Writing a Great Resume : Levett Career Center : Hanover College

Writing a Great Resume

Hello, all! I've been off learning a lot at my national conference in Chicago, but at long last here's the first promised Job Search Tip. Thanks for waiting!

Job Search Tip: Writing a Great Résumé

There's no getting around it: if you want to catch the interest of an employer, you need to have a great résumé that is written with a specific field in mind.

Remember the 3 key aspects to a strong résumé:

Effective evidence. Most of the impact of your résumé comes from the content you choose to include. Be sure to comb through your experience to highlight your transferable skills! To come up with a great list of words for any field you're considering, go to O*Net and click on "find information." O*Net will help you to identify what you've already done that relates to your future goals. Remember: Everything you put on your résumé should have a good answer for the targeted employer's questions, "So what? Why should I care?"
A clear, well-organized format. We read English from top to bottom, and from left to right. Put the most important information toward the top, and line up your (strong action) verbs on the left following a bullet. Choose an organizational style, and stick with it. Download a PDF of my Résumé Guide for examples of formatting, and for tips on layout.
Typographical flawlessness. The simple fact is that employers trash résumés with typos.

Be sure to download our Résumé Tool, attached, to evaluate how you've done!

The Career Center is open throughout the summer, and our services are free to alumni, including résumé critiques. Join our group, Hanover Career Alumni Network, at www.linkedin.com.We've got over 1,000 members, all new grads and alumni professionals!

Let us know how you're doing!

Best wishes,
Margaret Krantz