A Resume does not make or break an interview, but a well written Resume can only help to get you noticed and in the front door.

These resume-writing guidelines apply to every individual, regardless of the industry, professional level or job of interest.

You should …

1. Customize your resume – If you are not sure what you want to do for your career, you may have three or four resumes depending on the types of jobs you are going after.

• Tailor resume for each position.
• Focus on employer's needs, identifying how individual skills & accomplishments meet/exceed their requirement.

2. Practice brevity - keep it short

• Make resumes one to two pages long.
• Write qualifications & accomplishments in concise bullet points that can be read quickly.
• Select words with care and avoid run-on sentences. Read every sentence out loud. If you find yourself gasping for breath, break the sentence in two.

3. Showcase your achievements

• Mention at least two or three of your top achievements within the top third of page one–this is the most valuable real estate on your resume.

4. Use action words

• To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored, presented, etc.

5. Match your resume with the position

• Review want ads for positions that interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to match them to bullets in your resume.

6. Make it readable

• Select an easy-to-read font & type size–no less than 11 points.
• Leave some white space, rather than a full page of text, with no breaks.
• Use a standard font if sending resume via e-mail. And, to preserve formatting, send the resume as an attachment, rather than cutting and pasting into the e-mail text box.

7. Edit & proof your resume

• Read resumes carefully–check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Send to friends, a mentor or a career counselor to review.

8. Think quality

• Use good quality paper stock.
• Select white or cream-colored paper.