COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS CAREER CENTER: Resume Guide Straz 277 pot

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Resume Guide

Straz 277

(414) 288-7927
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RESUMEOVERVIEW
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Aresumeisoneofthemostimportantdocumentsinyourinternshiporjobsearch.Itisapersonal
marketingtoolthatmayleadtoaninterview.Thinkofyourresumeasahighlightssummaryoftheskills,
experiencesandknowledgethatyouwillbringtoaspecificpositionor
industry.
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Format:Whatshouldmyresumelooklike?
Mostemployersspendfewerthan20–30secondsreviewingyourresume.Resumeformatsneedtobe
readable,wellorganizedandconcise.AvoidusingMicrosoftWordtemplates.Creatingyourown
documentdemonstratesyourcomputerskillsandinitiative.Templatescanalsobemore
difficultto
edit,downloadandformatovertime.Tohelpyougetstarted,theBusinessCareerCenterprovides

samplesofwell‐organizedresumes.
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Content:Whatshouldmyresumesinclude?
Yourresumeisuniquetoyou.Itshouldincludeyouskills,experiencesandaccomplishments.
Aresumeshouldinclude:
Header–Contactinformation
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Objective(optional)–Answersthequestions,whatIwanttodo,where,andwhatcanIoffer.?
Education–School,Degree(s),graduationdate
Skills(optional)–Describesskillsthatareaboveandbeyondwhatisexpected
Experiences–Workorinternshipexperiences,accomplishments,andrelatedleadershiproles
Honors&
Activities–Honors/scholarshipsawarded,extracurricularactivitiesandleadership
roles
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Length:Howlongshouldmyresumebe?
Yourresumeshouldbeconcise.Inmostbusinesssettings,one‐pageresumesarepreferredby
employersforinternsandentry ‐levelopportunities.Atwo‐pageresumeisacceptablewithinITand
non‐profitfields.
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ResumeDosandDon’ts
Do
 Usebulletpointstokeeptextaction‐focusedandconcise
 Listjobexperiencesinreversechronological(mostrecentfirst)withinsections
 Useactionwords
 Usereadablefontstyleandsizes
 Includeaccomplishments
 Representyourexperiencesaccurately‐Exaggerationsorfalse
statementswithinaresumecan
begroundsfortermination

 Proofreadcarefully
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Don’t
 Havespellingorgrammaticalerrors
 Include,“ReferencesuponRequest”atthebottomofyourresume‐Mostemployerswhowant
referenceswillask.Usespaceonyourresumetosharemoredetailsaboutyouandyour
experiences
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 Includepersonalinformationsuchasage,ethnicity,photos,dateofbirthormaterialstatus
 UsepersonalpronounssuchasI,me,ormy
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HEADER&CONTACTINFORMATION 
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Usingthesameheaderformatforyourresume,coverletterandreferencepagecreatesaprofessional
andconsistentimageorbrandforyourapplicationmaterials.Contactinformationshouldinclude:
 Yourfullname:Useamediumfontsize(18pt.orsmaller)and/orfonteffects(bold,allcaps,
etc.)tohelpyournamestandout.Remembertouseaprofessionalandreadablefontstyleas
well.Times,TimesNewRomanandArialarecommonfontstyles.
 Phonenumber:Provideonephonenumberwhereyoucanbereachedmostreliably.Youdo
notneedtolabelyournumberas“Home”or“Cell.”Ensurethatthevoicemailassociatedwith 
thephonenumberyouprovidepresentsyouprofessionally.
 E‐mailaddress:Useaprofessionalemailaddress.YourMUaddressisgreat.
 Addressinformation:Providingamailingaddressiscustomaryforresumessentdirectlytoan
employerornetworkingcontact.

o Incaseswhenyouareseekingpositionsbackhome,youmayusetwoaddresses–
current(campus)andpermanent(home).Thiscanbuildconfidencewiththeemployer
thatyouarefamiliarwiththeareaandmaybemorelikelytostay.
 TipforMicrosoftWord:Formatyourcontactinformationwithinthebodyofyourdocument.
Sometimes,contactinformationpresentedusingthe“header”featureinMSWorddoesnot
printordownloadfullyforemployers.Avoidtextboxesaswell.Thisformattingcanleadto
difficultywithfutureedits.
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HeaderExamples:
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JaneDoe
123NorthMainStreet(414)123‐4567
Milwaukee,WI12345 
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JohnDoe
CurrentAddressPermanentAddress
123MainStreet,Unit1  (414)555‐5555 123AppleLane
Milwaukee,WI53201  Hometown,WI53202
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*Evenwhenprovidingtwoaddresses,providingonephonenumberissufficient.Selectthe
phonenumberwhereyouwillbereachedmostreliably.
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JaneDoe
123NorthMainStreet•Milwaukee,WI12345•(414)123‐4567•
LinkedIn: />
*IfyourLinkedInprofileiscurrent,providingalinkcandemonstrateyourprofessionalismand
informanemployerthats/hecouldlearnmoreaboutyouthroughthisresource.
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OBJECTIVEORPROFESSIONALSUMMARY 
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Anobjectivestatementorprofessionalsummaryisanoptionalresumesection.Ifprovided,thissection
canserveasatopicsentenceforyourresume.Thegoalsidentifiedinyourobjective(thetypeof
industryorpositionyouareseeking)definethefocusfortheremainderofyourdocument.Theresume
sectionsthatfollow(education,experience,etc.)areanopportunitytoprovidesupportingevidencefor
yourobjective.
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Ifprovided,definingyourgoalswhilealsobrieflydescribingskillsorexperiencesyoucouldcontributeto
aroleororganizationcanbeausefulcombinationwithinanobjectivestatementorsummary.Likethe
jobsearchprocessoverall,describingskillsorwaysyoucouldcontributecanbalanceyour“ask”(what
youareseekingfromtheemployer–i.e.ajoborinternship)withwhatyouwill“offer.”
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ObjectiveStatementTips
Whenwritingyourobjectiveorprofessionalsummary,rememberto:
 Keepitjobfocused.Yourresumeisasalesdocument:itisaboutwhatyoucandoforthe
employer,notwhattheemployercandoforyou.
 Concisewritingiscritical:Becauseemployersreadresumesquickly,writingconciselyhelps
themlearnmoreaboutyou.Phrasesratherthancompletesentencesarethenormwithin
resumewriting.Additionally,personalpronounsarenotusedwithinresumewriting(no“I…”or

“my…”statements).
 Avoidgeneralstatementssuchas“seekingapositionwiththeopportunityforgrowthand
advancement”or“seekingapositiontoadvancemycareer.”Mostapplicantswanttoworkfor
growingcompaniesordesireadvancement,soidentifyingthesegoalsinyourobjectivedoesnot
helpyoustandout.
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DoINeedanObjective?
Anobjectivestatement(oraprofilesection)isanoptionalresumesection.Thinkingcriticallyaboutthe
contextofeachapplicationoftenprovidesthebestguidanceaboutwhetherornottoincludean
objectivestatement.
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First,allresumesshouldbesentwithacoverletter.Thislettershouldidentifythepositionforwhich
youareapplyingorindicatethatyouarewritingtoinquireaboutopportunities.Byprovidingacover
letter,anobjectivestatementcouldbecomerepetitiveandsomejobseekerswillchoosetoomittheir
objectivestatement.Otherswillincludeanobjectivetoreinforcetheirgoals(1)incaseanemployer
readstheirresumefirstor(2)toprovideareminderoftheirgoalswithintheresumeitself.Ultimately,
thedecisiontoincludeoromitanobjectivestatementisuptoyouandbothapproachesare
professionallyacceptable.
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Whatisthedifferencebetweenanobjectivestatementandaprofessionalsummary?
Anobjectivestatementisaconcise,position‐centeredstatementdescribingthevalueyoucanaddand
theneedsyoucanfulfill.Anobjectivemayincludeabriefstatementofskillsandqualificationsthatyou
willbringtoaposition.
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Aprofessionalsummaryislongerandprovidesmoredetailthananobjectivestatement.Professional
summariesidentifythetypeofpositionyouareseekingandprovidelengthierdescriptionsofskillsand
qualifications.Professionalsummariesaremosthelpfulforexperiencedprofessionalswho aimto
demonstratetheapplicabilityofskillsfromarangeordepthofpastexperiencesforaspecifictypeof
position.Professionalsummariesareusefulfornetworkingresumesandresumesuploadedtojob
searchwebsites.

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ObjectiveStatementExamples:
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Toobtainanaccountinginternship withanauditingfocus.Strengthsinclude:
 Attentiontodetaildevelopedthroughcash‐handlingpositions
 Experiencewithdataentryandspreadsheets
 Demonstratedleadershipthroughcampusactivities
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Experiencehighlights,skillsorstrengthscanbesharedthroughbulletpoints(above)orwithout(below).
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Full‐timemarketingresearchposition.Offeringexperiencewithsurveydevelopmentandevaluating
salesdata.
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Humanresourcesinternship,withparticularinterestinrecruitmentandtraining.
*Thisstudentdidnotinclude“offer”detailsaboutwhats/hewillbringtotheposition.However,
s/hedidprovidespecificdetailaboutthetypeofinternships/heismostinterestedinpursuing.
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ProfessionalSummaryExample:
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SalesrecordandstaffdevelopmentexperienceprovideoutstandingbackgroundforSeniorSales
Managementpositionswithinthepublishingindustry.Offering11years’salesand9years’
managementexperiencecombinedwithentrepreneurial,teambuilding andimplementationskills.
Possessleadershipabilitytoconceptualize,structureandachievemarketandprofitobjectives.
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EDUCATIONSECTION 
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Overview:Theeducationsectionhighlightsdegreesorcertificationprogramsthatyouhavecompleted
orarecurrentlypursuing.CollegeofBusinessAdministrationundergraduateswillearna“Bachelorof
ScienceinBusinessAdministration”andspecificmajorsarelistedafterthisformaldegreename.
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 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI May2013
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Major:Finance GPA:3.7/4.0
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 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI May2013
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration GPA:3.7/4.0
 Major:Finance
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GraduationDate:Asinglegraduationdateislisted.Unlikeanexperiencesection,adaterangeisnot
needed.Employerswillunderstandthatbyprovidingafuturegraduationdate,youarecommunicating
thedatewhenyouexpecttocompleteyourdegree.Agraduationdatedoesnotneedtobelabeledas
“expected”or“anticipated.”

DoubleMajorsorIncludingaMinor:Includingdoublemajororminorinformation mayrequirean
additionallineoftextwithinyoureducationsection.Boldorotherprofessionalfonteffectscanhelp
maketheinformationyouwishtohighlightstandout.




 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI May2013
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration GPA:3.4/4.0

 Major:OperationsandSupplyChainManagement;Minor:Spanish 

IfYouHaveNotDeclaredaMajor:Listing“BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration”issufficient
andmostaccurate.Asyoudeclareyourmajor(s)orminor(s),youmayaddthemtoyourresume.

GPA:Providingyourgradepointaverageisoptional.Ifyouhavea3.0orabove,providingthisdetail
mayenhanceyourmarketabilitytoemployers.IfyourGPAisbelowa3.0,BusinessCareerCenterstaff
suggestforyoutothinkcriticallyaboutthisinclusion.IfanemployerhasaskedforGPA,inclusioncould
beapositivewaytofollowapplicationinstructions.IfGPAhasnotbeenrequested,consider howthis
numberwill/willnotenhanceyourapplication?Coulditdistractfromyourexperiencesection?
Consideringthesetypesofquestionscanbeawaytothinkcriticallyaboutyoureducationsectionand
GPA.

RelatedCoursework:Providingrelatedcourseworkcanbeagreatwaytoenhanceanemployer’s
understandingofspecificknowledgeandskills.However,withlimitedspacewithinaone‐pa ge resume,
thissectionisoptionalandshouldbeusedonlytocommunicatethedetailsaboutyouthatwouldnot
beotherwiseunderstoodbasedonyourdegreepath.Introductorycoursesshouldnotbeincluded.For
example,aseniorstudentapplyingforamarketingpositionwithapharmaceuticalcompanymaywishto
highlighthismarketingandscienceknowledge.Inthisinstance,thefollowingeducationformatting
couldbeastrategicapproach.

 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration May2011
 Major:Marketing;Minor:Biology GPA:3.6/4.0
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 RelatedCoursework:e‐MarketingStrategy,Immunobiology

AcademicHonors:Academichonorsmaybelistedwiththeeducationsectionorinadistincthonors
section.Iflistedwithintheeducationsection,honorstypicallyfollowthedegreeinformation.

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI

 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration May2011
 Majors:InformationTechnologyandInternationalBusiness GPA:3.7/4.0
 Dean’sList:Fall2008,Fall2009–Present
 IgnatiusMeritandServiceScholarship

StudyAbroad:Studyingabroadcanbeanimportantcareer‐preparationexperience.Inadditionto
sharingtheacademicfocusandlocationofyourexperience,thestudyabroadlistingcanbeginto
communicateadditionallearningoutcomes.

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration May2012
 Major:InternationalBusinessandRealEstate GPA:3.3/4.0

 UNIVERSITYOFANTWERP,Antwerp,Belgium
 StudyAbroad:EuropeanUnionBusinessStrategy Spring2010
 CourseworkfocusedonEuropeanUnionEconomics
 TraveledtoGermany,Poland,FranceandSwitzerland
*Tip:Eventhoughtheuniversitynameincludesthecity,tomaintainformattingconsistency,the
fullcityandcountrylocationinformationisprovidedfortheUniversityofAntwerp.



ADDITIONALCONSIDERATIONS

HighSchoolInformation:Educationinformationfromyourhigh schoolexperience isnotlistedwithin
college‐levelresumes.Withcollegedegreeinformationonyourresume,employerswillbeableto
safelyassumethatyoucompletedhighschool.

TransferStudents:Listthedegreeandinstitutionwhereyougraduated(orwillgraduate).Itisnot
necessaryorcustomarytolistpreviousschools.


Licensing&Certification:Somestudentswillwishtohighlightalicenseorcertificationorcommunicate
theireligibility.Forcurrentbusinessstudents,thisinformationistypicallylistedwithintheeducation
section(althoughlicensesandcertificationsmayalsobeincludedasadistinctresumesection).

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 MasterofScienceinAccounting,EligibletositforCPAexam May2011
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Maj or:Accounting May2010

LocationonthePage:Employersoftenlookfortheeducationsectionatthetopofthepag ewithina
currentstudent’sornewgraduate’sresume.Graduatestudentsandalumni,pleasereviewthesection
below.

GraduateStudents&Alumni
Asamoreexperiencedapplicant,youmaywishtoconsideradditionalcriteriawhenincludingeducation
informationwithinyourresume.

LocationonthePage
Manygraduatestudentsandalumnihaveprofessionalexperienceorhavepursuedfurthereducation
concurrentlywithwork.Undergradua testudentsoftenlisteducationpriortoexperiencebecause
educationisthemostcareer‐related,full‐timeeffortwithintheiroverallexperience.Mostapplicants 
withmoreprofessionalexperienceprovidetheexperiencesectionfirst,andreinforcethissectionby
followingitwitheducationinformation.Ultimatelythesequenceofresumesectionsshouldreflectthe
orderinwhichyouwantemployerstoreviewtheinformationyouprovide.

CareerTransitions:Ifyouareseekingadegreeaspartofalargercareer(roleorindustry)transition,
listingeducationfirstcanoftenbeaneffectivestrategy.Ifyoupursuedadegreetopreparefora
specificindustry,listingthisinformationfirstcancommunicateyourrelatedknowledgetoanemployer.
Theexperiencesectioncanthenprovideanopportunitytocommunicatetheaspectsofyourpast
experience(s)thattranslatemostreadilytothetargetedroleorindustry.


ListingMultipleDegrees
Multipledegreesfromthesameinstitutionmaybelistedtogether.Forexample:

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 MasterofBusinessAdministration May2012
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Major:Marketing May2008









Degreesearnedfromdifferentinstitutionsshouldbelistedseparatelyandinreverse‐chronological
order.

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 MasterofBusinessAdministration May2011

 ABCUNIVERISTY,City,State
 FormallyWrittenDegree Name MonthYear

Licensing&Certifications
Employersforcareerfieldssuchasaccounting,insuranceandrealestatewillbeinterestedinreviewing
licenseorcertificationinformationwithinanapplicant’sresume.Thisinformationismostoftenshared
throughtheeducationsectionoraseparate“Licensure”or“Certifications”section.


Iflicensesorcertificationsarelistedwithintheeducationsection,thisinformationcanbeprovidedwith
thedegreeinformation,asaseparateitemwithintheeducationsectionorinadistinctsection.

Precedingthedegreelisting:

 WisconsinCertifiedPublicAppraiser#146

 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration May2005
 Majors:RealEstateandEntrepreneurship 
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI

 OR

 CertifiedPublicAccountant(CPA),StateofWisconsin 2011

 MasterofScienceinAccounting May2010
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Maj or:Accounting May2009
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI GPA:3.6/4.0

 
Withinthedegreelisting:

 MasterofScienceinAccounting,EligibletositforCPAexam May2011
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Maj or:Accounting May2010
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI GPA:3.6/4.0

 Or

 MasterofScienceinAccounting May2010
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration,Maj or:Accounting May2009

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI GPA:3.4/4.0
 CPACandidate:3partspassed










Asadistinctresumesection:

REALESTATELICENSING
CertifiedShoppingCenterManager(CSM),InternationalCouncilofShoppingCenters *Date

*Providingadateisoptional.Datesaremosthelpfulwhenalicensehasanexpirationorwillneedtobe
renewed.Intheseinstances,providingthedaterangeofqualificationcanbehelpfulforanemployer.
Datescanalsobeprovidedtodemonstratethelengthoftimeyouhaveheldalicense.“Licensedsince
2007”or“2007”couldbewaystocommunicatethiskindofexperienceinformation.

FormalWritingofMUGraduateDegrees
TheabbreviatedformsofMUGraduateDegreesareavailablewithintheGraduateProgramswebsite.
Abbreviationsaretypicallywritteninfullforformalresumewriting.Forexample,MBAiswrittenas
MasterofBusinessAdministrationandMSiswrittenasMasterofSciencein…

JointPrograms
Whenjointprogramcompletionwillresultintwodegrees,eachdegreemaybewrittenseparatelyorthe
jointnatureoftheprogramcanbecommunicated.TheMBAMAinPoliticalScience,MBAMSN,and

MBAJDareexamplesofthistypeofpro gram.

Degreenameswrittenseparately:
 MasterofBusinessAdministration GradMonthYear
 MasterofArtsinPoliticalScience GradMonthYear
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI

Degreenameswrittentogether:
 MasterofBusinessAdministration&MasterofScienceinNursing GradMonthYear
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI

Whenthejointdegreeisaprogramresultingin onedegreefrommultipleinstitutions,thedegreename
islistedwithbothschools.Forexample:
 MasterofScienceinHealthcareTechnologiesManagement GradMonthYear
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 MEDICALCOLLEGEOFWISCONSIN, Milwaukee,WI

Or,theschoolnamescouldbelistedtogether:
 MasterofScienceinHealthcareTechnologiesManagement GradMonthYear
 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY&MEDICALCOLLEGEOFWISCONSIN,Milwaukee,WI





EMPLOYMENTANDEXPERIENCE

ThepurposeoftheEmployment/Experiencesectionistodescribetheskills,knowledge,andexperiences
youhavegainedfromyourpastandcurrentexperiencesinawaythatcommunicatestheirvaluetothe
roleorindustryyouaretargeting.Thissectionmayincludeallrelevantexperiences‐paidandunpaid,

full‐time,
part‐time,internship,volunteerism,campusactivitiesandothers.

Withinthissection,describeyourexperiencesinawaythatcommunicatesyourqualificationsandwhat
youcanbringtothepositiontotheemployer.Gobeyondsimplylistingdutiesbydescribingtheskills,
responsibilitiesandoutcomesthatwillhavethemostrelevanceto
thepositionorindustryyouare
targeting.Thisdetailis“resumecustomization”andclarifiesyourvalueforaspecificemployerorrole.

Highlightsdescribedintheexperiencesectionmayinclude:
 Responsibilitiesandoutcomesachieved
 Leadershiporsupervisionroles
 Accomplishmentsorimprovements(remembertoprovidetheresults)

As
youthinkaboutwaystodescribeyourexperiences,questionstoconsidermayinclude:
1. Whatskillsdidyouutilizeordevelopthroughyourresponsibilities?
2. Whatdidyoulearnthroughyourposition?
3. Wereyoupromotedordidyoutrainothers?
4. Didyoucreatenewsystemsorprocesses?
5. Didyouwritereports,memos,summariesorhelpwithpublications foryourorganization?
6. Arethereexamplesoftimeswhenyoutookleadershiporinitiative?
7. Howdidyourworkcontributetolargerprocesses?Forexample,if youdiddata‐entry,what
systemsdidyouuse,whatkindofinformationdidyouenterandhowdiditfitintothebig‐
pictureforthecompanyororganization?
8. Whatweretheresultsofyourefforts?Increasedsales,astrongermailinglist,etc.

Format&Organization–Reviewsampleresumesforexamples
 Begineachbulletpointwithandactionverbandusetheappropriatetense(presentforcurrent
rolesandpast‐tenseforcompletedpositions)

 Employment/experiencesare
organizedinreversechronologicalorder(accordingtoenddate),
listingthemostrecentfirst
 Datesarealignedeitherontherightorleft.Providemonthandyear
 Includethecompanyname,city,stateandyourtitle orrole
 Useuppercase,italics,bold,andunderlingconsistentlyto
helpyourroletitlesandorganization
namesstandout
 Youshouldbeabletoeasilyidentifythefollowing
o Whereyouworked(company,location)
o Whenyouworked(monthandyear)
o Position/jobtitle
o Jobduties/accomplishments

SectionHeaders
Descriptivesectionheaderscanbeanadditionalwaytocustomize your
resume.Thiskindofformatting
canreinforceaskillorexperienceareayouwishtohighlightandfurtherfocusanemployer’sattention.
Thisapproachcanalsobeawaytomanagethesequenceofhowexperiencesarepresentedwhilestill
followingreverse‐chronologicalorderwithineachsection.
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Forexample,ifastudentistargetingamarketingpositionandshehasheldtwomarketinginternships
(thatareveryrelated)andapart‐timeposition(thatisagreatexperiencebutnotasrelatedto
marketingasherinternshiproles),shecouldusemultiple experiencesectionsanddescriptive
headers
tofocusemployers’attentiononhermarketingskillsandexperiences.Becausereversechronological

orderisappliedwithineachresumesection,thisformattingenablesthisstudenttolisther2009
summerinternshippriortothepart‐timeposition.

MARKETINGEXPERIENCE

 MarketingIntern,JohnsonControls,Inc.,Milwaukee,WI May–
August2010
 Bulletsaboutthisexperience.

 PromotionsIntern,BriggsandStratton,Milwaukee,WI June–August2009
 Bulletsaboutthisexperience.

RELATEDEXPERIENCE

 LeadBarista,BrewBayou,MarquetteUniversity September2009–Present
 Bulletsabouttheleadershipandmarketingrelatedaspectsofthis
position.

*Thisstudentcouldalsouseadescriptiveheaderforthesecondexperiencesection.“Campus
Leadership”or“LeadershipExperience”arepossibleheadersthatcouldfurtherco mmunicatethenature
andvalueofherBrewBayouposition(andothers)toanemployer.
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HONORSANDACTIVITIES

TheHonorsandActivitiessectionhighlightsyourpersonalaccomplishmentsandactivitiesbeyond
employmentandinternshipstoprospe ctiveemployers.


Honorscanincludescholarshipsreceivedanddistinguishedawards.Freshmenmaychoosetoinclude
awardssuchasValedictorian,NationalHonorSocietyandscholarshipawardeduponhighschool
graduation(Kohl’sScholarship,AmericanLegionScholar).
However,thesehighschoolbased
recognitionsaregenerallyomitte dbythestartofsophomoreyeartocreateamorecollege‐based
resume.Sophomoresandabovemayhaveanhonorssectionthatincludescollegescholarshipsor
awardssuchas,Dean’sList,BetaGammaSigma–HonorsBusinessSociety,IgnatiusScholarship,etc.

Activitiesmayincludeextra‐curricularactivities,volunteerismand/orinvolvementwithprofessional
organizations.Similartoajoborinternshipdescription,activitiesshouldbedescribedwithyourrole,
theorganizationorclubnameand(often)thedatesofyourinvolvement.Forexample:
HungerCleanup–Volunteer
President,EconomicClub,2010‐2011
MarquetteWomen’s
RugbyClub,President/Captain(2010‐2011)andMember(2008‐2011)

ProvidingDetailaboutHonorsandActivities
Whenanactivityhelpstodevelopskills,outcomesorexperiencesthatwillhaveparticularrelevancetoa
roleyouaretargeting,providingdescriptionsofyouractivitiescanbestrategic.
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Goingbeyondlistinganactivityismostrelevantwhenyourparticipationexceeds/exceededbasic
membershipfunctions.Bulletpointsthatdescriberesponsibilitiesoroutcomesthatareespecially
applicabletoaroleyouaretargetingorthatmaynotbeimmediatelyunderstoodarehelpfuland
appropriate.

 LeadReferee,IntramuralBasketball,Marquette

University September2009–Present
 Coordinateschedulesfor16refereesand42intramural3‐on‐3teams.
 Train5‐10newrefereeseachsemester.
 Calmlymanageplayerdisputesandsupportpositivesportsmanship.
 PreviouslyservedasIntramuralReferee,September–May2008.
Thisstudentdoesanexcellent
jobofcommunicatingthescopeofhisresponsibilitiesasLeadReferee.In
additiontocallinggames(whichcouldbeassumed),thesebulletpoints,communicatehismanagement,
trainingandcommunicationskills.

IncludingActivitieswithintheExperienceSection
Mostcampusinvolvementisappropriateforanactivitiessection.However,whenanactivity involves 
or
developsskillsandexperiencesthatwillhavedirectrelevancetothejoborinternshipforwhichyouare
applying,activitiesmaybeselectivelyincludedwithintheexperiencesection. Forexampl e,an
AccountingstudentwhoalsoservesastheSGAControllercouldcertainlyconsiderlistingthis“activity”
withintheexperiencesection.
Thisroleinvolvesresponsibilitiessimilartoan accounti ngpositionand
demonstratescampusleadership. 
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
SKILLS

Describingtheskillsthatpertaintotherole(s)orindustryarea(s)youaretargetingisacentralgoal
withinapplicationmaterials.Resultantly,skillsareoftendescribedthroughoutaresumeandcanbe
locatedwithintheeducation,experienceand/orstand‐alonesections.

Whenhighlightingskillswithinaneducationorspecific“Skills”section,itiscriticaltoconsiderthevalue

youare(orarenot)addingwithyourinclusions.Tokeepyourskillsectionsrelevantforemployers,
onlyprovideskillsthatareaboveandbeyondwhatisexpectedofyouintheCollegeofBusiness
Administrationandwithinyourmajor(s).

ListingSkillswithinanEducationorSkillsSection

Withinaneducationsection,skillsarelistedafterthedegreelisting.

 MARQUETTEUNIVERSITY,Milwaukee,WI
 BachelorofScienceinBusinessAdministration May2012
 Majors:EconomicsandEntrepreneurship GPA:3.6/4.0
  
 ComputerSkills:SAS,SPSS
 LanguageSkills:Spanishfluency,conversationalFrench

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Somestudentswillchoosetocreateaseparateskillssection.Labelingthesectionheaderwiththetypes
ofskillsdescribedhelpstofocustheemployer’sattention.

 LANGUAGE&COMPUTERSKILLS
 Spanishfluency,conversationalFrench
 SAS,SPSS,MSAccess


TechnologySkills:Ascollege‐levelstudents,proficiencywithMSWord,OutlookandExcelwillbe
expectedbyemployers,solisting theseskillswithinyourresumedoesnotimmediatelyaddvalue.
However,Accessisamoreuniqueprogramandlistingthisproficiencycouldbevaluable(especiallyifan
employerlistsworkingwithAccesswithinthejobdescription).Similarly,computerlanguagesor
statisticalprogramsaremoreuniqueorhigh‐leveltechnologyskillsthatcouldmakea positiveimpact
withinaresume.Includingthesetypesofskillswithinyourresumecanbepositiveandstrategic.

LanguageSkills:Listingfluencyorconversationallanguageskillscanbeagreatadditiontoaresume.

ListingSkillswithinanExperienceSection

ContextualizeYourSkills:Youcanmakeabiggerimpactwithyourskillsbydescribingthemwithina
contextorbyprovidingoutcomes.Asyouconsideryourdescriptions,avoidgeneralstatementssuchas
“communicationskills,”“workethic”or“peopleskills.”Manyapplicantswillhighlightgenera lskills,and
employersaremoreinterestedinthespecificdetailsaboutyou.

Identifyingaspecificskillareaisagoodstart.Thenextstepsareto(1)considerwhatyouwishto
highlightaboutthisskilland(2)provideacontextorresulttohelpareaderunderstandhowyouused
thisskillortheresultsyouachievedwithit.Thesed escriptionsoftenfitnicelyintoanexperience
section.Forexample,youmaywishtohighlightyourcommunicationskillsandwithinthisbroaderskill,
youcouldfocusonyourlisteningandphonecommunicationskills.Thebulletpointbelowhighlights
theseskillswhileprovidingacontextandresult:
 Achieved94%customersatisfactionratingbyutilizinglisteningandphonecommunication
skillswithininsuranceclaimscallcenter.

Adverbsoradjectivescanbecreativewaystoincorporateskillsintoactionstatements.
 Politelyrespondedtocustomerinquiriesandupsoldproductsbasedonclientneeds

Don’tforgetaboutresults!Whatdidyoucontributeorachievebyusingyourskills?
 DevelopedinventorydatabaseusingMSAccess.Resultingorderingadjustmentscreated

15%morewarehousespace.
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
QUESTIONS&RESUMEREVIEWS

ContacttheBusinessCareerCenter
(414)288‐7927

MarquetteUniversityCollegeofBusinessAdministration,Straz277
