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Commonly Asked Questions About
Resumes
Following are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions
about resumes, but, keep in mind that for every piece of advice
someone gives you about a resume, there will always be an exception
to that “rule”. When in doubt, ask yourself: “Is
this what the recipient of my resume will be looking for?”
and “Is it relevant to the job or opportunity that I’m
targeting?”
Which electronic resume template do you
recommend?
We don’t recommend electronic resume templates. While many
of them provide an appealing “look”, they restrict
your ability to move information on the resume. Because your resume
should be tailored to a specific objective, you need the flexibility
to move items around on the page. A template doesn’t allow
this.
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So what do I include and what do I leave
out of my resume?
INCLUDE: your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
Also include accomplishments, relevant education and training,
relevant work history, and relevant skills. And, did you know
that you can also include quotations, your own or from others.
For example: “Highly motivated and hard-working graduate
student” (Professor Joan Roberts). Example of your own quotation:
“Never give up until the job gets done.”
Some people just focus on paid work and education. You can also
include information about the following: volunteer work, community
service, club and organization activities in college, professional
organization memberships, licensures and certifications, college
coursework, projects in college classes, research or creative
papers written, public speaking activities, workshops or conferences
attended, workshops or presentations you have given, honors and
awards, languages, computer/technical skills, study abroad and
travel, sports activities, leadership activities, and many more.
Use these categories as a checklist in creating your resume, but
remember that whatever you include should be relevant to the particular
job or opportunity you are seeking, and focus on accomplishments,
rather than lists. For example, don’t just list names of
clubs and organizations, describe leadership roles and accomplishments.
LEAVE OUT: health and marital status, height and weight, birth
date, photo (unless you’re in theatrical arts, media, modeling
or entertainment), salary information (sometimes an employer will
insist that you list your salary requirements), religious or political
affiliations, references, reasons for leaving a job, addresses
and phone numbers of employers and irrelevant information. If
you are submitting a resume outside of the United States, research
the requirements of that particular country.
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Why don’t I include references
on my resume?
Once upon a time, resumes used to include the phrase “References
available upon request”. Advice today from employers is
that you’re wasting a line to say something that is obvious.
Whether or not you include this phrase on your resume, when the
employer or organization wants your references they will request
them. As for including an actual list of references on your resume,
create a separate page called References (to NEW TEXT, “Reference
Page Sample”), and provide it when they ask for them. (Note:
a job search strategy is to use the same heading at the top of
your Cover Letter, Resume, and Reference pages. Your heading becomes
your personal logo.)
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Is it true that they scan my resume for
key words?
Electronic scanning: More and more companies
are scanning resumes electronically. You can usually assume
it’s scanned if you send your resume over the internet,
but even if you mail it, e-mail it or fax it, it might be electronically
scanned. They are scanning for “key words” and “buzzwords”
in the industry and the job description. Think of it as the
scanner counting “hits”. If you don’t have
a lot of key words in your resume, the electronic scanner won’t
pick up “hits” and a human being may never even
see your resume.
Human scanning: Even if a resume isn’t
scanned electronically, the recipient of the resume is still
scanning your resume for key words.
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What do I include in my summary of qualifications
at the beginning of my resume?
In the summary of key accomplishments and qualifications, sell
them with four to six specific points you want them to know right
away. How many years of experience do you have in your field?
Are your strongest skills in planning and analysis, in creative
design, or in establishing customer rapport and trust? What about
specific language or computer skills. Talk about: relevant experience,
relevant education and training in brief, personal traits and
relevant skills, field-specific knowledge (“buzzwords”),
and language skills. Be sure to provide unique accomplishments
and qualifications rather than generic ones that anybody can list.
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What are some other resume sections and
section headings?
There is no rule as to how many sections you must have on your
resume. Study the job description or school/scholarship application,
and from that you can determine the key qualification categories.
Those categories will probably become your main resume sections.
Try not to create resume sections for minimal information. For
example, don’t have a section called “Community Service
and Volunteerism”, then have one item under it such as:
“Cleaned graffiti off walls.”
You have only emphasized to them that you haven’t done
much community service.
You can name your resume sections yourself. There are no golden
rules about the names of resume sections. “Education”
is a fairly standard heading, but even that section can be renamed
“Education and Training”. “Experience”
is common on many resumes, but other names for this section are
“Work Experience”, “Professional Experience”,
“Relevant Experience”, “Teaching Experience”,
etc. We do not recommend naming this section “Work History”,
because a resume is not a history of your work experience (save
that list for a job application) (don’t forget that a resume
focuses on relevant accomplishments and achievements).
If you include an objective in your resume, you can name that
section “Objective”, but if you merge your objective
with your opening summary of qualifications, this section could
be renamed “Summary”.
The “Summary of Qualifications” section of your resume,
usually at the beginning, can have several names:
“Profile”, “Summary”, “Highlights
of Qualifications”, “Achievements and Accomplishments”,
“Skills and Expertise”, etc.
Rule of thumb for any section heading, develop the section first
and then give it an appropriate name. Browse through resumes on
the internet or in resume books for sample section heading names.
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Should the resume be one page, two pages,
or more?
It depends on the purpose of your resume and the “trends”
in particular fields. For example, in the business and tech world,
employers usually want to you to “get to the point”
and give them the “bottom line”. So, these resumes
are briefer and one page resumes are common.
For scholarships and graduate/professional school applications,
the length doesn’t matter; what matters is the content and
what they have requested you include.
In some of the human services fields, such as teaching and counseling,
longer resumes of two or more pages are usually acceptable.
Applicants for jobs at the administrative and managerial level
usually have many years experience, so, their resumes in any industry
might be two pages or more, depending on the industry. Entry-level
applicants in any industry often have a one page resume. However,
even an entry-level applicant might have a longer resume if he/she
has extensive experience and numerous accomplishments.
For practical matters, try not to have a two page resume with
only a few lines on the second page. Also always include your
name and page number on resumes with multiple pages.
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What do you mean by “entry-level”?
Entry-level does not refer to someone’s age. A twenty-two
year old recent graduate with no work experience and a forty-five
year old person with twenty years of work experience could both
be considered entry-level if they have no experience in a specific
field.
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Should I include an objective statement
in my resume?
Some recipients say “yes”, some say “no”,
and some say “include it in your cover letter”. If
the objective contributes valuable information include it; if
it does not, don’t. Most resume recipients agree that they
do not want an objective statement that is “flowery”,
generic, and looks like it was copied out of a resume book. For
example, “Bright, energetic person with excellent interpersonal
skills is seeking a marketing position that is challenging and
will allow me to utilize my education and experience.” shouldn’t
be on any resume.
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How many years back do I go when listing
my work experience?
There is no “magic” cut-off number of years. If it’s
relevant, include it, and don’t duplicate information.
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Can I use graphics on my resume?
Consider your audience and your specialty area. People in the
creative arts and sometimes teachers “decorate” their
resumes with a logo or background graphics.
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Any guidelines for my e-mail address?
Some personal e-mail addresses were not created for resumes. Ask
yourself if your e-mail address is appropriate for the professional
world.
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Do I need a cover letter every time
I send a resume?
It will never hurt you to include a cover letter, unless the recipient
specifically indicated that you should not send one. On the other
hand, if your resume is in the “maybe stack” of an
employer/recipient’s desk, a professionally written cover
letter which provides additional information about your accomplishments
could result in your resume being transferred to the “yes
stack”.
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How do I make my resume computer-friendly?
Use lots of key word nouns, verbs, and adjectives for industry
specific skills and knowledge. Use standard typefaces (Arial,
Times, etc.). Use font sizes from 10 to 14 points. Use light-colored
paper without patterns. Avoid italics, underlining, and script.
All CAPS and bold are okay. Avoid graphics, boxes, shading, column
formats, and unusual bullets. Your name should be first on each
page. Use standard section heading titles. Do not fold or staple
your resume. Prepare an ASCII-text only version for e-mail and
web sites.
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So what about the appearance of my resume?
Appearance is very important. Proofreading is very important.
Make your resume attractive and easy to read. Use quality resume
paper. Use lines and indention to separate sections. Use bullets,
bolding, underlining, and all caps to make things stand out. Don’t
use fancy or tiny fonts that are difficult to read. After editing
your content, look at resume samples in books and on the internets
to get ideas for a creative and attractive look.
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