Resume Guide

Your Resume: The First Step to Landing the Interview

What’s the Real Purpose of Your Resume?

To get the interview.

Not the job—yet. Just the interview. It’s your first impression, your elevator pitch on paper, and your tool to stand out and compete, sometimes against hundreds of other applicants. On average, recruiters spend only 6-10 seconds reviewing a resume. That’s why yours must be:

• Clear and easy to scan
• Focused on your strengths
• Tailored for each opportunity

Resume Sections

Each resume should include these core sections:

• Contact Information – Name, phone, email, and professional LinkedIn (if applicable).
• Objective or Summary (Optional) – Short statement summarizing what you bring to the table and your career goals.
• Education – School(s), degree(s), graduation date(s), and relevant coursework, honors, or GPA (if 3.0 or higher).
• Experience – Use action verbs and bullet points to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments.
• Skills – Use this section to highlight hard skills—technical, teachable abilities that are directly relevant to the job. These might include foreign languages, certifications, software proficiency, programming languages, or equipment operation. Soft skills like communication, leadership, and time management are important, too, but instead of listing them here, show them in action within your bullet points and experience descriptions.
• Certifications, Involvement, and Honors (Optional) – Include certifications relevant to the role (e.g., CPR, Google Analytics, ServSafe). List leadership roles or active involvement in student organizations. Include honors such as scholarships, the Dean’s List, or awards

Keep it Clean, Simple, and Effective

Resume Essentials

• Purpose: Your resume’s job is to get you the *interview*, not the job itself.
• Length: Stick to one page unless you have 2+ years of highly relevant experience
• Tailor Each One: Always customize your resume to match the specific job description.

Formatting Tips

• Use a clean, simple format (Times New Roman or Arial, 10–12 pt)
• Stick to consistent layout, spacing, and margins (0.5-1 inch)
• Use bullet points, not paragraphs – they’re quicker to read
• Make important info stand out with bold job titles and section headers (don’t make everything look the same or it all blends together!)
• Avoid photos, tables, graphics, underlining, or unusual formatting – these confuse resume- scanning software (ATS)
• Save as PDF: Most employers prefer PDFs because they preserve formatting. Exceptions: online application systems that require Word docs.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Many employers use ATS to screen resumes before a human sees them. ATS software looks for keywords, formatting, and structure that match the job description. A resume that doesn’t meet ATS requirements may never make it to a recruiter’s inbox.

Tips to Make Your Resume ATS-Friendly:

• Use keywords from the job posting: Look at the skills, qualifications, and job duties listed. Use the same language in your resume, especially in your bullet points and skills section.
• Avoid complex formatting: Stick to simple formatting without tables, graphics, text boxes, or multiple columns. ATS software can’t always read these elements and may skip over your content.
• Use standard section headings: Stick to headings like “Experience,” “Education,” and “Skills” so the system can easily identify each part of your resume.
• Save and submit as a simple PDF or Word document: Most ATS can read PDFs, but if a job posting specifies a Word doc (.doc or .docx), follow that instruction.
• Label your file professionally: Save your resume as: FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf

Highlight Your Experience with Strong Bullet Points

Your bullet points should show impact, not just describe tasks. Employers want to see what you accomplished, how you contributed, and what skills you used.

Use this formula to write strong bullet points:

Action Verb + What You Did (Task) + Result, Purpose, or Impact

Quick Tips:

• Start with a strong action verb like “Led,” “Created,” or “Improved.”
• Focus on results — what changed because of your work?
• Include numbers when you can: how many, how often, how much improved?

Tailoring Your Resume for the Job

Step 1: Identify what the employer wants

From the job description or research tools (like O*Net or “What Can I Do With This Major?”), list key qualifications.

Step 2: Match yourself

Add specific examples of how your experiences match those qualifications.

Examples:

If the employer or job requires: Customer service experience

• Relevant Experience Example: 5+ years in retail and food service; awarded “Top Service Rep” in 2024

If the employer or job requires: Marketing experience

• Relevant Experience Example: Created event fliers and digital campaigns for AMA student org

If the employer or job requires: Leadership experience

• Relevant Experience Example: Trained 4 new hires; served as Vice President of student organization

Avoid Common Pitfalls

• Typos and grammar errors – Proofread carefully
• Poor formatting – Use clean fonts and spacing
• Lack of focus – Target your resume to each job
• Vague job descriptions – Show outcomes and impact
• Using pronouns or full sentences – Drop “I,” use action verbs

Ready to Get Started?

Now that you understand the key parts of a strong resume, it’s time to put it into action. Whether you’re building your first resume or updating an existing one, these tools can help you get started quickly and confidently.