The Essential Sections:
Name/Contact Information
In addition to basic info (address, phone, email), .
Education
Include your degree (Bachelor of Arts), Institution, Major, GPA, and expected graduation month/year. Add a Study Abroad experience if you have one, which should include the name of the institution, the location, and the dates you attended.
Skills
A skills section should include very specific skills, as opposed to transferable (aka “soft”) skills, which you’ll incorporate into your experience section bullet points. You can omit this section if you don’t feel you have anything to include, but here are some skills you may wish to include:
-Foreign language proficiency
-Computer Skills (software, hardware, programming languages, design software)
-Laboratory skills/equipment
-Social media platforms; blogging programs like Wordpress
Experience
This should include any professional experience that is relevant to the job/industry you’re pursuing. These do NOT have to be paid employment experiences. They could include unpaid internships, part-time jobs, volunteer experiences that are particularly relevant, leadership roles, research, or even coursework and academic projects.
- Writing Effective Bullet Points:
The bullet points in your experience section should begin with an action verb. Refer to this PDF for action verb ideas. Your bullets should also contain: the content of the task (How? What?) as well as the result or what was achieved. If possible, quantify the results.
- Example: “Advised incoming freshmen about college opportunities and college life to ensure their academic and social success.”
Additional/Optional Sections.
Any additional sections will depend on what you’re applying for. Some examples are:
- Service/Volunteer Work
- Awards
- Extracurricular Activities
- Relevant Coursework
- Publications/Presentations (such as SSRD)
Unique Resumes and CVs.
If need an alternative format for your resume, make an appointment with a Career Advisor. Example situations include:
- Functional Resumes: a resume formatting option when you do not have very many experiences to fill a typical experience section.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): a “CV” is necessary for most graduate and/or professional school applications. You can view a sample CV in "Templates" below.
- Design Industry Resumes: If you are applying to jobs or internships with an artistic, creative, or graphic design focus, the traditional resume might not be the best option for highlighting your design skills. Creating a unique layout while still addressing the necessary components can be tricky, so come see us in Career Development.
- Online websites and portfolios