Career Services - Western Illinois University

Resumés & Interviewing

Resumé Writing

There is no one-way to write a resume.
A resume is an individualized marketing tool that is a testimonial of your accomplishments.
Think about the type(s) of jobs/positions that you are interested in pursuing.
Think about any relevant experience that you may have as it pertains to the position(s) that you are applying for.
Think about "targeting" your resume to the type(s) of jobs/positions you are applying for.
Think about looking at the resume from the "readers" point of view rather than the "writers" point of view.
Think about being thorough and detailed and try to be brief but concise. Be proud of your accomplishments but don't brag about them. Use the "jargon" of the appropriate career field(s) but don't become verbose.

Resumé Assistance

Resume Style

Paper: Use Heavy Weight (24lb) Bond Paper. The colors that work best are White, Ivory, Off-White, or Light Grey.

Font: Use fonts like "Times-Roman", "Garamond", "Perpetua", or "Arial". The sizes should range from 12, 11, to 10 point.

Typesetting: The most popular choice is Microsoft Word. Have the document printed on a quality laser printer. Note: Try to avoid using a resume template because they can be restrictive.

Length: Most students just starting out will be fine with one (1) page. However, there is nothing wrong with having a two (2) page resume as long as the second page is full of relevant material and not just fluff and filler.

Format: Use the "Bullet Point" (*) format rather than a paragraph to highlight your accomplishments. Use Graphics like bolding, capital letters, and italics, to highlight items that you want the reader to notice.

Notes:

Remember that what works for you may not work for your neighbor. Tailor the document to YOUR NEEDS.
A resume for someone going into the corporate/business world should be a little more "conservative" while someone going into graphic design can be a little more artistic.
Be as detailed as possible without being verbose. Do not ever "assume" that the reader will "guess" at what you can do or have accomplished. TELL THEM.
Do not ever lie!