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Potential Resumé Headings

These are just some of the potential headings that can be on a resumé. Not all students will have these or other headings. The idea is to create an individualized document that best suits your needs and the needs of the potential employer(s).

Identifying Information

• Your Full Name in capital letters
• Current Address (and/or campus address)
• City-State-Zip Code
• Phone Number - E-mail Address - Home Page (if applicable)

Career Objective

• If you are going to include this type of information, try and be a specific as you can.
• Sometime this information is best saved for a letter of inquiry (cover letter).

Education

• The Degree - The Major - Month and Year - (if the date is a few semesters away, write the "projected graduation date")
• The Name of the University - City and State
• Emphasis: (if applicable) - Minor:
• GPA: (overall, 2.8, 2.9. 3.0 or above) and always provide the scale

Experience

• This section may be divided into two separate headings, Professional Experience and Additional Experience.
• The reason for breaking up your experience is to "target" any career related job experience that you have acquired.
• After the heading, begin by listing your jobs in reverse chronological order, most recent and work back.
• Describe what you accomplished. What were you doing? Why were you doing it? What were the outcomes?
• Try not to list your job responsibilities.
• Follow this formula: "Action = Results".

Professional Experience

(Experience that you have which pertains to the type(s) of position/job that you are applying for.)

(Note: This job is written in past tense because the person is no longer employed there)

Additional Experience

(This is experience that you acquired during your university years. These jobs are important because they are full of transferable skills and establish a credible work history.)

(Note: This job is written in the present tense because the person still works there when not attending school) Notice that the person has worked at this job for a number of years. This will indicate to employers that the person has had a steady job (part time and full time) during their college years.

Affiliations

• Fraternities, Sororities, Student, Civic, and Professional Organizations

Skills

• Computers, Foreign Languages, and Personal Attributes are the two most popular but there are many more.

Project Experience

• In and out of class group assignments, team experiences, etc.
• This shows that you know how to take theory and put it into practice.

Community Service

• Volunteer Work. (NOTE: Sometimes this experience may be with your "Affiliations".)

Honors

• Scholarships, Awards, Dean's List, etc.

Intercollegiate Athletics

• The name of the team and any sort of awards or recognition.

References

• With more and more employers conducting background/reference checks, they are becoming more leery of "letters of reference".
• Seek out those individuals that will give you an "excellent" reference. Current & former employers and current & former teachers, etc.
• Create a separate page to list your references, providing the references name, title, place of business, phone number and e-mail address. You should try to have 3 to 4 different references.

Career Services
116 Sherman Hall • 1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455

E-mail: careers@wiu.edu • Phone: 309/298-1838 • Fax: 309/298-2838

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