Resumes & More

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Get expert advice for writing your resume or curriculum vitae (CV), view samples and templates, and learn how to tell your unique story.

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A resume is a one- to two-page document that outlines your education, skills, accomplishments and experience. Its purpose is to help you capture the attention of an employer so you can get an interview.

Your Resume Guide

When seeking a job or internship, design your resume to highlight your most related experience and skills. Write about internship(s), related volunteer experiences; academic or individual projects depending on your field of study or career goals.

Here are some typical sections to include:

Objective (optional): An objective is used to explain why you are creating this resume and can be an opportunity to connect you to a specific job/internship, but they are not mandatory.

Education: List your degrees, majors, minors, study abroad and/or any other relevant train

Experience: Any employment, internships, significant campus leadership offices, volunteer work and class/research projects.

  • Explain what were your key tasks and outcomes/results by using bullet points and action words.
See examples of bullet point statements
Check out the list of action words.
  • Avoid passive phrasing such as “duties include,” “responsible for” or “project was completed by using.”
  • Quantify information by including numbers, percentages and dollar amounts.
  • Freshmen/sophomores: List high school experiences.

Skills: Use this section to highlight skills that are specifically related to the job/internship you are seeking.

Relevant Projects: Projects that you did in class that are related to your major/career interest.

  • Identify team/classroom/individual noteworthy academic projects.
  • Concisely demonstrate your skills and knowledge.
  • Integrate other skills when communicating specific accomplishments.
  • Include your individual contributions and outcomes.

Involvement: List clubs, sports, leadership roles and/or volunteering that you’ve done. This is especially helpful when looking for internships or part-time job without having a lot of work experience. Include accomplishments using strong action words.

Achievements: Indicate noteworthy academic, athletic, community, club and employer recognition.

Note: If you are only listing 1-3 honors, consider incorporating into education section rather than creating separate section.