Resume Guide for All Students

Resume Aesthetics, Content, & Editing

  • Aesthetics: develop a classic, professional resume; choose a readable font, maintain white space, keep a professional overall appearance.
  • Content: include information relevant to your target audience; bullets should expand on relevant experience and highlight expertise.
  • Editing: have multiple people proofread; aim for 100% error-free; visit the UCC for an extra review.
  • Reverse Chronological Order: within each section, list items from most recent to oldest.
  • Bullet Points: remove the pronoun “I”; avoid phrases like “My duties included…”; emphasize achievements, quantify outcomes, and highlight marketable skills.
  • Length: most students should keep to 1\ \text{page}; remove items not closely related to your field if needed.
  • Margins: aim for whitespace; typical margins 0.7\,\text{in} \le\text{margins}\le 1\,\text{in}.
  • Font: use professional fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri); avoid script/cursive; typically 10\text{-}12\text{ pt}.
  • Consistency: format consistently (e.g., bolding, alignment) across all entries.
  • Paper Quality: use high-quality resume paper; match cover letters with the same paper.

Key Elements of a Successful Resume

  • Recommended Elements:
    • Name and Contact Information: full name in a prominent font; include phone, TTU email, city, state, and zip; no need to list physical address.
    • Education: degrees in singular format (e.g., Bachelor of Arts); include GPA if \ge 3.0 or if required; study abroad and relevant honors/courses can be included here or in separate sections.
    • Experience: choose concrete, relevant experiences; follow with bullets detailing responsibilities, skills, and outcomes.
    • Observations and Volunteer Experience: emphasize marketable skills transferable to your career goals.
    • Other Work or Professional Experience: include transferable skills from other roles (sales, customer service, event planning, fundraising).
    • Optional Elements: volunteer leadership, honors, activities, special skills, interests, professional development.

Marketable Skills

  • Marketable skills are transferable across settings; showcase them alongside field-specific skills with concrete examples.
  • Examples of transferable areas include:
    • Clerical, Creative, Human Relations, Public Relations, Research, Training
    • Communication, Financial, Management, Problem Solving, Technical
  • For each position, use bullets to show what you did, how you did it, and the results.
  • Bullet “Formula”: \text{Bullet Formula} = \text{Action Verb} + \text{Example} + \text{Result}
  • Use a variety of action verbs to convey breadth of skills.

Constructing Bullets

  • Under each position, list bullets that explain what you did, how you did it, and the results.
  • Action Verb + Example + Result:
    • Good Bullet with Action Verb: Collaborated with colleagues
    • Better Bullet with Action Verb: Collaborated with colleagues to develop plans
    • Perfect Achievement Statement: Collaborated with colleagues to develop plans that effectively used marketable resources and reduced costs by 25\%

Action Verbs

  • Beginning each bullet with a strong action verb helps readers quickly grasp your skills.
  • Examples by category (representative, not exhaustive):
    • Planning: Developed, Implemented, Planned
    • Organizing: Coordinated, Designed, Scheduled
    • Leading/Managing: Led, Trained, Managed, Supervised
    • Getting Results: Achieved, Increased, Reduced
    • Problem Solving: Analyzed, Diagnosed, Investigated, Revamped
    • Communicating/Writing: Communicated, Presented, Negotiated, Wrote
    • Financial/Quantitative: Budgeted, Audited, Calculated
    • Technical: Programmed, Engineered, Innovated

The Bullet Formula (Recap)

  • Bullet Formula: \text{Bullet Formula} = \text{Action Verb} + \text{Example} + \text{Result}
  • Purpose: ensure bullets show what you did, how you did it, and the impact.

Student Resume Example Highlights

  • A student resume typically includes Education, Experience, Other Work Experience, Volunteer Service, and Involvement.
  • Also common: a Marketable Skills section and a Resume Worksheet to plan bullets.
  • Emphasis on reverse-chronology, clear bullets, and transferables.

Resume Worksheet (Key Fields)

  • Name and Contact Information
  • Objective or Profile (brief)
  • Education (reverse chronological; GPA optional)
  • Relevant Experience (jobs, volunteer, shadowing)
  • Other Experience (transferable skills)
  • Volunteer Service and Involvement
  • Awards, Certifications, Skills, Relevant Coursework, Academic Projects

Cover Letters

  • A cover letter accompanies the resume and should be 3–4 very short paragraphs.
  • Use the same font, margins, and header as the resume; provide new or additional information.
  • Use pronouns judiciously; avoid starting paragraphs with I.
  • If you have a distinctive header, you can copy it to the letterhead.
  • Address to a specific person when possible; otherwise, omit the salutation.
  • Structure:
    • Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself and the position; mention how you learned of it and a company detail.
    • Paragraph 2–3: Highlight relevant knowledge, skills, and experiences tailored to the job description.
    • Final Paragraph: Request an interview; provide contact information.
  • Middle paragraphs can be bullets or short paragraphs.

Thank You Notes

  • Send an email thank-you within the same day or by the next day after an interview.
  • Write a separate note to each interviewer with personalized content.
  • A longer handwritten or typed note can arrive within 3–7 days.
  • Reiterate interest and how you would contribute; reference a topic from the interview without admitting any incorrect answer.
  • Thank-you notes apply after interviews, job fairs, informational interviews, and networking events.

Cover Letter Template (Structure)

  • Your address; City, State, ZIP; Today’s Date
  • Name of Contact, Title, Organization; Address; City, State, Zip Code
  • Dear __:
  • Introduction: state the position and how you heard about it; briefly introduce yourself and your interest.
  • Sell Yourself: 1–2 short paragraphs or 4–5 bullets linking skills to the job description.
  • Ask for an Interview: express interest and provide contact information again.
  • Closing: Sincerely, your name; Enclosure: Resume (if mailing)
  • If emailing, enclosures line may be omitted.

After You Graduate, Keep It Up-to-Date!

  • As you grow, add each new job to your resume and save job descriptions for wording.
  • Replace old college activities with leadership and community involvement.
  • After first job, remove GPA and specific scholarships, but keep summary (e.g., Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude).
  • You can have your resume reviewed by the UCC after graduation.

UCC Resume Resources

  • Career Coaching: one-on-one counseling by appointment for resume development, job search strategies, and interviewing.
  • Events and Webinars: regular events on resume writing, interviewing, networking, etc. (see www.careercenter.ttu.edu/events).
  • Online Resources:
    • www.careercenter.ttu.edu (resources on events, exploration, job boards, Raider Mentor Network, credentials file)
    • www.onetonline.org (occupational information for use in bullets)
    • https://ttu.optimalresume.com/ (resume samples and interview questions with coaching)
  • Contact the UCC to schedule an appointment.

Quick References (Key Numbers)

  • Length: 1\ \text{page} for most students
  • Margins: 0.7\text{ in} \le \text{margins} \le 1\text{ in}
  • Font size: 10\text{ pt} \text{ to } 12\text{ pt}
  • GPA threshold to include: \ge 3.0 (or as required by employer)
  • Typical praise for impact examples: reductions such as 25\%, increases in satisfaction, etc.

Note

  • The content above summarizes best practices from the University Career Center (UCC) as of June 2018 and is intended for quick, last-minute review. Always adapt to current university resources and employer expectations.