Wise Startup Blog

I’m sure all of you out there who have ever applied for a job are familiar with a resume. If you plan to get an internship or a job after college, you MUST have a resume. A resume is your personal advertisement. When approaching a prospective employer, your resume is going to be one of the only determinants employers use to select you for an interview.

I’ve created about 10-15 different drafts of my resume over the past couple of years, and want to share some of my insight and thoughts on how to best prepare a resume. First, here is a list of tips for creating a successful resume from across the web (think googol search).

• Create a “Life Outline” of your past accomplishments
• Write in a standard font, avoid fancy formatting, and aim for 1 page in length
• Create an objective/mission statement that is tailored to your specific employer
• Use Action Words (A great list of action words from JobWeb.com)
• Take note of the top keywords recruiters use to find you (Monster.com)
• Focus on accomplishments and skills learned in your prior jobs/activities
• Have your resume critiqued by friends, family or college resource

Here are some links to some sample resumes to get some ideas on how to format your resume.

• Four general resumes from JobWeb
• A large selection of resumes from SusanIreland.com
• Chronological and Functional resumes from JobStar