Next Career Fair

September 22, 2010 10am - 3pm Bell Memorial Union Get Directions
Attending Companies

Writing a Successful Resumé

Four Standard Resume Guidelines
(taken from CSUC Career Center, Click Here for more Tips)

1. Use correct spelling and grammar
   This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many spelling and grammar errors we see. A resume that is full of errors tells the employer that you don't have a good command of the language in which your resume is written, that you are careless, or a combination of the two. Don't rely on spell-check, for example the job title "Stocker" could also be spelled "Stalker!"


2. Don't use a template
   Please trust us on this one. When you use a template, you are forced to put certain things in certain places on the page, and often you do not have the liberty to move information around in the most strategic way. Once your resume is in a template, it is always in a template and will create headaches for you later. Resist the temptation and just create a new document in MS Word and start typing!


3. Usually one page is sufficient
   Note the word "usually." Most new college grads only have the need for about one page. Brevity is good, as long as you are not omitting important information that would sell you to the employer. Occasionally (maybe about one percent of the time) a new grad has enough important information for two pages, and it would be a mistake to leave something valuable off for the sake of keeping the resume to one page. Try to get your resume to one page, but if you can't, don't worry, we can help you decide if something should be omitted or help you with formatting to make it more brief, and remember, sometimes a person needs more than one page!


4. Make it easy to read
   Use a simple, easy-to-read font; for most common fonts we recommend 10-12 pt size. Keep your margins about 1/2" to 1" in width (if your format is indented on the left, you may be able to go a little smaller on that side). Resist using too many features such as bold, underline, italics, or color. Choose one font and one or two font features (e.g. bold/underline) to emphasize certain points. The simpler the better. Many students try to get creative and thinking that their very stylish resume will persuade the employer to want to interview them. Unless you are an art or graphic design major, most employers don't really care how pretty a resume is; they simply want to be able to read your information, and read it quickly. Too much color or an intricate font may hinder this process. The average employer spends about five to ten seconds with a resume before they put it aside or decide to keep reading. Do yourself a favor and focus on being clear, concise, and professional.