How to Construct and Format a Resume

What’s a résumé?

A résumé is a strategically-ordered document that highlights your suitability for a desired position, internship, scholarship, or other opportunity. Your résumé is often your first communication with an organization or a potential employer, so it is worth your while to make it perfect.

What belongs in a résumé?

Although creating a résumé often involves racking your brain, it should comfort you to know that a résumé is a flexible document—there’s no “right” way to do it. What is important, however, is that you evaluate your audience and tailor your résumé to that audience. Additionally, you should arrange your résumé so that your strengths are displayed prominently. No matter what position you’re applying for, there are five sections that are central to any résumé:

• Heading. This is the contact information listed at the top of your résumé. Include your name, full address (campus address and permanent address), telephone number with area code, and e-mail address.

• Objective. This is the “thesis” of your résumé in a sense—it states the position that you are seeking with the company or organization. Including an objective is appropriate when sending a résumé directly to an employer.

• Education. State the full name of your university, the type of degree obtained, graduation date, academic major, additional areas of study or minor, and GPA—overall, cumulative, major-specific). Generally, you should only include your GPA if it is 3.0 or above. If you have written a thesis for academic honors, mention it in a line here.

• Experience. For each entry include your employer’s full name (this is the name of the company), your job title, the range of dates you worked, and a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements.

• Miscellaneous. Don’t let the title of this section fool you—this section denotes a collection of information that can be weighted in various ways according to your strong points. It’s not a place to put anything and everything.

• Awards/Honors. List memberships in honors societies, scholarships, academic awards, university honors, etc. If you prefer, you can list your Awards/Honors along with your activities.

• Activities. List volunteer experiences, membership in student organizations, and other extracurricular activities. Highlight those where you have had leadership roles or substantial involvement.

• Skills. In this section of your résumé include all your computer skills (include software experience and any computer languages you know) and language skills (list the foreign language you know and indicate your level of experience accurately—you’ll likely be asked to back this up). Also, include any industry-specific skills and certifications.

How do I put my résumé together?

There are two common styles of organization for your résumé—chronological and functional. For most undergraduates and recent college graduates, a chronological résumé works best because you often will not have enough work experience to necessitate a functional résumé.

• Chronological. This type of organization is useful if you want to emphasize specific jobs which have given them specific skills and/or experience. As a recent college graduate, use a chronological résumé to point out all your work experiences, which may or may not be limited to a particular industry.

• Functional. These résumés underscore your achievements as opposed to the time line in which you accomplished them. These types of résumés work best if there are particular areas of accomplishment that you want to call to your reader’s attention.

Where should I go for help with my résumé and other professional documents?

If you would like additional help with your résumé, visit the Undergraduate Writing Center in FAC 211.

For information on formatting the text of your resume, please refer to the PDF version of this handout.

Additional Online Resources

UWC Handouts
Cover Letters
Resume- Writing Resources
Personal Statements

Virgil: Online Writing Tutorial
Resume>Prompts
Resume>Research
Resume>Invention
Resume>Assembly
Resume>Revision
Resume>Stuck
Resume>Details

Purdue OWL
Resume Workshop

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