Resume Guide University of Maryland Alumni Association Introduction Did you know that on average, a recruiter only takes 6 seconds on a resume? What information would you want them to see if 6 seconds was all you had? Your resume is a crucial part in building your professional brand, your job search and path towards career advancement. Follow this guide to open doors to better and brighter career opportunities and create a resume that is Purposeful, Results focused, and Tailored to a T(erp) Purposeful A resume is: A tailored summary of your skills, abilities and accomplishments A brief advertisement of who you are A snapshot of what you could offer a new company The means to secure an interview Your resume is not An autobiography Tell readers just enough to secure their interest in learning more A synopsis of your professional career Intro for Purposeful: With only 6 seconds to spare, creating a resume with purpose is essential. With a continuously increasing competitive job market, you must ensure that you have a clean, well formatted and easily digestible resume. Hiring managers want to easily identify who you are, what you’ve done(and how it relates to the job you’re applying for), and why you’ll bring value. Follow the format below to create a resume of purpose. A resume should include: Name/Contact Information Full name Email address, Linkedin and Phone number Zipcode Work/Professional Experience Experience As most important part of resume, this should occupy two thirds of a page Include: Official job title, company name, location Month/year timeline of employment 3-5 bullet points of accomplishments Choose your format: Chronological: resume format that lists your work history in order of when you held each position, with your most recent job listed at the top of the section Functional: resume format that focuses on your professional skills rather than each job you held and when you held it. The biggest difference between a functional resume and a standard chronological resume is that a functional resume groups your experience under skill categories instead of job titles Combination: resume format that combines the best features of a chronological resume and a skills-based resume. Its focal point is your skills summary, also called a professional profile or a qualifications summary. Education History Write degree in full- Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts If degree is general include specialization or relevant coursework 1-5 years: Include month and year of graduation, GPA, relevant coursework, volunteer and leadership experience 10 years: Include year of graduation, relevant coursework 25+ years: Include year, if multiple degrees list chronologically Skills Only include skills that enhance and diversify your application, including: Certifications(IT, industry-specific) Languages Professional Organizations/Leadership Results focused When leveling up your resume, focus on the results. The reader wants to know the “so what” behind your job responsibilities. In each bullet, include the action taken, context to support the action and the “so what”, or results of this action. When appropriate, use numbers & data to define the results. Using this format will catch the eye of a hiring manager. Ex) Collected survey data from 1,000 email subscribers and implemented four new marketing strategies that helped increase sales numbers by 15% within three months. Tailored to a T(erp) Assuming that you already have your resume bank, each unique resume you submit should be tailored to the position description. Ask yourself: What words consistently come up on the job description? What skills do they list as preferred? Which are required? Now: Pull out any relevant experience from your resume bank to meet these skills, words & requirements Can you swap out any synonymous action words with those used in the job description? Are there any transferable skills or scenarios you can use to meet the criteria of the position? **Pro tip: come up with a list of examples of when you’ve exemplified these skills in preparation for your interview!