2019-2020 Purdue University Career Success Handbook

Developing a Winning Resume A resume is a written document that is used to highlight the skills, contributions and experiences that represent the personal brand you want to portray to potential employers to secure an interview. Resume Types Decide the resume style you prefer to use, based on the message you want to convey to employers: о о Chronological – Highlight information starting with the most recent . Prioritize your sections so you start with the most important first! о о Functional – Highlight information in categories based on commonly grouped skills . This type is useful for those with gaps in experience or a wide variety in work history, but can demonstrate similar skills. Format Keep the following rules of thumb in mind when preparing the resume: о о Margins – Top: 0 .8” - 1”; Sides and Bottom: 0 .5” - 1” о о Font Size and Style – 10-12; simple, readable fonts (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman); single spaced о о Balance – white space and text space о о Length – Undergraduate level - 1 page; Graduate and Ph.D.. - 2 pages; Education, Nursing, and Medicine can have more than 1 page о о Templates – Refrain from using them! Use resume samples as a guide to create your own document, unique to your skills and qualifications о о Order – Heading, Objective (if included) and Education are listed first, in that order

Content The makeup of your document should be deliberate and powerful: о о Prioritize – Top two-thirds of the page receive priority when highlighting key categories and skills о о Own the Order – Highlight the most relevant categories first; Experience does not always have to follow Education

Do Not Include о о Photographs, marital status, salary requirements, age, race, national origin, visa status or references

RESUMES

Additional Sections о о Certifications of licensure о о Campus Involvement о о Honors, Awards, Scholarships о о Community Involvement

о о Professional Affiliations о о Class or Design Projects о о Practicums о о Research

о о Teaching Experiences о о Publications о о Presentations о о Notable Achievement

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