Resume Formatting: 

The visual layout is up to you, but here are some basic suggestions:

• It should look professional, and like you put time and effort into creating a polished document
• Your formatting should be consistent throughout the resume
• Use a standard font (Times New Roman or Ariel) to ensure compatibility
• Use a font size of 10-12pt
• It should appear clean and organized
• There should be clear divisions between categories
• Use bolding, underlining, or italics to draw the eye to the most important things (but do not overuse!)
• You should fill the page (first page), and white space should be evenly distributed

Keep in mind there are many excellent formats and the candidate may select a style that best presents content. The Boise State Career Center is available to assist in the critique and editing of resumes and cover letters.  Let us know if you need assistance: Boise State Career Center, 1173 University Drive, (208) 426-1747, career@boisestate.edu.

TYPES OF RESUMES 

There are 2 main types of resumes, chronological and functional.

The difference between the two is primarily in the way your experience is organized and presented.

 

	CHRONOLOGICAL	FUNCTIONAL
What is it?	·         Your work history is the main focus of your resume ·         Your previous jobs are listed in order from most current to least ·         Your relevant experience is described through your work history	·         Relevant skills and experience are the main focus of your resume ·         Your skills and experience are listed by category, not by job
When should you use it?	·         When your work history is related to the job you are applying for ·         When your work history shows an upward progression towards the position you’re applying for	·         When you have very little or no work experience ·         When you are changing careers ·         When you have gaps in your employment or significant gaps in your related employment ·         When your job titles or companies worked for are seemingly unrelated to what you’re applying for
You can also do a Combination Resume, which combines elements from these two types in whatever way works best to show off your qualifications for the job you’re applying for.

 TIPS AND TRICKS 

The most important tip there is: TARGET YOUR RESUME!

A resume is NOT your professional biography. It is a marketing tool you use to sell yourself to a particular employer.

 Job descriptions are your cheat sheets! If there is a posted job description for the position you’re applying for, this tells you what the employer is looking for. If there isn’t one, call and try to get more information. 

Be direct and clear about how your experience relates to the job you’re applying for. Don’t make them guess or have to assume things. 

Address the WHOLE job description, not just the qualifications section. Consider each and every task listed on the description, and for each one that you have done before, or done something similar (where you used the same skills), list it on your resume. Don’t leave out anything on the job description that you’ve done or can do, even if it doesn’t seem important to you. If they put it on there, they think it’s important! 

Think about how your resume might be reviewed. Might it be screened by an HR department before ever going to the department that’s hiring? (It it’s a larger company, the answer is almost always yes!) Think about what this means. Someone in your field may be able to see how your experiences could have prepared you for this job, but the HR staff are not experts in your field. What they know about the job is what’s in the job description… so this is what they will be looking for in your resume to determine if you are qualified! So… 

The best resume is the one that most closely matches the job description (without copying it word for word or lying!) 

Determine the order you list things in based on what the employer is going to care the most about. This applies to your categories as well as the information in them. For example, which is your stronger selling point, your education or your experience? Your job title or the company you worked for? The degree you got or the school you got it from?

FAQs

Does my resume really need to be only 1 page?

There is no “rule” for how long your resume must be. It will depend on:

1. How much relevant experience you have.
2. How long and detailed the job description is. This is a good way to tell what kind of detail the employer would like to see on your resume. If an employer puts out a really long, detailed job description, that’s a good indication that they’re looking for the same level of detail back from you. If it’s a really short description, that’s probably means they’re looking for something more condensed.

One-page resumes are ideal, especially when you don’t have a ton of experience in your field yet. Do what you can to make it fit, like shrinking your margins or your font size. The important thing, though, is that you address EVERYTHING in that job description that you can, even if you have to take more than one page to do it. 

Do I have to include my entire work history?

Not necessarily. Here are some guidelines:

• If you work history is very short, you probably want to include everything
• If you have a longer work history, you can probably get rid of irrelevant jobs you had years ago
• You have the option of leaving off irrelevant jobs, but you don’t want to create employment gaps. If you take a job off, make sure that time is accounted for somewhere else on your resume, like if you were in school. You don’t want it to look like you did nothing for a period of time!

Here are some options of how to deal with your work history issues:

• If your work history is really long, scattered, or irrelevant, switch to a functional format
• In the chronological format, split your experience up into 2 different categories- “Related Experience” and “Other Experience.” Only provide job duty details for the relevant jobs.

Should I list my high school education on my resume?

No! You only put your high school diploma (or GED) on a resume if that’s the highest level of education you have. As soon as you’ve started college, it’s implied that you’ve completed high school requirements. 

Should I include personal information on my resume?

In the vast majority of cases, no. This means don’t include interests that are unrelated to the job you’re applying for. There are few exceptions to this, such as if you’re applying to a sporting goods company, and the job description asks for candidates who have a passion for sports. Also, DON’T include any information like birth date, social security number, physical characteristics, marital status, etc. 

Do I need to have an Objective statement on my resume?

No. Traditionally, resumes always had objective statements at the top, but nowadays it’s optional. If you haven’t submitted a cover letter, an objective clarifies what position you’re applying for. But, you can leave this section off entirely, or you can replace it with a summary section. 

What’s a summary section?

The optional summary section, which can be called “Summary,” “Professional Summary,” “Summary of Qualifications,” or something similar, is an optional section that lets you make your strongest selling points more visible. This section usually consists of 3-4 bullet points, and will address the most important qualifications the employer is looking for. It usually goes at the top of your resume, right under your heading. This section can be really beneficial if you meet the qualifications for the job; however, if you don’t quite meet the qualifications, don’t include a summary section, because it will just draw extra attention to this. 

For additional assistance, visit the BSU Career Center. We are located in the Alumni Center building, across University Dr. from the Bronco Stadium, at the corner of University and Grant. Appointments are strongly recommended.

http://career.boisestate.edu • 426-1747 • career@boisestate.edu