Career Services - Penn State Altoona - Penn State University

CREATING YOUR RESUMÉS
Resumés often serve as your initial contact with employers and are the most critical item in determining whether or not you
will obtain an interview. The document is a brief “advertisement” of your skills, education, and relevant experience. You may
need to have several versions of your resumé, especially if you are seeking various positions. It should be specific to each
type of job you are seeking; a general or generic resumé gets far fewer interviews.
Tips for Preparing Your Resumé
• There is no one way to organize a resumé, but it should be neat and appealing to the eye. There should not be any
spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Be sure to avoid using text messaging language.
• Use quality bond paper (24#). Do not fold or staple your resumé. Cream, gray, and beige are all conservative
colors of paper that are acceptable.
• The layout should be simple, well organized, and consistent. Good spacing, margins, and headings contribute to
appearance and readability. Use creativity in layout, white space, and margins for optimal graphic appeal. Font
size should be at least 11 point.
• Verb phrases should include skills gained through experience instead of listing general duties such as filing,
photocopying, and answering phone. Avoid using personal pronouns.
• A one-page resumé is preferred, but a two-page resumé is acceptable in certain situations. If two pages are
needed, the second page should list significant and relevant material on at least ¾ of the page. Be sure to include
your name and page two at the top of the second page.
• It is recommended that the resumé be printed on a laser printer or high quality ink jet printer. Since the resumé
will most likely be copied by an employer, the original must be flawless and of high quality.
• The resumé should be tailored to each job description. Look at a number of sample resumés to get ideas about
style, layout, and content. Then you can create your own style. Avoid using resumé programs or templates because
they are redundant in style for readers.
• Keywords should be used for electronic resumés. Keywords are nouns and phrases that highlight technical and
professional areas of expertise, industry-related jargon, projects, achievements, special task forces, and other
distinctive features about a prospect’s work history. Try to identify all possible keywords appropriate to your
skills and accomplishments that support the kinds of jobs you are seeking.
• Avoid personal information that has no impact upon your ability to do the job. (Age, marital status, sexual
orientation, religion, political party affiliation, etc.)
• If you attach your resumé in an e-mail message do so in the format requested by the employer. If a specific format
is not required, send as a PDF or RTF document.
1 • Resumes and Cover Letters