Your resume should be concise, succinct and to the point. 

Check your resume for proper grammar, spelling and punctuation which can be evidence of good communication skills    and attention to detail.

Make your words count – your use of language is important - sell yourself quickly and efficiently.  A successful resume depends not only on what you say but also how you say it. 

Avoid using long paragraphs and    provide small, digestible pieces of information

Use strong, action verbs to emphasize accomplishments, such as “developed,” “managed,” and “designed.”

  Avoid declarative sentences (“I developed …”) and passive constructions (“was responsible for …”).

Make the most of your experiences and accomplishments - provide details on what you have accomplished without being vague.  Describe things that can be measured objectively.

Be factually accurate, including dates of employment, education completed, job title and skills possessed. 

Your resume should be visually appealing.  Make sure it is neat, organized, and consistent.  Again, your resume the first impression you’ll make to a potential employer.

Emphasize what you can do for an employer.  Be specific and customize accordingly.  Your resume and the way it is organized should be relevant to the position for which you are pplying. 

Eliminate superfluous details - unnecessary details can take up a lot of valuable space on your resume.

Don’t mention personal characteristics which employers may not legally solicit from you.

Contact Information

Include details of your home address; do not list your work address
Include an email address
Include home and/or cellular phone number

Summary or Career Objective

The “Summary” or “Objective” may be an optional component to your resume.  It provides direction and focus and should allow an employer to immediately identify the targeted job or field of employment.  You may wish to omit an objective if you aren’t sure of your career direction at this time.

In a Summary, clearly communicate the type of job you want and what you can offer the employer.  You may want to keep your Summary limited to two or three sentences.

You can prepare an Objective that is broad enough to include related jobs, but not too broad that you appear unfocused or willing to take any job.  Keep your Objective limited to one or two sentences.

Try not to be too vague or too restrictive.

Avoid phrases such as “challenging, rewarding career.”

Education

List degree(s), college(s) attended, location(s), and date(s) of completion. Include major(s), minor(s), and areas of concentration.

Include certifications,
honors, special awards, skill-based training, etc.

If applicable, include experience studying abroad.

It may not be necessary to include high school information.

Related Work Experience

Provide details with respect to position title(s), organization/employer, dates, location(s), etc.

Provide a brief description of primary responsibilities.

Be concise and start points using strong, action-oriented verbs in your description; quantify success where possible.

Provide details with respect to accomplishments and related skills.

If professional experiences go back 10 to 15 years, you may want to list only title(s), organization(s), dates, and location(s); you may want to hold off on including a description and additional details, keeping the focus on your more recent experience.

Professional Activities/Associations

Provide details regarding any college, community-related activities or professional associations.
Include the positions held.
Describe your specific accomplishments, awards and honors.
Identify leadership roles.
List presentations, publications, papers, etc.

 Include Certification and Licenses