximum. Instead of changing between fonts, try making specific sections bold or italicized instead.
- Aim for fonts that are at least 12 points but no more than 16.
- Your page should have 1-inch margins all the way around with 1.5 or 2-point line spacing.
Make your name memorable
The header is the section at the top of your résumé that gives all of your contact information, including your name, address, email and phone number.
“Make your name slightly larger than the rest of your text,” Mackey said. “If you can, also try to make it a different font — one that matches the rest of the font on the page, but one that fits your professional personality.”
If you’re using a template design, Mackey suggests using the fonts that are available instead of uploading a separate image with your name. This way, the layout won’t be off-centered and the heading will still format correctly.
TIPS:
- Make sure your heading information is up-to-date. If a potential employer wants to contact you, you’ll want to offer the right means to do so.
- Some résumé headers include personal taglines. While these should not be slogans or personal quotes, Mackey suggests taglines such as “business analyst” or “online storyteller” next to your name.
Make yourself look good
In the body of your résumé, information about your work history, education, special skills, achievements and references should be listed.
“Again, you want to make yourself stand out,” Mackey said. “Never lie on a résumé — as that could be damaging for your reputation to employers — but don’t be too modest about what good things you’ve done.”
Mackey suggests listing this information in the following order:
- Work history: Your past jobs should be listed in chronological order with your most recent employment first. Include the name of the company, its location, your title, your duties and responsibilities while working there and the dates that you were employed there.
- Education history: Same as with your jobs, you should list all of your education in chronological order with your most recent schooling first. Include any college degrees, trade schools or apprenticeships you might have participated in. If you graduated with a degree, list the name of the degree as well as the year you received it. If you have not yet graduated, simply state the years you have attended the program as well as an expected graduation date.
- Special skills: Once you’ve listed the most important information — your work experience and education — you can choose to list anything else you find important. This can include languages you’re proficient in to areas of specialized expertise.
- References: You should provide two to four professional references (people who aren't family or friends) with their name, relationship to you and contact information, including their phone number and email. The best references to use are a manager or superior to you in your work, or perhaps a college professor whose class you did well in.
- Awards: If you were ever given a special award or recognition, list it here with the name, date and purpose of the award. A common thing to list here is your achievement on the Dean’s List for high GPA
- Volunteer experience (optional): If you have done a lot of volunteering in your life, make a list of it here. Include the name of the program, the dates that you worked there and the total number of hours you volunteered and your responsibilities.
TIPS:
- If you graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, or if you received any honors distinctions, be sure to list it along with your school/degree information.
- The place you are applying to may contact your references, so always call them in advance to let them know that you are using them for a reference and are currently applying for a job.
- If you received an award or scholarship for volunteering, you can also place that in the volunteer section.
When you’re finished
Make sure you go over your résumé multiple times before making it available to your employer, Mackey said.
“Some employers now scan résumés to determine the presence of certain keywords in order to choose which ones meet initial criteria,” she said. “Make sure you know a good amount about the company or organization you’re applying to, and try to include key words included in their mission statements or application summary.”
When proofreading your résumé, Mackey also suggests reading the whole document word for word.
“Mistakes with spell check might get caught automatically, but reading through the résumé again is necessary to find other errors or formatting issues,” she said.
TIPS:
- Avoid using every keyword mentioned in the job posting, or your résumé will look suspicious.
- Consider creating a LinkedIn account to make your résumé materials available online to potential employer connections.
- Personal websites are also easily marketable to employers. You can either present your résumé information on the website, or you can upload the document directly.
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