Govs!! It is almost graduation time! Some of you may choose to continue your education, however some of you may be on the hunt for a job. If you are going to be searching the job market, this blog is for you! If you are looking for a summer internship or a summer job, this blog is for you as well!

When it comes to creating a resume many of us get stumped. What do we include? What do we exclude? What should be highlighted? With all of the summer internships opening up it’s important that yours stands out among the rest. We put together a list of our best things to add to our resumes that made ours stand out and will make yours stand out too! 

• Short and Simple
  • Most potential employers are not going to read your resume, they will scan it. You need .5-1 inch margins all around. Do not have large blocks of colors or pictures (not even yours). Do not use flashy fonts, font styles, and the font size should be between 10-12 pt.
• Keep it neat
  • The biggest font used should be the 16-24 point font for your name only. Use bulletins where needed: relevant course-work, list of previous jobs etc.
  • Relevant being the course work that would help you obtain the job you are applying for. For example: Forestry would be a relevant coursework for a park ranger job. Art and Design would not be relevant for this job position. 
• Be up to date
  • Now, this one may seem pretty self explanatory, but make sure that your contact information is up to date before applying to a job. Always review your resume before reusing it for a new job. Be sure that the e-mail you are using and your voicemail greeting are professional/ set a professional tone in case you miss the call. Adjust your resume to the position you are applying for! This is important because as stated above you do not want accounting as relevant coursework for a position that does not require that skill.
• Proofread! Proofread! Proofread!

• • In general when writing and putting any documents together it is a great idea to proofread your work before printing or emailing it. It works best to have somebody else proofread your resume and cover letter before you finalize it. However if you cannot have someone else proofread it for you, taking a few minutes then coming back to it to proofread works just fine. 

A few things to remember: Your resume is never actually done, you can always go back to update it at any time. Any and all professional (or academic) accomplishments should be on your resume. If you need help getting a resume together APSU has templates, tips, and a whole packet of how to construct a professional resume. They also have services where people will look over your resume and cover letter, they will proofread it for you and give you advice on how to make your resume better and more personalized to you. They also offer interview prep services too. Here is the link to APSU’s website https://www.apsu.edu/careers/resources/resumes.php .

Here is a checklist of things that we like to include on our resumes: 

•       Formatting:

o   Easy to scan (not read) concise one page preferably .5 to 1 inch margin around the entire page

o   No large Blocks of colors or pictures

o   No colors or flashy font styles (font size should be 10-12 point)

o   No two-column format throughout the document

•       Heading:

o   Name (16-24 pt. font)

o   Current address (optional but usually preferred)

o   Phone number & professional/school e-mail address or e-mail you check often

o   LinkedIn personalized URL (if you have a complete profile) or portfolio link

•       Branding Statement (optional):

o   4-5 lines explaining “how do you do things”

o   No pronouns; no period at the end

•       Education:

o   Only schools from which you received a

o   degree or are currently attending

o   List schools most recent to least current

o   Degree(s) spelled out (not abbreviated)

o   All majors, collaterals, concentrations, and

o   minors

o   Graduation month and year

o   Overall and major GPAs if over 3.0/4.0

•       Relevant Coursework:

o   6-9 courses relevant to the job (not just those in your major)

o   Bullet format

o   No course number: name and subject of the course spelled out

•         Experience:

o   Internships included (No. 1 on resume to employers)

o   Jobs/internships listed in reverse chronological order (most recent first)

o   Month and year started and ended (“present” if you’re still working)

o   City and state

o   Job or internship title

o   Major achievements and skills developed, displayed in bullet point format

o   Action verb at the beginning of each statement, with each verb varied if possible. Bullet point formula: Action verb + task + outcome or purpose.

o   Numbers and metrics where appropriate (Ex: “which resulted in a cost savings of $1,500”)

 Additional sections – list in order of relevance/importance

•       Honors and Awards:

o   Name of each honor and award with little or no description

o   Scholarships

o   Dean’s list (3.7/4.0), number of semesters

•       Computer Skills:

o   Software and languages listed if relevant, beginning with those that not every other applicant will have

•       Activities:

o   Name of organization and any leadership positions held

o   Leadership roles in bullet points

o   Limited description if just a regular member

•       Volunteer Experience:

o   Name of organization and limited description

•       Foreign Languages:

o   Listed with descriptions “Fluent in…” “Working knowledge of…” or “Familiar with…”

•       Study Abroad Experience:

o   Location, school, and dates

o   Courses listed or described in bullet point format

o   Relevant projects described in bullet point format

•       Other Section Headers to Consider:

o   Licenses, Certifications, Relevant Projects, Job Shadowing, Achievements, Professional Associations, Presentations, etc.

•       References:

o   Listed on a separate page or document from the resume

o   “References available upon request” not included on resume

 

When putting the description of previous jobs remember: SOAR

 

SOAR Action Statements:

 

Statement, Occurrence, Amount, and Result (SOAR) provides you with perfect action statements for your resumes.

 Can you answer these questions to develop one action statement about your duties or accomplishments?

1. Statement of Action – What did you do? (Action verb)
2. Occurrence of Action – How often action occurred/took place (daily, weekly,

annually, etc.)

3. Amount of Action – How much, how many? (20%, 50+, over 100, $1M, etc.)
4. Result of Action – Result/outcome of efforts (increased, decreased, designed,

saved, implemented, etc.)

 Example:

Statement – Managed a technical crew

Occurrence – Managed a technical crew on a daily basis

Amount – Managed a technical crew of over 20 people on a daily basis

Result – Managed a technical crew of over 20 people, on a daily basis, that increased production 3 quarters in a row

 

All this information was gathered from the APSU Career Services Resume Packet Final! Other services they provide:

Free Resume and Cover Letter Review Service

Interview Preparation

What Can I Do With This Major?

Career Advising

Explore Internships

Career Shift  

 If that isn’t help enough here are 40 extra tips https://zety.com/blog/resume-tips