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Resume Guidelines
- Plan to prepare more than one resume. Each job usually has a specific skills cluster and one generic resume will not be as effective as a targeted resume.
- Be attentive to appearance. An effective resume must be readable, well organized, and neatly typed. Provide employers with an original laser print copy of your resume.
- Accuracy is an absolute necessity! Any errorsBspelling, grammatical, typographical, stylisticBare inexcusable.
- Resume length for most recent college graduates should be one page. There are exceptions when two pages would be acceptable. Be sure to include your most important information on the first page.
- Adhere to the strictest principles of professional ethics and honesty concerning the information included on your resume. Resumes usually become part of your personnel file, and intentional misrepresentation of facts can result in dismissal.
- Select a high quality of paper for resumes and cover letters. Bond paper with 25 percent cotton fiber content is recommended. Appropriate colors are white and ivory. If you fold your resume, purchase matching envelopes. If you choose not to fold your resume, purchase 9" x 12" envelopes.
- Select a font and type size which is easy to read. Fonts such as Helvetica, Arial, and Courier are good choices. You may incorporate variations in printing (boldface and increased type size,) to add emphasis; however, use good judgment and be consistent. Select a font size of 10 to 14 points.
- Have a one-inch margin all around the page. Be generous with white space.
- Write your resume in first person, omitting pronouns and as many articles and helping verbs as possible. Avoid abbreviations.
- Use strong action verbs and key words when describing work experiences and accomplishments. Maintain a positive tone.
- Identify and include something unique about yourself. This may enhance your candidacy over your competition.
- If your grade point average is strong (normally 3.0 and above), you may wish to include it on your resume.
- If you have financed a percentage of your education, include a statement such as, AFinanced 80 percent of educational expenses through part-time and summer employment.@
- Omit high school information unless it has special significance or is relevant.
- Omit personal information such as birth date, height, weight, and marital status. Do not include a photograph.
- Have qualified person review your resume before having it printed.
- When mailing your resume, always include a cover letter or letter of transmittal.
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