Resume Writing 101

There comes a time in every student’s life when one must write a resume, this can be for many reasons: applying for an internship, applying for a job, or even applying to college. While this process might seem stressful and tedious and some end up resorting to a resume builder, it can in fact be broken down into a few easy steps.

1. Create a heading including your full name, address, phone number, and email. It should look something like this:
2. A resume should be broken into 3 basic parts; work and volunteer experience, education, and additional skills.
   • Each of these sections should have proper headers as a way of keeping your resume organized.
   • The work and education sections should be in reverse chronological order, meaning that your most recent experience is first.
3. The 1st step of actually writing a resume is creating a list of the 3-4 main things that have given you work experience, such as previous internships, jobs, or volunteer opportunities.
4. After that, create a separate list of 3-5 most influential educational experiences you’ve had. This includes but is not limited to; schooling, summer programs, or online courses.
5. Regarding steps 3 and 4, make sure to include the starting and stopping dates (Example: June 2016- August 2016). Also include the location of the school or program (Example: City, Sate), unless in the form of an online course.
6. Once you narrow down which experiences you want to include in your resume, it is important to give a basic summary of what you did/ experienced. This can be in the form of 2-3 bullet points.
   • Example: if I worked at a summer camp for kids, one way I could describe that work is; Organizing, leading, and promoting interest in recreational activities while maintaining discipline and ensuring the safety of children. This explanation allows an employer to see the skills demonstrated in my work, which is the goal of providing a summary.
7. Next, create a list of about 5 specific skills you find notable (Example: speaking a second language, working well with others, being organized, being collaborative).
   • This list that can be bulleted at the end of your resume.
8. Make sure to edit your resume like any other written work, meaning using language as precise as possible and correcting any grammar or spelling errors.
9. Additional tips:
   • Try to keep your resume all on the front side of one piece of paper. 
   • Don’t be afraid to ask a parent, teacher, sibling or even a school counselor for help, they can provide you with great information and advice. 
   • Under the section of additional skills, you can include awards and special interest as well. 
   • Save your file as a PDF when emailing to prospective bosses, and title your resume with your name in a way that the reader can know who’s it is very quickly; instead of just ‘Resume’, try ‘Jane Doe Resume’. 
   • Do not lie, you might be asked to explain aspects of your resume or asked to provide a reference
10. Be confident in your skills and your resume, all of the things that you have put on your resume are accomplishments. Be proud of your hard work!