Resume Tips

http://www.gotresumebuilder.com/
http://www.resumebuilderonline.org/blog/how-to-use-keywords-in-your-resume/
http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/content/resumes
http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/content/resumes
Heading
Your heading should include your name, campus and/or home address, phone number, and Yale email address. The font size on your name may be larger than the rest of the text.
Education
Begin your resume with an education section, listing your Yale degree first and your high school education second. If you have studied abroad you may also list that in this section.
Include the degree you are pursuing, your major, and anticipated graduation date. If unsure of your major, you may simply state your degree and anticipated graduation date (i.e., Bachelor of Arts, expected May 2014)
In addition, you may choose to include related coursework, senior thesis or project, GPA. Honors and awards can also be included in this section or may be their own section.
Experience and Activities
You may include general experience and activity headings, or targeted headings, such as Journalism Experience, Leadership, Research, or Community Involvement. Choose headings that will best group and highlight your experiences.
Within each section, list your experiences and activities in reverse chronological order with the most recent first.
With each experience or activity, include the organization or employer name, your title or role, location, and dates affiliated.
Example: President, Sustainability Club, Yale University, Fall 2010-Present
Provide concise explanations of your experiences and activities, focusing on accomplishments and results. Begin these descriptive statements with strong action verbs and avoid using personal pronouns. Resume Action Verbs (PDF)
Additional Sections
Below are some common additional sections that you may choose to include.
Skills (such as Computer, Language, or Laboratory skills)
Honors and Awards
Performances
Publications
Interests
Formatting
Font size should be between 10-12 points; choose professional and easy to read fonts. Margins typically range between .5 and 1 inch.
In most cases, your resume will be one page. Consult with a counselor if you feel yours needs to be longer.
Bold, italics, and bullets can be used in moderation to accentuate and break up content.
Resume should be visually appealing and easy to read quickly.
Consistency is essential; for example, if you choose to italicize your title and bold the employer name for one experience, make sure you do the same for all experiences.
Group your information in a way that places your most relevant and substantial experiences higher on the page to assure they are seen.
Avoid spelling and grammatical errors, and do not use abbreviations or slang.
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I. Summary/Objective
The purpose of the summary is to highlight your accomplishments, the depth of your skills relating to the position, and key factors from your experiences. The purpose of the objective is to express your intentions for submitting your resume and is typically used to clarify which of the positions you are applying for within a company. A summary/objective should be placed immediately following the resume header.
Tip
Your summary should be two to four sentences in length
Summary example:
Senior real estate investment manager with seven years of success growing revenue by developing and maintaining key investor relationships. Strong network of high net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors. Solid, broad-based results in marketing commercial assets for sale or lease.
Objective example:
To obtain a nursing position with the oncology department at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
II. Education
The purpose of the education section is to state your level of education and the institutions you have attended. For recent graduates and current students, this section of your resume will be first on the page (unless you choose to write an objective). After the completion of your first job, your experience will typically be listed first on the page.
Tips
If applicable, include an Honors and Awards subheading
As a rule, don’t include your GPA unless it is 3.5 or higher
If applicable, include an Activities or Leadership subheading
If you studied abroad, list name of school, location, year, and subject studied
III. Experience
The purpose of the experience section is to show past and present experience, developed skills, and accomplishments. For recent graduates and current students, this section will typically follow your education section.
Tips
Experience does not have to be paid experience
Start each description with an action verb
Be sure to use the past tense for previous experience
Highlight the aspects of your experience that would be most valued by a prospective employer. For example, if 10% of your finance job is marketing, and you are looking to move into a marketing role, highlight your marketing--not your finance--experience first.
Put yourself in your ideal prospective employers shoes: think about what they are looking for as you review your experience and then describe it in a way that most closely fits their needs (use the job description as a guide, and be sure to include key words/terms from the job description to make it past any software screens)
Focus on Results and Accomplishments – quantify as much as possible (e.g., created marketing campaign that improved sales 20%). If you can’t quantify results in numbers, explain results qualitatively (i.e., revamped in-patient process which resulted in enhanced experience for clientele).
Avoid excessive industry jargon, and only use abbreviations if they are widely recognized. If you are looking to change careers, be sure your description of your past experience is in language that will be understood by those in the field into which you wish to move.
IV. Additional Information
The purpose of the additional information sections is to show additional aspects of candidacy outside of academics and experience. This section typically will be listed last on your resume.
Additional Sections May Include the Following:
Licenses or certifications
Language proficiency (if you state, “Fluent in French,” you must be able to conduct an interview in French; otherwise state, “Advanced French”)
Meaningful extra-curricular activities – especially ones that require a significant time commitment or are especially meaningful to you (i.e., compete in triathlons, treasurer of children’s not-for-profit group, etc.)
Interests – if you elect to include personal interests, make them as specific as possible (i.e., not enjoy movies, reading, and travel)