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What to Include in a Resumé  

Personal Information

An employer might scan 400 to 1200 resumés for a single position. It is important, therefore, not to include any personal information that might prejudice the screener. Include only:
  • Name
    • Make your name stands out - Can use bold print or larger font than the rest of the resumé
    • Don’t use nicknames
  • Address
    • Include street number and name, city, state, and zip code.
  • Telephone Number(s)
    • Include area code
    • Use the number where it’s easiest to reach you.
    • Make sure your telephone message is professional
  • Email
    • Make sure email address is professional
(If you are attending college away from home, you may list both your home and school address and phone number.)

Don’t include:
  • References to height, weight, race, religious affiliation, health or names and ages of children
  • Salary desired or salary history
  • Leisure time activities (tennis, golf, etc.)
  • The reason for changing jobs
  • Marital status

Career Objective or Qualification Summary

Career Objective:
  • Used mainly for the Chronological Resume.
  • Use if you have narrowed your choice to a specific job or industry and feel certain of your decision.
  • State clearly and concisely the entry level, the functional areas or department (accounting, personnel, sales, etc.), and the type of company and industry you are seeking.
  • If you know, indicate your short and long range career goals.
  • Be aware that by being too specific, you may also limit your job options and force yourself to keep several types of resumés on hand to send as the occasion demands.
  • It may be better to state your objective in the cover letter and present a strong qualification summary.

Qualification Summary

  • States precisely who you are and pinpoints the major skill areas in which you have the most accomplishments.
  • Provides the opportunity to describe your strengths in the beginning of the resumé, with the remaining parts of the resumé to support the statement.
  • Should be no more than two to five lines long and appear as the first topic after your name, address, and phone number.
When writing a functional or combination/creative resumé, the major functional areas should be listed in your qualification summary and then fully developed in the body of the resumé in that order.

Educational Credentials

Required Educational Information:
  • Name and location of School (written out in full)
  • Certificate or degree and major
  • Date of graduation or expected date of graduation
Optional Educational Information:
  • Overall GPA (if above a 3.0)
  • Major GPA
  • Relevant Coursework
Where you place your degrees and training on the resumé depends largely on their importance and relevance to the position you are seeking and the strength of your credentials.

Place your education credentials immediately following the qualification summary if:
  • You are graduating from college or completing a training program, and your education or training relates directly to the jobs you are seeking.
  • You have a Master’s Degree, CPA, or other higher level degree which is required to meet the requirements of the position.
  • Your educational credentials are what you think are most relevant in obtaining an interview.
Place your education credentials after your work experience if:
  • Your degree and undergraduate work do not relate to your career goal
  • Your highest degree is a bachelor’s and your work experience and work-related accomplishments will sell you better to prospective employers
  • You have an MA or higher, but the position you seek isn’t related to your credentials
This section should also include any and all relevant courses and training programs, including workshops, seminars, etc.

Employment History

Starting with your most recent job and moving back toward your first job, outline on a sheet of paper the names of each employer, the number of months or years spent in each position, your specific responsibilities, and what you accomplished in each job. If your employment history is progressive and shows depth, it should appear right after the qualification summary or early in the resumé. If your work experience is limited, try to identify one or two significant accomplishments in each job and place this section toward the middle or end of the resumé. You would then place more emphasis on your non work-related accomplishments.

Information To Include:
  • Company name, city and state
  • Dates of Employment
  • Job Title
  • Brief description of responsibilities (Use BUZZ words or key words/phrases relevant to the job)
  • Measurable accomplishments
Be sure to use action words in describing your skills or job responsibilities.

Skills

Following are some skills areas that you might want to include, especially in a functional or combination resumé.
  • Management/Leadership/Decision Making Skills
  • Communication/People Skills
  • Analytical/Research Skills
  • Technical Skills
  • Teaching Skills
  • Financial Data Skills
  • Creative/Innovative Skills
  • Helping/Counseling/Mediating Skills
  • Organization/Administrative/Detail Skills
  • Selling/Convincing Skills

Professional Activities

Include only activities that relate to the job for which you are applying. Items you may want to include:
  • Research papers
  • Presentations
  • Professional organizations
  • Publications
  • Committees
  • Conferences or Workshops attended
  • Licenses or Certificates currently held

Community Activities

If the activity is related or appropriate to your career objective, include it. For example, if you seek a job in the field of gerontology and you have developed and implemented a program in your community nursing home, this activity would appropriately fit into your resumé.

Honors, Awards, and Extracurricular Actvivites

Include these items if they are:
  • Recent and/or appropriate activities, or
  • Activities or awards that are related specifically to your field of interest or career objective.

Military Experience

If you are currently serving in the military or have served in the military, list your training and experience there in such a way that it relates to other occupations.

References

In the Human Services and Education fields, it is typical to list references directly on the resumé. For Business and Industry positions, it is more typical to use the phrase, “Available upon request.” When your references are not listed on your resumé, you should bring a copy of them to all your interviews should the interviewer request them. Choose people who can speak about you in terms of your accomplishments and support your career objective. Make certain you never use a person as a reference without first obtaining his or her permission to do so. Suggested references might include those from:
  • Internships or co-op experiences
  • Past employers
  • Professors or instructors
  • Character references (older co-worker or coach)
NOTE: Family friends and relatives are generally not used as references. After someone has agreed to act as your reference, send him or her a thank-you note.

An employer will usually spend 15 to 20 seconds reviewing your resumé, so the content of your resumé must be clear, concise, and targeted to the type of job for which you are applying.
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