CAREER SERVICES

Humanities/Student Services, Room 205

1600 Chester Avenue, Bremerton, WA 98337-1699

RESUME CHECKLIST:

The following checklist is designed to assist you in writing your resume and incorporates standards which employers commonly use when reviewing resumes

1. Personal Contact Information:

  • Make sure your personal contact information is current
  • Name: first and last (only include middle name or initial if you use it for other documents)

NOTE:If your name is gender neutral, difficult to pronounce or unusual, the interviewer may not feel comfortable calling because they don’t know who they are calling (man or woman) or how to ask for you. You can make it easier by providing, for example, (Mr.) Lynn T. Cowles or include the name you go by (i.e. Ndege “Nick” Vernon)

  • Mailing address (do not abbreviate street addresses), city, and state (you may abbreviate the state you live in). If you use a Postal Box, you may include this and/or your physical address
  • Must include home phone number and/or you can also include your cellular phone number
  • Professional e-mail address (i.e. )

NOTE:To set up a free e-mail account, consider visiting Hotmail or Yahoo

2. Objective:

  • Tailor your objective to each job you are applying for
  • In one sentence include: (1) type of employment (i.e. entry level, part time, or full time); (2) job position; and (3) company name (i.e. “To obtain an entry level position as a Receptionist at Olympic College”)

3. Education:

  • List in reverse chronological order
  • Include the following information about your degree(s) and/or certificate(s):
  1. Where you graduated (official names of college or institute and city and state)
  2. Major, minor, or concentration; date(s) completed or expected (i.e. Expected June 2012)

NOTE: use the official names for degrees, majors/minors (see course catalog)

  • Academic honors, awards and recognitions. Commonly known awards (i.e. Phi Beta Kappa) do not need an explanation; less known awards should be briefly explained
  • Include your GPA if it is an asset (3.0 or higher)

4. Work Experience:

  • List in reverse chronological order
  • The way you structure the "experience" section will depend on what you are looking for and what you have done (visit the Career Center for more guidance if needed)
  • Include: job title, name of company you worked for, city and state (do not include supervisors name and contact information), and dates employed (write out months and year; if short term employment and/or gaps list only years)
  • List responsibilities, achievements, significant contributions and demonstrated skills
  • Describe experience concisely. For example, descriptions such as "Responsibilities included developing course material" can be phrased as "Developed course materials"
  • Refer to the following link for action “power words,” which serve as sentence starters when describing job responsibilities:

5. Other Sections to Consider including in your Resume:

  • Keyword Profile, Professional Profile, Summary of Qualifications, or Professional Summary
  • Volunteer Experience or Community Involvement
  • Related Courses
  • Languages
  • Awards and Activities
  • Certification and Training
  • Skills or Transferable Skills
  • Technical Skills or Computer Skills
  • Professional Affiliations or Professional Memberships
  • For formatting/style ideas review our resume samples and templates:

6. References:

  • Do not include references in your resume document
  • Provide professional references (NOT friends and family) on a separate page using the same heading style/format provided on your resume (only need 3-5). Make sure you contact your references in advance to get permission to list them. Examples of professional references may include a professor, volunteer supervisor, and work manger.

7. Organization and Appearance:

  • For high school, current or recent college graduates, a one page resume is preferred
  • Format is balanced and easy to read
  • Font is either Arial or Times New Roman (between 10-12 pt. font sizes)
  • Highlight strongest qualifications and/or credentials relevant to your objective

8. Content:

  • Support objective and include relevant skills, education and experience
  • Stress results and accomplishments
  • Include pertinent professional associations
  • Speak to employers needs and include key terms (refer to the job description)

NOTE: The following website offers descriptions of job responsibilities and skills for specific careers:

  • Include hobbies or extracurricular activities only if relevant to the objective
  • Free of personal data such as social security number, demographic information (ethnicity, religious affiliation, political background), references and reason for leaving employment

9. Language:

  • Use short action-orientated phrases instead of lengthy sentences and paragraphs
  • Free of abbreviations and acronyms (spell out)
  • Don’t use “I” statements
  • Proof read for spelling and/or grammatical errors (visit the writing center - schedule an appointment at: 360-475-7318)

WorkSource (2010). Retrieved on March 3rd, 2010 form