 How To Write A Resume
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Whatever you do, you will need to communicate who you are to others. You will often make this first
impression through your writing, so it is imperative to make your resume an accurate, succinct
representation of yourself and your accomplishments. The following pages are designed to assist you.
The main source of this information comes from the Career Center. www.career.uci.edu
Overview of the Structure
Beginning In the heading,(centered or left-aligned)your name should stand out. Bold and enlarge it! You should
also include: address, email, phone/message number.
Middle Choose the appropiate format, either chronological or skills/functional.
Chronologicial. This lists your background in a reverse chronological sequence, starting with
the most recent. You may arrange your headings (left-aligned) in various ways, depending on what aspects
of your background you wish to stress. This style is preferred by most on-campus recruiters and business
employers.
Skills/Functional.This type of resume extracts from your experience your most important skills or
function. Headings are then built around these areas. Job titles, employers, dates of employment should
be listed in a seperate section. This format allows you to highlight skills, knowledge, and abilities
relevant, regardless of where you obtained them. It works well when your work experience is not directly
related to your career goal, like when you are entering the job market for the first time or you are making
a career change.
End It's usually nice to end your resume with a phrase like "References available upon request."
If you do conclude like this, make sure you have the following information available from your references:
name, title, relation to you, address, telephone. It is not necessary to include reference information on
same page as the resume; just as long as you have the information on a seperate page, it's fine.
Finishing touches The resume should look neat.The least amount of words, the better. Ideally,
it is a page long.
Developing a Resume
- Getting Started
You must be writing a resume for a reason so aim your resume to accomplish that specific purpose. What's your
objective? Write it down.
- Brainstorming
Take some time to think about your accomplishments: things you did well, enjoyed doing, and were proud of.
Include education, training, volunteer opportunities, jobs, projects, travel, and group/team activities. Describe
these experiences in detail: what you did, who'd you do it with, what equipment did you use, and what happened. In
describing the event, identify your personal strengths and skills. Quantify your results and use commonly understood
terminology. Refer to the following page for the verb list.
- Editing
Doubtless you have many skills but you don't need to list them all. A resume is one page long and contrasts to
a C.V. Curriculum Vitae which can be 5-7 pages long. Therefore,list those skills that directly apply to the
objective for your writing this resume.
- It's done!
You created an effective resume that succinctly describes your education and experience
that specifically relates to the job or position you are applying for. Congratulations! You deserve a cookie.
To help you perfect your resume, the links include a pertinent skill list and sample resumes. Resume 1,2,3 are
examples of chronological resumes; Resume 4 is a functional one.
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