What is a resume?

"A BRIEF written account of personal, educational, and professional qualifications and experience."

A Resume's Purpose

• Act as a marketing tool
• Demonstrate communication skills, knowledge, skills, abilities, and passions
• Demonstrate Career Readiness: Career readiness includes possessing the key skills of Critical Thinking/ Problem Solving, Professionalism/ Work Ethic, Teamwork, Written/Oral Communication, Information Tech Application, Leadership, Career Management, Global/Intercultural Fluency
• To secure an interview

Resumes should be

• Easy to read and consistent
• Font recommendation: Times New Roman/ Calibri
• Font size recommendation: 10 min. - 12 max.
• Margin recommendation: 1 inch- .5 inches (Default setting on Word)
• No more than 1 page

Chronological Resumes

Chronological resumes are the most popular type of resume. These resumes are in reverse chronological order (past to present). This resume is best used to highlight consistency between jobs, and best used when your experiences relate directly to your prospective job.

Functional Resume

Functional resumes are used when applicants are trying to enter a new field. These resumes list experiences based on skill headings to focus on skills. The focus is not on previously held positions or the time spent working in previous positions. This resume lists work experience at the bottom of the page.

Federal Resume

A federal resume is used when applying to federal jobs. These resumes require more information than a standard resume. For help creating a federal resume, please visit one of the Career and Talent Development Offices.

*Components of a Resume

1. Personal Identification (Name, E-mail, Phone Number, Address)
2. Education
3. Experience
4. Skills

*Note there are additional categories that could be included in your resume

Personal Identification

Objective (Optional)

• An objective is optional. If you choose to include it, it must be tailored to the job or department you are applying to using keywords from the job description.

Education

• Institution with city and state
• Degree earned, anticipated, or EGD
• Graduation month and year
• GPA (if above a 3.0)
• Additional Items Include: Honors, Academic Achievements, Study Abroad, Certifications or Licenses
• Located below objective (if objective is included) or below personal identification

Work Experience

Your work experience should follow the following format in reverse chronological order with the most recent work experience listed first.

Be sure to include the following information in your work experience section.

• Position title
• Company name
• City and state
• Month and year of employment
• Concise bullets outlining your responsibilities, tasks, and accomplishments

Additional Categories

• Summary of Qualifications
• Skills
• Research Projects
• Activities/ Leadership
• Honors/ Awards
• Training Certifications
• International Experience- relevant to professional experiences (study or research abroad)

Sample Resume

Common Resume MISTAKES

• Do not write "References available upon request". References are not included unless it is a federal resume.
• Do not include the following on a resume: photograph, social security number, disabilities, previous terminations, sexual orientation, physical characteristics, political or religious identity, hobbies, high school information
• Your resume should be unique to the position you are applying to
• No personal pronouns (I, me, my)

Drop In Program

Each Career and Talent Development location features a Drop In Program, where students and alumni can quickly and conveniently get expert:

• Resume critiques
• Cover letter critiques
• Career guidance
• General job search strategies
• Answers about Handshake

Click on the FIU Drop In Program link below for information about FIU Career and Talent Development” Drop In Program locations and hours

Handshake

We are excited to announce that FIU Career & Talent Development has partnered with Handshake - a modern career development platform - to be your one-stop-shop for launching your career.

Students and alumni will now be able to request appointments with our Career Coaches on Handshake for personalized resume assistance.

Make an appointment on handshake complete the following steps:

Log on to Handshake > Click "Career Center" in the top right corner > Click on "Appointments" > Click "Schedule an Appointment"

More Information

To find out more information and access our online handouts and resources, click the link below to be directed to the FIU Career and Talent Development web page.