Résumé Tips : Levett Career Center : Hanover College

Résumé Tips

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:

I. 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.

II. A clear, well-organized format. We read English from top to bottom, and from left to right. Take advantage of that fact: 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 the Career Center's Résumé Guide for a detailed description of our résumé advice, including lots of examples of formatted résumés, and for great tips on layout.

III. Typographical flawlessness. The simple fact is that employers trash résumés with typos. When you think it's perfect, read your résumé out loud slowly; if there are errors you're more likely to catch them than if you only read it silently.