RESUME STANDARDS

The singular purpose of a resume is to secure an interview. The resume is a statement of credentials that should provide enough information to outline and detail skill set, experience and education. A resume should also generate a mental picture or image that not only fits a potential job opening, but draws attention to the candidate as an eminently qualified individual.

The art of resume writing is not about graphics, color or animation. Neither is a resume a place for misleading or false information. Hiring authorities read dozens of resumes at a time, know what they want and expect to find it or will eliminate a candidate from consideration. In other words, the resume that succeeds is a statement of fact, clearly presented, without ambiguity or showmanship.

The first step is to take inventory and list technology, abilities, responsibilities and accomplishments. Examine current and past positions. Job descriptions should be thorough enough so that nothing is presumed, yet do not overwhelm the reader with detail. Save that for the interview. A resume should be one to two pages depending upon length of experience.

Here are a few simple rules to keep in mind:

NO
• Shadows, shading, colors, graphics
• Lines, columns, page breaks, borders, cells

USE
• Common readable and faxable fonts such as Times, Arial or Helvetica
• 10–12 point type

DO
• Underline and/or boldface section titles or headings
• Use standard desktop word processing software (Word™ or Word Perfect™)

FORMAT
• Some jobs like Applications Development are process oriented—use paragraph form
• Some jobs like Systems Administration are task oriented—use bullet form

Last, a resume should be error free. Use spelling and grammar check; then review the resume yourself several times.

HERE IS A SAMPLE LAYOUT: