Resume Do’s and Don’ts

By Emily Bowman ’17

Starting or updating a resume?  Check out these DO’S and DON’TS to make sure your’s is top-notch!

DO keep your bullet points concise and detailed.

DO spice up your word choice!  You didn’t just “file documents” you “completed various administrative tasks.”  You want to describe everything you did at a position in as compelling a way as possible.

DON’T use acronyms or club/job-specific jargon. Outside of the HC community, no one will know what SPUD or SGA are, so it’s more effective to simply list the name of your SPUD site or write out Student Government Association.

DON’T use a weird font.  Comic Sans might seem unique but it will likely come across as unprofessional.  Play it safe with Times New Roman.

DO get your resume to fit on one page.  Concision is key!

DON’T undersell yourself. No time humblebrags, talk about how awesome you are!

DO keep your formatting consistent.  If you center one heading, then center all of them.  If you italicize one job title, do the same for the rest as well.

DON’T use personal pronouns in your bullet points.  Instead, start off with a strong action verb.

DO swing by the Center for Career Development (Hogan 203) to have your resume checked over by a counselor or Peer Career Assistant!