Resume Guidelines:
Your resume is the first impression a hiring manager may have of you, so devote the time up front to make sure your resume is a technically perfect, honest, and professional representation of your career progression and accomplishments.
Resume Do’s
• Be honest.
• Tailor your resume to each specific opening. Expand upon areas of your expertise that are most relevant to the position you are pursuing.
• List employment in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent position. Generally, employers are most interested in your last 10 years of employment. List all employers, positions, detailed descriptions of responsibilities and accomplishments, and dates of employment for the past 10 years. For previous positions, you may choose to list only employer, position title, and dates of employment.
• If an employer is not a well-known company, give a brief description of the company’s size, location, scope, and type of business.
• For each position, list responsibilities and accomplishments using a bullet format.
• Highlight any software or hardware knowledge.
• List all degrees and certifications, but omit dates conferred.
• Use 8-1/2" x 11" white or ivory paper with black ink printed in a simple typeface using a high-resolution printer.
• If e-mailing your resume, choose a simple font, and send in text or as an MS Word document as directed by the listing.
• Try to limit your resume to one page, but in no way shortchange yourself by omitting important accomplishments to adhere to the one-page rule. If your experience warrants it, definitely expand to additional pages.
• Keep your language simple, concise, and free of unfamiliar jargon or abbreviations.
• Be certain your resume is 100% perfect in terms of spelling and grammar. Spell check can miss important errors. Read your resume backwards to find misspellings.
Resume Don’ts
• Don't apply for positions you are not qualified for - applying for these poitions indicates poor business acumen.
• Never misrepresent your experience or accomplishments.
• Don’t state an objective unless it describes a position you are seeking. Instead, list a brief summary at the top of the resume highlighting your expertise and accomplishments.
• Don’t list any personal information. We, along with our clients, follow Equal Opportunity guidelines, so omit all references to age, marital status, number of children, hobbies, social activities, personal interests, or religious philosophies.
• Don’t list reasons for leaving previous positions. Use the cover letter for necessary clarification.
• Don’t list phone numbers of previous employers.
• Never list "References available upon request." The interviewer will request references when appropriate.
• Don’t include your salary history or requirements.
• Don’t overuse italics, bolding, underlining, or different size fonts. It adversely affects the clarity of your presentation and the scanning of your resume.
