Resume Services

• Use action words to describe skills, completed tasks, job responsibilities.
• Expect to write more than one draft.
• Quantify with numbers, dollar amounts and percentages whenever possible (For example, “Organized event for 200 people which raised $2,000 for club charity fund raiser”).
• Be brief, concise and action oriented.
• Use bullets to set off each major idea.

• Error-proof your resume.
• Spelling, punctuation, typing errors, erasures, and correction fluid marks will screen you out from being considered for an interview.
• Use bond paper in white, eggshell or cream with black print.
• Be sure to leave plenty of margin space (approximately 3/4 to one inch).
• Better to use two pages than to squeeze everything on one page.
• Use standard print style for easy reading.
• Use letter quality or laser printers. Photocopies should be sharp and clean. Black spots, smudges or shadows are not acceptable.
• Special effects are primarily used for the creative industries of public relations, advertising, marketing and the media. Others should be conservative in nature.

• It is unnecessary to put the word “Resume” at the top of the page.
• Listing job objectives can be restrictive. Your objective may be to get an interview for every job for which you qualify.
• Continuing education, certifications, company training workshops and licenses are included in the Education segment.
• DO NOT include personal characteristics (height, weight, age), gender, religion, marital status, health, number of children or organizations considered controversial.
• DO NOT include salary requirements or reasons for leaving a job.
• DO NOT include references in a resume.
• Never send a resume without a personalized cover letter.
• Avoid the use of the word “I”.
• Avoid jargon and exaggeration.
• Do not use a nickname on the resume.

The following is a list of possible action verbs to help in describing your job duties and responsibilities: 

• Administer
• Advocate
• Analyze
• Assemble
• Assist
• Balance
• Budget
• Build
• Coach
• Consult
• Coordinate
• Counsel
• Create
• Deliver
• Demonstrate
• Design
• Develop
• Direct
• Establish
• Evaluate
• Facilitate
• File
• Formulate
• Gather
• Identify
• Implement
• Initiate
• Inspect
• Install
• Interview
• Investigate
• Maintain
• Manage
• Market
• Mediate
• Monitor
• Motivate
• Negotiate
• Observe
• Operate
• Organize
• Perform
• Persuade
• Plan
• Prepare
• Process
• Produce
• Program
• Promote
• Record
• Recruit
• Repair
• Represent
• Research
• Review
• Schedule
• Supervise
• Synthesize
• Test
• Transcribe
• Utilize
• Write

Before you send in your resume, take a moment to double-check these items:

• Is the pertinent personal data correct – phone number, address, work address?
• Is your highest educational attainment shown first?
• Does your objective briefly state your employment goals without getting too specific to rule you out of consideration for other jobs?
• Does your objective focus on what you can bring to the employer rather than what you want from the employer?
• Have you included professional courses that support your candidacy?
• Have you avoided listing irrelevant job responsibilities or job titles?
• Does each position history list your most important job responsibilities first?
• Does your resume emphasize your contributions, achievements and the problems you have successfully solved during your career?
• Have you made information prominent by underlining, bolding, italicizing, using bullets and paying attention to the organization and layout of the page?
• Have you included any volunteer or community service activities that can lend strength to your candidacy?
• Is the resume long enough to present yourself in a good fashion but short enough to make the employer bring you in for more information?
• Do your phrases begin, wherever possible, with powerful action verbs and phrases?