Review Sample Resumes

Before you start writing your resume look at sample resumes and decide what you like and what you don’t like about them. You can find sample resumes to evaluate in the appendix of this book, but they are also available through a Google search and on websites that assist with the job search such as LinkedIn.

Pay attention to the format, headings, and word choices that are included in the sample resumes. Are there things you would like to see in your own resume? Do you notice things you would like to avoid? Take note of these things.

The Standard Format

The basic resume is one page in length, has one-inch margins all the way around and can be divided into several categories:

• Contact Information
• Education
• Work Experience
• Bonus Section

While the contact information, education, and work experience sections are included on all resumes. The expectations for these sections are standard, and we will get into detail about them soon. The bonus section, however, is unique to you and to every resume. This section, or sections, allow you to further personalize your resume and to let the employer know more about you and your experiences and how you have are prepared to meet the employer’s needs as described in the job posting. Additional sections that are common to see included in what I call the bonus section, or sections, are:

• Objective
• Skills
• Honors and Awards
• Certifications
• Volunteer Experience
• Leadership Experience

Apart from your name and contact information, the information you include on your resume falls under appropriately named headings. The headings are typically bolded an in a larger font size that the bullet points or text included under them. I recommend a 14 or 16 point bold Arial font for the headings and a 12-point Times New Roman font for the text to get started. You can make changes as desired once you have a working draft of your resume, however, these standard fonts are easy to read and are recommended.