Career and Student Employment Services

Career and Student Employment Services
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5225 USA
(269) 387-2745

Resumes and CVs

Standard chronological resume format

The standard chronological resume format is suitable for anyone. One page is common although it varies by major and extent of experience. 

Standard Chronological Resume Format

Format

  • The resume fills the page but is not overcrowded. There are no grammar or spelling errors. It can be easily scanned.
  • Written in clear simple font style, size 11-12, side margins 1 inch, top and bottom margins 1/2 to 1 inch.

Education Section

  • Organized, clear, and well defined. It highlights the most pertinent information and includes: institution and its location, graduation date, major, degree, GPA, study abroad (as appropriate), and any relevant course work.

Experience Section

  • Information relates to the intended career field. Places of work, location, titles, and dates are included for each position. Descriptions are clear and formatted as bullets beginning with action verbs. This section could be split into related and other experience.

Honors/Activities

  • Activities and honors are listed, and descriptions include skills gained and leadership roles held. Dates of involvement are listed.

Objective

  • Objectives work best when you know the job title, you have minimal experience in their field, e.g., student or recent graduate, or you career goals are not obvious from your experience and education.
  • Objective statements should be brief, simple, and specific. A recruiter is interested in what you bring to the company.
  • Be specific and align with employer needs. State the job title if applying for a specific position. Identify what strengths or areas of expertise you can contribute.
  • Some people do not use objectives at all - it is a personal choice.
  • Don't use personal pronouns (I, me), and don't talk about your needs or desires. Focus on what you have to offer the employer.

"Enthusiastic management student seeking a summer internship with Target Stores. Offering strong communication and customer service skills to maintain satisfied and loyal store guests." 

 "Creative and enthusiastic classroom leader seeks a 6-12 secondary English teaching position with Kalamazoo Public Schools. Skilled in inquiry-based learning and available for after school academic and athletic programming."

Branding Statement

A personal brand is how others see you. A branding statement should address these three things:

  • Who is your audience?
  • In what way can you help solve problems?
  • How do you do this differently than others?

Energetic health services recruiter with the contacts, finesse with people and persistence to attract top talent.

Summary

Summaries are used when you have a variety of experiences. Summaries highlight the most important experiences relevant to the position, giving visibility to key strengths and talents for a specific field or academic discipline. With a summary, customize the cover letter or email for a specific position.

"Four years of editing and writing experience for college and high school newspapers. Interned as an assistant account executive with copywriting responsibilities at local advertising agency. Sold advertising space, managed advertising sales, promotion, production, and circulation. Winner of the 2013 Western Michigan University Lawrence, Clara, and Evelyn E. Burke Journalism Scholarship."

Profile

Profiles are best used for experienced candidates and graduate students. Profiles are opening statements packed with skills, personal attributes, and often bullet several accomplishments and qualifications.

"Seeking a health services position leading a team to improve the lives of patients. Redesigned an outpatient clinic that resulted in a 15% increase in productivity. Led a project team to evaluate space utilization in a pharmacy that managed over 3,000 medications. Utilized data, focus groups, and process improvement teams to lead space utilization and process improvement initiatives with 12 food service employees."

Identify keywords and phrases

  • Analyze job postings for position-specific keywords.
  • Highlight the skills, personal qualities, and knowledge required for the desired industry.
  • Use O*Net to identify additional competencies that employers desire.

Reflect on experiences

  • Brainstorm all the ways in which you have gained knowledge, skills, and abilities desired by employers.
  • Remember that you don’t need to get paid to gain from an experience. Think of all the skills you have acquired from work, volunteer activities and coursework.

Focus on accomplishments

Think about your accomplishments using the STAR method:

  • S/T” – SITUATION/TASK: What was the situation/task you were working on? What factors contributed to a particular challenge, e.g., budget cuts, tight deadlines, new goals from management, etc.?
  • “A” – ACTION: What steps did you take to address the challenge or solve the problem?
  • “R” – RESULT: What was the outcome of your actions? Did the employer use your solution? Did you save time or money?

Effective accomplishment statements

  • Specific examples of something you are proud of because you contributed to the employer’s or team’s success.
  • Start with an action verb and include results.
  • Tell the reader what you did, how you did it, or how well you did it.
  • Highlight actions that you performed using your strengths.

Examples of accomplishment statements

  • Spearheaded three-year strategic plan and annual fund development program to ensure long- term financial stability; secured $10,000 grant from W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its launch.
  • Designed and created brochures and guidelines that were adapted by the organization to increase volunteer recruitment.
  • Collected and analyzed data and created comparative charts to assist units of local government in reviewing and revising a comprehensive plan for next decade.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of current products and pricing in order to assist customers and guarantee return business.
  • Trained six peer mentors to provide resume assistance to student externs.

When writing your resume, focus on the transferable skills you used to complete your work. This is particularly helpful when your responsibilities are not directly related to your future career. Start your skill statement with an action verb and tell the reader what you did, how you did it and why you did it.

Balance two to five statements within the three areas below, blending all three when possible. For example:

"Tell me about a time in your most recent job when you were required to demonstrate specific job."

Technical/job specific skills

  • Computer skills
  • Job or industry-specific knowledge and skills
  • Academic knowledge that prepared you for the career.

"Accurately maintained termination files of temporary employees in a database using attention to detail and accuracy."

Communication and human relation skills

  • Leadership
  • Customer service
  • Listening
  • Rapport building
  • Public speaking
  • Conflict management
  • Writing
  • Coaching/training
  • Teamwork/team building

"Utilized professionalism and excellent communication skills when interacting with customers on a daily basis."

Critical thinking

  • Goal setting
  • Creativity
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Problem solving
  • Sound judgment
  • Time management
  • Organizational skills
  • Priority setting
  • Project management
  • Decision making

"Managed multiple projects simultaneously using time management and organization."

"Employed problem solving and sound judgment resolving conflicts among 10-15 year old campers."

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A curriculum vitae is most often used in an academic setting. Professionals who teach at the college level, conduct research, publish, and present are most likely to utilize a CV to chronicle their accomplishments over a career.  A CV is generally multiple pages, more detailed than a resume. No two CVs look the same; here are some suggestions for inclusion.

At the top of your CV, include your name and contact information. Outside of the U.S., many CVs include even more personal information, such as gender, date of birth, marital status, etc.

Include all college and graduate study: school attended, dates of study, and degree received.

Include dean's list standings, departmental awards, scholarships, fellowships, and membership in any honors associations.

Include your thesis or dissertation title. You may also include a brief sentence or two on your paper and the name of your advisor.

List any research experience you have, including where you worked, when, and with whom. Include any publications resulting from your research.

List relevant work experience; this may include non-academic work. List the employer, position, and dates of employment. Include a brief list of your duties and accomplishments.

List any teaching positions you have held. Provide the school, course name, and semester. You may also include any other relevant tutoring or group leadership experience.

List any relevant skills you have not yet mentioned. This may include language skills, computer skills, administrative skills, etc.

List any publications you have written, co-written, or contributed to. Include all necessary bibliographic information. You should also list any pieces you are currently working on. Include papers you presented at conferences and associations: list the name of the paper, the conference name and location, and the date.

List any professional associations to which you belong. If you are a board member of the association, list your title.

Include any volunteer or service work you have done, as well as any clubs or organizations to which you have belonged.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), or candidate management systems, are used to post job openings on an employer’s website or job board, screen resumes, and generate interview requests to potential candidates by e-mail.

How to be successful with Applicant Tracking Systems

  • Research the company so you know the keywords, phrases and terms this organization uses.  Make sure your answers include the language of this organization.
  • Have all your documents ready so you can complete your application in one sitting.
  • Gather license numbers, dates of various certifications, and information on your references before you begin.
  • Give yourself enough time (and privacy) to read the questions carefully and twice to complete the fields correctly.
  • If given an area to add comments at the end of your application, do so. Don’t leave it blank. 
  • Write down the date and time you completed the application, including the login information so you can return to your application or follow up with the employer.
  • Follow the instructions on the website and upload the documents requested. Be sure to submit exactly what is asked for in the correct format; failure to follow instructions could cost you an interview.
  • After you have completed the online application, you can also contact the HR department or a representative of the company to ensure they know you have applied and that you are passionate about working there.

How to prepare your resume for an Applicant Tracking System

  • Don't include tables or graphics.
  • You can submit a longer resume as the length of your resume doesn't matter in an applicant tracking system.
  • Call your work experience "Work Experience" rather than "Professional Experience" or "Career Achievements."
  • Don't start your work experience with dates. Always start with your employer's name, your job title, followed by the dates.