RESUME2

Twardowski
Career Development Center

West Chester University

225 Lawrence Center
West Chester, PA 19383
General: cdc@wcupa.edu
Employers: recruit@wcupa.edu
Phone: 610.436.2501
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Resume Writing Guide for Students

The primary purpose of a resume is to summarize your experiences, education, skills, and accomplishments in order to ultimately get an interview. There are many accepted “best practices” in writing resumes – things everyone should do – and yet you still have a lot of flexibility with formatting and style to make yourself stand apart from others. Use this guide to help you build an initial resume but also utilize the professionals in the career development center, your faculty and internship advisers, and others to get feedback on how to best present your strengths and experiences.

Formatting

Sections of a Resume: Education, Experience, Activities, Skills & more

Transferable Skills & Action Words

Sample Resumes

How to Get Help with Your Resume

Download a PDF of the complete Resume Writing Guide

Professional Communication Guide - Cover letters, thank-you notes, and other correspondence.

FORMATTING

An employer spends an average of 20 seconds looking at a resume – that’s it! Consequently, an easy-to-read, concise, consistent resume is critically important.

The traditional college student should have a one-page resume. A two-page resume is acceptable in many fields if your experience is relevant to justify the length.
Even spacing, alignment of text, margins, and consistent headings contribute to visual appeal.
Font size should be no smaller than 10-point and no larger than 12-point. Your name at the top of the page can be slightly larger for emphasis, but not huge!
Use common font styles such as Times New Roman, Garamond, Cambria, Arial. Avoid intricate fonts or those with narrow or wide spacing.
Be consistent with your highlighting such as use of bold, ALL CAPS, underlining, and italics.
Avoid templates, tables, text boxes, borders, columns, and unusual fonts; these elements can cause problems when uploading to a web site or if the recipient is using a different word processing program than you. Use Word or PDF documents for maximum flexibility (e.g., .doc, .docx, .pdf).

SECTIONS OF A RESUME

CONTACT INFORMATION

Include your name, address, telephone number, and a professional email address.
Use a telephone number and email address at which you will reliably receive messages.
If the school year is coming to an end and you are still applying for jobs or internships, you can list a school and a home address.

Robert J. Smith

8091 Market Avenue, #4B

Drexel Hill, PA 19026

484-111-2222

rjsmith@gmail.com

Samantha A. Martin

School: Home:

987 E. Nields St 444 Westin Drive

West Chester, PA 19380 Philadelphia, PA 19104

610-999-0000 (cell) 215-321-9876

sm987654@wcupa.edu

OBJECTIVE (optional)

An objective describes to the employer your current goal, often combined with your highlighted strengths.
Objectives are optional and in general most employers would rather you focus on presenting skills and accomplishments in your experience and activities descriptions.
In the absence of a cover letter or email that explains your objective, to make your resume “stand alone” you could use one. The best objectives are specific and tailored.

Objective:

Seeking a marketing internship in a consumer products company that will utilize my analytical, teamwork, and research skills.

OBJECTIVE

To obtain a public relations assistant position in the Communications Department.

EDUCATION

List the name and location of each institution attended, the complete correct degree program and major, and the month and year of graduation.

WCU Undergraduate Programs

WCU Graduate Programs
Start with the most recent and highest degree first and work backwards. If you transferred or if you studied abroad, list these below your current program at West Chester University. If you only took a few classes elsewhere, you don’t necessarily need to list that institution.
You may choose to highlight 4 to 8 relevant courses (optional). Courses should showcase subject knowledge or professional skills; a course list can provide added content if you have less experience. List descriptive course names, not course numbers.
Unless you are still a first- or second-year student and/or have significant leadership or other involvements, high school does not need to be included.
You may also include your minor(s), GPA, and program accreditation information (if relevant to your major).

A Note about GPA:

The general rule is to list your GPA if you have a cumulative 3.00 or better.
Some employers advertise GPA preferences in their employment opportunities. In this case you should always list your GPA; many employers will consider students who fall below the minimum if they have other experience, leadership, or skills.
On your WCU transcript GPA is reported to three decimal places (e.g., 2.778). Based on a survey of employers in March 2013, most find it acceptable for you to round to the hundredths place (e.g., 2.78) or even the tenths place (e.g., 2.8); however, 11% DO NOT think you should round up at all.
It is never acceptable to round up the whole number (e.g., 2.999 cannot be rounded to 3.0).
We recommend you report your GPA to two decimal places.

EDUCATION

            West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA

            Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, May 2014

            Delaware County Community College, Media, PA

            Completed general education courses, 2009-2010

Education

West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA

Bachelor of Science in Accounting December 2014

AACSB Accredited Business School Program
Major GPA: 3.67; Cumulative GPA: 3.54
Will have 150 credit hours completed upon graduation

EXPERIENCE

This section may include paid or unpaid full-time and part-time jobs, internships, student teaching, volunteer positions, and other activities in which you developed relevant skills.
Include the name of the organization, location, your title or role, dates of employment or involvement, and descriptive information about your responsibilities and accomplishments.
Avoid listing just job duties (e.g., “Answered telephone. Raised funds.”). Describe the quality and scope of your work, accomplishments. Quantify your achievements where possible.
Use present tense if experience is current and past tense if completed or in the past.
If you have had a range of experiences, you can group them under more descriptive section headings such as Writing Experience, Teaching Experience, Leadership, and so forth.

EXPERIENCE

KPMG, Philadelphia, PA June – August 2012

Accounting Intern

Utilized Excel and QuickBooks to track financial and tax record information for clients.
Worked with a team of five auditors and received daily mentoring on client relations.
Published online article on international convergence of accounting standards: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1138407

Wegman’s Food Market, Exton, PA July 2008 – June 2012

Cashier

Provided efficient and friendly customer service while processing sales.
Trained an average of three new cashiers monthly as well as all seasonal employees.

WRITING & EDITING EXPERIENCE:

Freelance Writer, January 2012 - present

Daily Local News, West Chester, PA

Contribute articles on demand in a timely manner on topics such as politics, current technology trends, and entertainment

Wire Editor, January 2011 – May 2012

The Quad, WCU Campus Newspaper

Selected, edited and compiled news stories for four pages of campus-wide circulation to over 13,000 students

ACTIVITIES & INVOLVEMENT

Involvement in student groups, athletics, service learning, and volunteerism helps you develop important communication, leadership, teamwork, and other transferrable skills that are highly valued by employers.
You may present your involvements in one section, such as Activities, or you might have several sections that group different types of involvement, such as Leadership and Volunteer Service.

ACTIVITIES

Black Student Union, Sep 2010 - present
Peer Mentor, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Aug 2011 – May 2012
Career Ambassador (career fair volunteer), Mar & Oct 2012

LEADERSHIP

Leadership Consultant, Office of Student Leadership and Involvement (Fall 2011 – current)

Organize and facilitate leadership development programs on campus. Work with an executive committee to plan the annual Leadership Conference in February.

Treasurer, Finance and Economics Society (Fall 2010 – Spring 2011)

Managed and allocated organization budget, submitted funding requests to SGA, and reviewed financial status monthly with faculty advisor.

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Other common sections of a resume include Publications, Presentations, Honors and Awards, Professional Associations, and Interests.
Publications and presentations provide an opportunity to showcase your communication skills and/or content expertise. Provide complete and accurate details of where a potential employer can access your publication.
Interests can provide insight into your personality and topics for small talk during interviews. If you are short on space, this is a less critical section. Avoid casual interests like "hanging out with friends" but rather focus on hobbies or activities that showcase professional attributes or qualities.
If you only have one award and it was academic in nature, you can list it under Education instead; if it was in relation to a job you held, you could list it under that job description.

PUBLICATION

Co-authored and published journal article with professor: Samuel Harrington and David Cooper. Tax Season Annual Provisions. Journal of Accountancy, 4(1) 12-16 (2012).

PRESENTATIONS

Recruiting Organization Members through Social Media. Presented to over 75 student leaders at WCU Leadership Conference, March 2012.
Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Collaborated with five students to present topic in class and write research paper for seminar course.

INTERESTS: Off-road biking, intramural soccer, and hiking the Appalachian trail.

SKILLS

Usually a brief list of computer software applications you use, languages you can speak/write as well as your level of proficiency, or areas of certification relevant to your field (e.g., C.P.R.).

SKILLS

Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Conversational Spanish

REFERENCES (optional)

There is no need to put “References Available Upon Request” on your resume; while it can be a simple way to conclude the document, it often just wastes a line of space.
Create a separate page for listing your professional references, typically listing 3-5 individuals including: name, title, organization, address, phone and email. If the relationship to you is not clear by the title, consider indicating their professional relation to you. (Sample Reference Sheets-PDF)
The reference page should have your name and contact information at the top (you can use the same heading as you do on your resume for a professional, consistent look).
Before listing someone as a reference be sure to check with the person; in addition, be sure to provide a copy of your resume.

If you have other information to point out, such as an e-portfolio or a website, you could include something like the following at the bottom of your resume:

Professional Portfolio available at www.sampleportfolio.com/jsmith

TRANSFERABLE SKILLS & ACTION WORDS

Transferable skills are an important component of your resume. Through different areas of involvement (academic projects, part-time jobs, internships, volunteering, campus activities, etc.), you develop many skills that can relate to any career field. As you describe these experiences, you want to make sure that you are accurately highlighting the skills that you can offer to an employer. We encourage you to use strong action words to draw attention to the skills that you have. Below is a list of action verbs, separated by skill sets, to help get you started with the brainstorming process:

Leadership/Management

Administer	Encourage	Integrate	Persuade
Assign	Enforce	Interview	Plan
Coach	Evaluate	Lead	Present
Coordinate	Implement	Manage	Produce
Decide	Improve	Mentor	Recruit
Delegate	Increase	Motivate	Review
Develop	Influence	Order	Schedule
Direct	Inform	Organize	Strengthen
Empower	Inspire	Oversee	Supervise

Problem-solving/Decision-making

Adapt	Conclude	Expand	Plan
Adjust	Control	Improve	Receive
Anticipate	Deliver	Increase	Recommend
Attain	Distribute	Monitor	Reduce
Change	Eliminate	Obtain	Utilize
Complete	Establish	Perceive	Work

Communication (Verbal & Written)

Advertise	Direct	Negotiate	Report
Arrange	Draft	Persuade	Represent
Author	Edit	Present	Respond
Collaborate	Facilitate	Promote	Review
Communicate	Interpret	Proofread	Revise
Compose	Introduce	Provide	Sell
Correspond	Market	Publicize	Summarize
Describe	Mentor	Publish	Translate
Develop	Moderate	Recruit	Write

Teamwork/Helping/Interpersonal Skills

Advise	Encourage	Motivate	Relate
Aid	Ensure	Offer	Represent
Assist	Facilitate	Participate	Resolve
Coach	Guide	Promote	Serve
Collaborate	Help	Protect	Support
Contribute	Instruct	Provide	Teach
Coordinate	Interact	Recognize	Train
Counsel	Listen	Refer	Tutor
Educate	Mediate	Rehabilitate	Volunteer

Analytical/Quantitative/Research

Analyze	Examine	Learn	Solve
Assess	Experiment	Observe	Study
Clarify	Extract	Organize	Summarize
Collect	Formulate	Predict	Survey
Critique	Hypothesize	Process	Synergize
Determine	Identify	Prove	Synthesize
Diagnose	Inspect	Question	Systematize
Discover	Interpret	Reason	Test
Dissect	Interview	Research	Troubleshoot
Evaluate	Investigate	Review	Weigh

Initiative/Flexibility/Adaptability/Creativity

Act	Display	Institute	Photograph
Adapt	Draw	Integrate	Plan
Compose	Establish	Interpret	Play
Conduct	Express	Introduce	Print
Create	Fashion	Invent	Publicize
Customize	Illustrate	Model	Revitalize
Design	Imagine	Originate	Show
Develop	Initiate	Paint	Sketch
Direct	Innovate	Perform	Write

Computer/Technical

Assemble	Design	Lift	Program
Build	Drive	Maintain	Remodel
Calculate	Engineer	Make	Repair
Compute	Fix	Operate	Solve
Conserve	Handle	Overhaul	Treat
Construct	Install	Produce	Upgrade

Detail-oriented/ Organizational Ability

Administer	Compute	Log	Retrieve
Approve	Define	Manipulate	Review
Arrange	Dispense	Monitor	Schedule
Audit	Distribute	Operate	Select
Budget	Estimate	Organize	Sort
Calculate	Execute	Prepare	Specify
Catalog	File	Process	Summarize
Check	Gather	Purchase	Supply
Classify	Generate	Raise	Systematize
Collect	Implement	Reconcile	Transcribe
Compile	Inspect	Record	Validate

SAMPLE RESUMES

A variety of sample resumes are provided below which incorporate some specific details relative to fields in each of the five Colleges. While there are many accepted good practices of resume writing, you have choices with regard to how you structure your information. Frequently resumes in the sciences and technical fields share more in common with each other than with arts or humanities resumes, for example; but take a look at many samples to determine which format is best for you and your experiences.

Arts and Sciences

Business and Public Affairs

CBPAsample1

CBPAsample2

CBPAsample3

Visual and Performing Arts

Education

Health

Additional

First Year Student

Federal Government

International/Study Abroad Experience

Student Athlete

View more resume and cover letter samples in the digital edition of the Job Choices magazine: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nace/JobChoices0812/index.php#/48

Interested in applying to opportunities abroad? Learn about country-specific resume guidelines: Goinglobal

HOW TO GET HELP WITH YOUR RESUME

Here are the ways you can get feedback on your resume (we aim for 1-2 business days turnaround time) in order to strengthen the presentation of your skills and accomplishments:

1. Upload your resume to College Central Network (CCN)

CCN is the official resume and job posting service for career-related jobs and internships. Students and alumni may create free accounts to access a range of features, including a resume critique service.

Log in to your existing account or create a new one (only takes 2 minutes!).
From the main menu, scroll down to the section Manage My Resume.
When you upload a resume, it will have “Pending” status and a staff member will review the resume usually within 48 hours. You will receive email feedback about your resume with suggestions for improvement, or it will be “Approved” if your resume is deemed ready to use!
Note: Because CCN only has resume upload capability, cover letters or other job search correspondence must be reviewed using our other services.

2. One-on-One Appointments and Drop-in Hours

For in-person assistance, you may utilize our drop-in hours (Monday through Friday, 2:00 to 3:30 pm) during the academic year or call the office at 610-436-2501 to schedule a 30-minute appointment during regular office hours.

We strongly prefer that you bring a draft of a resume with you to in-person meetings so we can provide you with the most useful feedback. It doesn’t have to be good – that is why we are here to help you – but you will benefit more from the appointment if you have a rough draft already started.

3. Email Service

You may choose to email your resume, cover letter, or other job search correspondence to cdc@wcupa.edu for feedback. Because this is also an electronic service, we recommend you utilize CCN for resume assistance and the drop-off or email service for cover letters and other materials.

4. Drop-Off Service

You may bring a printed copy of your resume, cover letter, or thank-you note to the career center in 225 Lawrence and leave it with a staff member at the main welcome desk. You may pick up your documents with written feedback after two business days.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania
700 South High St, West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-1000
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