Resume Dos and Don'ts

Do

1. Use the best type of paper you can find. (Resume, cover letter, and envelope paper should match.)
2. Us strong action verbs to describe your skills.
3. List all of your accomplishments, including important courses, volunteer work, internships, relevant issues, and professional affiliations.
4. Arrange your resume to show off your assets. Which heading should go first? Education? Experience?
5. Make it perfect. This is a cardinal rule of resume writing.
6. Keep the resume to one page, two if you've had extensive experience.
7. Use small descriptive phrases rather than lengthy sentences to describe your skills.
8. Proofread carefully. Ensure that your grammar and spelling are perfect.
9. Consider having your resume professionally typed and printed.
10. Experiment with several different formats and layouts. Are your skills best highlighted using the functional or chronological format?

Don't

1. Exceed one page unless you've had the experience to merit the additional pages. (Many employers only look at the first page anyway.)
2. Be wordy.
3. Use "I."
4. Use abbreviations, except for the most common ones.
5. Handwrite you resume or cover letter.
6. Use unusual paper, type, ink, or formats unless you're trying to make a special statement about your creativity.
7. Include any personal data such as height, weight, or marital status. If this information is necessary to perform the job, the employer will request it later.
8. Include any information that could possibly be used to eliminate you as a candidate. Be especially careful to emit information about your religious or political affiliations.
9. Ruin a beautiful resume by using a low-quality printer or reproducing it on a dirty copier. Take a moment to clean the copier glass to prevent blotches on your final copy.
10. Keep your resume to yourself. Get opinions about your resume from a variety of people you trust. Use their feedback to create a dazzling finished product.

Adapted from Susan D. Greene and Melanie C.L. Martel. The Ultimate Job Hunter's Guidebook, Third Edition. Boston: HMCo, 2001. pp. 28-29.