• Create consistent spacing to develop a balanced effect, including margins at least one-inch wide on the top, bottom, and sides of the resume.

• Use bold type, underlining, italics, and CAPITALIZATION to highlight information, but use such word effects judiciously and consistently

• Use a font size of 10-12 points and popular, non-decorative fonts including Times and Arial.

• The resume should be neat. Never make handwritten corrections on your resume.

• Produce on a computer using a letter quality or laser printer.

• Use 8 " x 11" paper of good bond quality (20 to 25 lbs) and 25-100% cotton content.

• Color should be white or off-white only.

• Generally, keep it short (1-2 pages). Put name and page number on top right of second page.

• Write in a telegraphic style (short phrases): Complete sentences are not needed.

• Begin each statement with an action verb (organized, presented, developed, created…).

• Write objectively (no “I,” “me,” “my,” etc.).

• State present position in present tense and past positions in past tense.

• Check repeatedly for grammar, spelling, and typing errors. Ask others to review the resume, or make an appointment at the University Writing Center.

• Make sure all your information is current.

• Do not include personal information (marital status, religion, ethnicity, age etc.), photos, or references on the resume.

• Be consistent with format. Don’t overdo stylistic effects such as italics and bold.

• A standard Mail Version is highly designed with bullets, italics, and other highlights.

• A Scannable Version is still word-processed, but without bullets and the other design highlights. Computers scan resumes for “keywords” they’ve been programmed to find. If your resume does not include these noun keywords, the computer will pass it by. The more keywords found in your resume, the stronger it’s weighted. When applying for an advertised position, the keywords are the “wants” in the want-ads. While computers do not search for action verbs, include them for the human reader.

• A Plain Text Version can be cut-and-pasted into an email message or into online forms.

• If you’re web savvy, you can create an all-inclusive Online Portfolio.

• The Resume Place

• eResumes and Resources

• Monster.com

Sources:

“Preparing your Resume for the Internet and Posting it Online.” The Riley
       Guide: Resumes and Cover Letters. 10 Mar. 2001.
       <www.dbm.com/jobguide/eresume.html>.

“Resume and Cover Letter Development.” University of Wisconsin at                Milwaukee. 10 Mar. 2001.<http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CDC/jobsearch        _preparation_resume.html>.

Cover Letters
E-Resumes
Locating Professional References
Resume Basics
Resume Content and Structure
Sample Resume
CVs