Defend Yourself: Build the Perfect Resume

There’s no one perfect resume, but you can do a few things to make yours stand out from the rest ‘in a good way. Please, no nudes. Oh, and a few things: edit, spell check and keep your layout consistent. Check out the tips after the jump!

RESUME LAYOUT
1. Keep it to one page.
2. Long, wordy paragraphs? No. Remember, KISS (keep it simple, stupid).
3. Use short, bulleted points with active verbs (e.g. ‘pummeling’).
4. Relevant work experience should be highlighted over activities and other skills.
5. Emphasize accomplishments as well as responsibilities.
6. There’s no need to separate internships and jobs, okay?
7. Make your resume easy to scan.
8. Fancy designs and colors don’t add anything.

YOUR SKILLS
9. List technical (computer, program, research) skills that are important for the job and relevant leadership roles in college activities.
10. If you’re hurting for space, get rid of activities/interests over jobs and internships.
11. Have a unique interest? Put it down; it could be a good conversation starter.
12. Some interests are associated with certain positions (golf and the corporate world).Place them at the end
13. Describe any relevant leadership roles you had in college.

YOUR DEFENSE
14. Bring a sheet of paper to your interview with references’ contact info.
15. You can write ‘references available upon request’ if you’d like, but make it pretty obvious that you have people to speak on your behalf.