10 Rochester Institute of Technology
ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
What Is a Resume?
A resume is a synopsis of what you have to offer an
employer for a particular type of job. Its purpose is to orga-
nize the relevant facts about you in a written presentation
which will serve as your personal advertisement. Your
resume must indicate WHO you are, WHAT kind of work
you can do, and HOW you are qualified. It must sell as well
as tell!
Contents of a Resume
The following items are found in one form or another in
most resumes. You are encouraged to consider them as you
prepare yours.
sIdentifying Information—your name, address, and
telephone number. Usually both local and permanent
data should be indicated. Consider including your
email address, plus a personal URL (if you have one).
sJob Objective—a brief statement indicating the
type of opportunity (title and/or functions) you are
seeking and possibly mentioning your preferred
geographical location(s) and/or employment sector.
If you are applying for more than one type of job, it
is a good practice to vary the Objective and prepare a
resume styled specifically for each one, or, you may
use the cover letter accompanying your resume to state
your objective. Bear in mind an Objective can
strengthen a resume by providing focus, but
including one is not “required.” Rather than being too
narrow or too vague/general, you may choose to omit
the Objective.
sEducational Background—list of colleges and
universities attended, dates, degrees, diplomas, and
certificates with emphasis on highest level achieved
and special training pertinent to your job objective.
You may also include your GPA and any academic
honors received at each school.
sExperience or Work History—a summary of your
work experience. Indicate dates of employment,
name of employer, city and state, title of each
position. Also describe your major duties and respon-
sibilities and relate any notable achievements (e.g.,
promotion) and/or skills developed. You may want
to have one section for related work experience and a
separate section for other experience. Employment
which is relevant to your stated job objective should
be elaborated on; that which is unrelated, including
part-time, should be mentioned at least briefly.
sSkill Section—a list of specific skills and abilities most
useful in your career field. For example: computer, tech-
nical, laboratory, foreign languages, or certifications.
sActivities or Interests—at least a brief mention of
extracurricular activities, professional memberships
and affiliations, community activities, and hobbies or
pastimes. Be sure to mention any offices held.
sOptional Categories— military record, licenses/
certifications, publications, major projects (e.g.,
research), other experiences (e.g., volunteer, travel).
Format of a Resume
There are basically three types of resume formats—
reverse chronological, functional and combined.
Reverse Chronological Format
This format typifies 80% of all resumes. Education and
job history are described in descending order, with the
most recent events first. It tends to emphasize job titles and
organizations.
This has advantages for people who:
s 7ISHTOEMPHASIZETHEMOSTRECENTEMPLOYER
s (AVEPRIORJOBTITLESTHATAREIMPRESSIVE
s (AVEJOBHISTORYRELATEDTOFIELDOFSTUDY
The disadvantages exist for those who:
s (AVEASPOTTYWORKHISTORY
s !RECHANGINGCAREERGOALS
s (AVECHANGEDEMPLOYERSFREQUENTLY
Functional Format
This format goes beyond simply outlining experience
and education. The focus is on what is termed “transferable
skills.” The key element of this type of resume is the section
on skills. The skill clusters chosen should support the stated
job objective. Group your work accomplishments, responsi-
bilities, and duties according to functional skill areas such as
“Project Planning Skills,” “Managerial Skills,” “Sales,” and
“Communication.” Choose your skill headings according
to your job objective and briefly describe, using action state-
ments, the work you did in each of the broad categories you
identify. For example, if you did financial analysis and plan-
ning in previous positions, describe these responsibilities
Resume Preparation
Hot Tips:
1. Make sure your objective fits the type of job
you want.
2. Choose the resume format that most effectively
markets your skills and experiences.
3. When developing the employment history
section on your resume, strike a balance
between job duties, skills you possess and
accomplishments.
4. Use action words to attract attention to your
skills and accomplishments.
5. Use specific examples in your skills or experi-
ence section to support and strengthen your
objective.
6. Your resume should be concise, neat and well
organized, not overcrowded; it should be
attractive to the eye.
7. Make sure your resume is faxable and able to
be scanned.
8. It must be 100% free of errors and be printed/
copied on high-quality paper.
9. Don’t sell yourself short—make sure you
describe your experience and transferable
skills effectively; emphasize your areas of
professional growth.
10. Consistency in dates, punctuation, indenta-
tion, style and tense is very important.
11. Do not put the following information in your
resume: your photo, sex, age, race, or health.
12. If a second page is needed, repeat your name at
the top.
www.rit.edu/co-op/careers 11
R O C H E S T E R I N S T I T U T E O F T E C H N O L O G Y
under the heading “Financial Planning” and treat your expe-
rience in this area as one complete unit. Work history and job
titles take a subordinate position in this format. In fact, you
may draw upon volunteer positions, education and other life
experiences for many of the skills you wish to note.
This type of format has advantages for those who:
s !RECHANGINGCAREERS
s(AVEHADAVARIETYOFRELATIVELYUNCONNECTEDWORK
experiences.
s7ANTTOEMPHASIZECAPABILITIESDEVELOPEDINNON
paid experiences or those of a freelance nature.
s7ANTTOWORKINFIELDSNOTDIRECTLYRELATEDTOTHEIR
education.
The disadvantages in using this format exist for those who:
s7ANTTOHIGHLIGHTSPECIFICEMPLOYERSESPECIALLYPRES-
tigious ones.
s(AVEPERFORMEDONLYALIMITEDNUMBEROFFUNCTIONS
in past jobs or other experiences.
s 7ISHTOEMPHASIZEAGROWTHPATTERNINPASTJOBS
It is possible to develop a combined approach to resume
preparation using elements of both formats.
Combined Resume Format
This style combines the “best” elements of the chrono-
logical and functional resume. Accomplishments/skills are
presented in a section or sections as is a brief work history.
This format is designed to highlight the qualifications of the
applicant with much less emphasis on specific work titles and
dates. Therefore, this format is suggested for those who have
a diverse work history or who are making a career change.
The strong points of this resume format are:
s!LLOWSYOUTOHIGHLIGHTSKILLSTHATARERELEVANTTOYOUR
job objective.
s-INIMIZESGAPSINTIME
s#ANBEVARIEDTOEMPHASIZEORDEEMPHASIZEWORK
history and job titles, as appropriate.
The limitations of this resume are:
s4AKESLONGERTOPREPARE
s#ANBEDIFFICULTTOREADUNLESSITISWELLWRITTEN
Resume Review
Before you finalize your decision on which format to use,
you may wish to consult with your Program Coordinator to
determine which style is appropriate for your particular
circumstances. We strongly encourage you to utilize
on-campus computer systems and laser printers when
developing and printing your resume. Not only is it more
cost-effective, but it allows for easy updates and changes.
Alternatively, you may have your resume printed or dupli-
cated on campus at the Copy Center located in Bldg. #99.
Scannable Resume
Many large employers have been investing in scanning
technologies as a productivity aid in human resources.
Resume images are entered into a system using an optical
scanner, thereby building a database of applicant informa-
tion. As needed, the employer then accesses candidates by
searching this database for those with desired qualifica-
tions. You may choose to develop a separate version of
your resume in scannable format.
These new systems search by using “keywords” (partic-
ularly nouns) or phrases. So, in order for your resume to
have appeal to those in your chosen field, explicitly and
extensively use the jargon of that field! Caution: when
including acronyms alone be sure they are widely recog-
nized; otherwise spell the words out.
Also, the format you use can have a critical impact on
your resume’s “scannability.”
Tips for Making Your Resume “Scanner-Friendly”
s&ONT3TANDARD3ERIFAND3ANS3ERIFFONTSWORK
best. Others acceptable: Helvetica, Futura, Optima,
Universe, Times, Palatino, and Courier. Avoid ornate
fonts.
s&ONTSIZEISALSOIMPORTANTSIZESBETWEENPT
work best.
s)TALICSANDUNDERLININGMAYCAUSEPROBLEMSFORTHE
scanner, especially if combined. Avoid reverse type.
Use boldface for emphasis.
s6ERTICALORHORIZONTALLINESSHOULDBEUSEDSPARINGLY
When used, leave at least a quarter of an inch of space
around the line.
s!VOIDGRAPHICSSHADINGSHADOWINGANDBOXES
s$ONOTCOMPRESSOREXPANDTHESPACEBETWEENLETTERS
or lines. Do not double space within sections.
s4HERESUMEYOUSUBMITSHOULDBEANORIGINAL
printed with a laser printer on white or light-colored
8.5” x 11” paper.
Action Words
The following list of action words should be used
to succinctly accentuate tasks, functions and achieve-
ments when describing work and other experiences:
accomplished
achieved
adapted
administered
alleviated
analyzed
appraised
assisted
audited
chaired
completed
communicated
computed
conceptualized
conducted
constructed
controlled
coordinated
corrected
created
designed
demonstrated
developed
devised
diagnosed
directed
edited
employed
enabled
enforced
enhanced
enlarged
equipped
established
estimated
evaluated
expanded
facilitated
forecasted
formulated
guided
implemented
improved
increased
initiated
insured
integrated
invented
investigated
led
managed
modeled
modified
motivated
negotiated
organized
originated
performed
persuaded
planned
produced
projected
promoted
qualified
rated
recommended
reported
researched
resolved
revised
selected
solved
strengthened
supervised
trained
translated
updated
wrote
12 Rochester Institute of Technology
R O C H E S T E R I N S T I T U T E O F T E C H N O L O G Y
s0OSITIONYOURNAMEATTHETOPOFTHEPAGEONITSOWN
line; use standard address format and place each
phone number on its own line.
s$ONOTFOLDORSTAPLETHERESUME
Emailing Your Resume—Do’s and Don’ts
Increasingly employers are requesting, sometimes
requiring, that resumes be sent by email. Again, the format
choices you make can have an important impact on your
ability to do so effectively. Follow these guidelines for an
email version of your resume:
s$OPREPARESEVERALDIFFERENTFILEFORMATVERSIONSOF
your resume. For example, save one in plain text
(ASCII) format, save another in Rich Text Format and
another as a Word document. Employers may request
that resumes be submitted in a certain file format for
email purposes. Adobe PDF format resumes are also
widely used and readily accessible by employers.
s$ONOTUSEPOSTSCRIPTFILESTHEYDONOTEMAILWELL
s$ONOTINCLUDEYOURRESUMEASANATTACHMENTONLY
Instead, include your resume as part of your email
message, perhaps separated by something like the
following: [begin resume] and [end resume] AND
indicate that it is attached to the email as a Rich Text
Format document, also. RTF formatted documents
are easily interpreted by most modern word proces-
sors and support bold characters, underlining, italics
and other formatting.
s$ONTUSEBOLDFACEUNDERLININGORBULLETSINYOUR
resume when it is included as part of the email text.
You can use asterisks (*) or plus signs (+) instead of
bullets and do consider using CAPITAL letters as a
highlighting technique.
s$OEMAILYOURRESUMETOYOURSELFORAFRIENDASA
test, before emailing it to employers, to be sure the
format transfers as desired.
s$OMAILIFPOSSIBLEANORIGINALRESUMETOTHE
employer as a follow up to your email.
s!LWAYSINCLUDEACOVERLETTERASPARTOFYOUREMAIL
message text. Follow the same guidelines for cover
letter development as you would if you were mailing a
cover letter to an employer by U.S. mail. See section on
Correspondence.
Concluding Notes
The resumes that you use should be well-planned,
distinctive, and professional in appearance. Good format,
high-quality paper, and well-written text will greatly
improve your readership. Above all, the contents of your
resume must be factual. Each statement needs to be accu-
rate and not overly inflated. On the other hand, avoid either
revealing potentially negative information unnecessarily,
or selling short your accomplishments. Refer to the sample
resumes which follow as springboards to develop effective
ideas and approaches for your own.
DISCOVER.
INNOVATE.
ACHIEVE.
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faculty who challenge them to engage
in research that matters in the real world.
We invite you to discover WPI—a
premier university for graduate studies in
science, engineering, and business.
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