UT Tyler Career Success - Resumes

Resumes

Office of Career Success


A resume is . . .

  • An individually designed document.
  • A conventional professional document, without fancy frills.
  • A document that is easy to read.
  • An outline of your experience; avoid excessive details.
  • Used by employers as a screening device.
  • Just ONE piece of the job search process.

Sample Resumes

Resume Check List/Template: PDF

Additional industry specific resumes and formatting options may be accessed by contacting a Career Success Coach or by scheduling an appointment. 


Contact Information

  • Include name, address, telephone and professional email.

  • Make sure your address, telephone and email address are ones you check often.

  • Telephone: Make sure your voice mail is professional and you remove ring back tones.

  • Email: Make sure your email address is professional. Avoid the use of free email extensions such as Gmail or Yahoo as:
     
    • NO: princess@email.com
    • YES: name@patriots.uttyler.edu

Objective Statement

  • Optional but highly recommended if not submitting a cover letter with your application.

  • Employers recommend using an objective statement only if the statement includes skills that are specific to the job that you are applying for.

  • Employers will reject such statements as: A position that will utilize my skills and abilities to advance my career.

Summary of Qualifications

Use this section to highlight your qualifications that are relevant to the job requirements.

In this section, you should include:

  • Language Skills

    • "Proficient in Spanish, both oral and verbal."
  • Technical Skills (Programming Languages, Industry Specific Software)

    • "Proficient in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator."
    • "Proficient in SPSS."
    • "Six years proficiency in Autodesk AutoCAD."
  • Indicate your level of expertise in those skills.

  • Certifications that are required for the position.

  • Indicate numbers and statistics that make your sentences pop out.

  • Be prepared to speak about your summary of qualifications in the interview.

Education

Academic credentials are very important to an employer, particularly if you are relatively new to the world of work or if you are pursuing a job that requires specific training.

  • List your educational background in reverse chronological order; starting with your most recent degree and working your way backwards.

  • Do NOT list high school education.

  • Only include schools that you currently attend and previous schools where you earned a degree or certification.

  • Include the following:

    • Formal name of your institution.

      • The University of Texas at Tyler.
    • City and state where the school is located.

      • Tyler, Texas.
    • Full degree title:

      • Associate of Arts or Science.
      • Bachelor of Arts or Science.
      • Master of Arts or Science.
    • Include the formal name of your major:

      • Major: Psychology.
    • Graduation year or anticipated graduation year.

      • May 2014 or 2014.
  • List study abroad experience, academic honors and awards.

  • List dissertation and thesis topics.

  • If your grade point average (GPA) is 3.5 or higher you should include it in this section.

Relevant Experience

An employer will look over your resume to see what experiences and skills you have gained so far and determine the relevancy to the current position.

  • Do not limit yourself to paid experiences. Include volunteer work, internships, projects and leadership in campus and community organizations that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

  • List experience in reverse chronological order (begin with your most current position).

  • List the following:

    • Position title.

    • Company name.

    • City and state where company is located.

    • Start year of employment to end year of employment (ex. 2010-2014).

    • Highlight your key accomplishments, responsibilities and skills that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

      • Use bullet points.

      • Begin every bullet point with an action verb.

      • Use correct verb tense:

        • Use past tense if you no longer work in that position.
        • Use present tense if you currently work in that position.