Resumes & Letters

• Use one inch margins so your resume doesn't look crammed or cluttered
• Limit your resume to one page unless you have extensive experience
• Use neatness, organization and correct grammar
• Gear your resume to the needs of the employer accentuating your most marketable skills and experience
• Proofread
• Remove hyperlinks
• Omit pronouns such as (I, me, we, you, they)
• Use action words that reflect skill development. See Resume Action Words
• List bullet points and sentence fragments to provide concise focus
• Order the most important information first
• Always send a cover letter with your resume even when applying onine or through email
• Use top quality white, off-white, ivory or very light gray, bond paper of at least 20-pound weight, size 8 ½" x 11."
  • Darker paper may not photocopy or scan well
• Print your resume on a laser printer. All computer labs and the Center for Career Services have laser printers

• Use abbreviations, except for GPA or states
• Staple or paperclip your resume, cover letter and reference page
• Include more than one type of bullet point
• Use long explanatory paragraphs or wordiness
• Be dishonest or boastful
• Use funny icons or clip art
• Disregard the importance of layout
• Print on a dot matrix printer
• Use resume templates in Microsoft Word. Templates do not create effective resumes based on what we know about employers' opinions. Many employers view this as a quick, easy and LAZY way to format a resume.

Then organize and edit your resume to fit one page. Keep this draft!

• If you are just barely going onto a second page adjust the size of your layout, font, spacing, or margins.
• 9-point font is generally the smallest font you should use.
• If you must go onto a second page, fill it at least ¾ of the way with relevant information.
• If you have a second page, indicate at the top or bottom of the page that it's a continuation of your resume. List the total number of pages (Degenstein, page 2 of 2).

Get the reader's attention by capitalizing, bolding, underlining, using asterisks (*) or solid bullet points (•) to help highlight items.

Computers are being used more frequently to read resumes for key words, including: degree information, job functions, industry-specific acronyms and job titles. List as many of these as possible so your resume will register on these searches.

If there is a typo or grammatical error on your resume, you may be eliminated as a candidate. Your resume may be the only chance you get to make an impression on a potential employer, so make it a good one.