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Create a Resume

A resume is a summary of your skills and experiences that highlights your accomplishments.  Your resume should generate enough curiosity on the part of potential employers, field sites or graduate schools to want to meet with you for an interview.  As an example of your writing, it should also be perfectly written and punctuated.  For step-by-step formatting and content assistance, Hiatt suggests using Optimal Resume (accessible via B.hired > Resources).

Sections & Content

It is important to be honest and truthful throughout your resume, as well as up-to-date and concise. Remember, this is just a summary of your past work experiences and education. Now let's review each section of your resume.

Contact Information

• Include name, address, phone number and professional email address.
• If your present address is temporary, you need to include a permanent address. Don't forget to include zip codes and area codes.
• Your name should be the most prominent text on your resume.
• If necessary, print your name and "Page 2" on top of the second page.
  Note on length: Most fields require that your resume be no more than one page, i.e., finance, and some fields allow the flexibility of a second page if the information is relevant, i.e., non-profits and graduate schools. Please consult with a career counselor to discuss resume length and content issues for the areas in which you are interested.

Career Objective/Summary

Education/Certification

• Include name(s) and location(s) of colleges attended, dates of graduation (month/year), degree(s) earned and major/concentration/specialty.
• List your most recent degree or the program to which you are currently enrolled first.
• List other degrees or relevant education, including colleges from which you transferred from or study abroad experiences, in reverse chronological order, including study abroad programs.
• Highlight your degree or college/university, i.e. bold, capitals, etc.
• If you have not completed your degree, write "Anticipated" or "Expected" before the month/year of graduation.
• Hiatt recommends that you list your dates on the right side of your resume.
• If you would like to include your GPA, the correct format is: GPA: 3.2, or 3.24. You may round up to the hundredth or thousandths if the next integer is 5 or above, i.e., 3.35 to a 3.4.
• Do not include coursework unless it is directly relevant and unusual.
• You may include any awards and/or honors.
• You may include a senior thesis.
• If applicable, include your certification/licensure, including the correct title, certification/licensure number and date completed. If you have not completed all requirements, list the name and date of each completed component.

Skills

Experience

• Summarize your field experiences, employment and volunteer work and consider dividing your experience into sections like "Related Experience," "Additional Experience," "Professional Experience," "Leadership Experience," and/or "Activities."
• List most recent experiences first.
• For each experience, include your: job title, place of employment, location (city, state), dates of employment and description of responsibilities.
• Describe your responsibilities and accomplishments by starting each statement with an action verb and avoiding phrases like, "Duties included," or "Responsible for."
• Use quantitative information, e.g. "Developed and implemented leadership training for 50 Brandeis students."
• Use past-tense action verbs for past experiences and present tense action verbs for anything that you are currently doing.

Do Not Include

• First person, including "I," "me," or "my," in your resume.
• Salary requirements.  See offers: salary negotiation for information on this topic.
• Inappropriate personal information (e.g. race, religion, political affiliation, marital status, etc.) or other irrelevant information
• Reasons for leaving previous jobs (however, be prepared to discuss them in the interview)
• Uncommon abbreviations or acronyms (employers need to know exactly what you are trying to convey)

Formatting

• Font: Use a professional font that is legible (Arial, Times, Helvetica, Bookman) in 10 - 12 point. Use headings less than 18 point.  Use one font consistently for the body of the resume.
• Margins: Have consistent margins, no less than .5 inches wide.
• Spacing: Is my text spaced evenly and consistently on the page? Is it easy to read?
• Consistency: Be consistent in all things: formatting (bold, italics, bullets), indenting, margins, punctuation and capitalization, and dates. Be careful to list state names consistently, either written-out or abbreviated with the official abbreviation (i.e., Massachusetts, MA, or Mass.).  For example, it would be inconsistent to alternate between Rhode Island and RI.
• Accuracy: Proofread, proofread, proofread then have someone else review your resume.
• Printing: Use quality bond/resume paper in white, ivory or light gray. Use a laser printer, not an inkjet or poor photocopy.
• Do not: Use gimmicks such as pictures, bright paper or creative fonts. They are distracting and they do not scan well.

Incorporating International Study & Experience

Employers are eager to learn about your global skills.  View a sample resume to see how you can incorporate your international experience into your resume.  View our webinar to learn tips on how to include your experiences abroad in your resume, cover letter, and interview.

International Resumes/CV’s 

You may want to create a resume that corresponds to the standard format of the country in which you will be using it. Going Global (accessible via B.hired > Resources) is a valuable resource offering examples of country-specific resumes. Choose the country of your choice and click on "Resume Resources."

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are length, content and audience.  While a resume is brief and concise - no more than a page or two - a CV is a longer (may be 2+ pages) and more detailed descriptions.

While a resume summarizes your skills, experience and education, a CV expands upon these accomplishments by listing teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details.

In the United States, a CV is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. It may also be used when applying for fellowships, grants or graduate school.

In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers may use CV language as British English uses the term CV to refer to a resume. Browse the CV/resume samples in the right sidebar as well as samples in Going Global (accessible via B.hired > Resources) for country-specific examples.

Resume Approval Process