Office of Career Services – Ohio Northern University
Résumé Standards
BASIC STANDARDS
Format & Appearance
_ Consistent & legible fonts, 10-12 pt in size
_ Organized and consistent entry of information
_ Consistent headings and subheadings
_ Well-spaced, balanced appearance, appropriate margins (.1-1.25”)
_ Concise, proper grammar, consistent punctuation, correct spelling
_ If longer than one page, use page numbers and name in subsequent pages’ header
_ Multiple page résumé – last page is at least half a page long
REQUIRED INFORMATION
Identifying/Contact Information
_ Name, 14-16 pt font
_ Address, including city, state, ZIP code (current or permanent)
_ Telephone number with area code (cell phone recommended)
_ E-mail address(check for appropriate username – suggestion: establish an e-mail address specifically for job searches)
_ Web address for personal Web site (if used for on-line portfolio, etc.)
Education
_ Degree(s) awarded, most recent listed first - spell out the name of the degree
_ Graduation date (month, year)
_ Institution(s) and location (city, state) – spell out the name of the institution
_ Spell out major, minor, areas of concentration
_ GPA (optional—only if 3.0 or higher)
_ Test scores (Praxis, GRE, LSAT, etc. – when applicable)
_ Honors/fellowships/scholarships (optional, or can be separate section)
_ Consistent format for multiple entries
_ Appropriate use of accreditation
Experience
_ Experience listed most recent, or most important, first
_ Organize by category (related, volunteer, internship, part-time, professional)
_ Position titles, name of employer organization, city and state location, dates
_ Accomplishment statements (sentence fragments) starting with action verbs
_ Accomplishment statements quantified where possible
_ Past tense for past positions, present tense for present positions
_ Do not use “I” statements
_ Consistent format for multiple entries
_Functional Résumés – organize experience into relevant skill categories, strong
action words, brief chronological listing of experience near the end of the résumé
OPTIONAL INFORMATION
Licenses & Certifications, Honors & Awards (if used)
_ Title of license or certification
_ Name of awarding body
_ Dates
Memberships, Activities, & Professional Associations (if used)
_ Names of organizations
_ Dates of membership
_ Leadership roles
_ Accomplishment statements with action words for leadership roles
Skill Summaries and Relevant College Courses (if used)
_Specific skills listed; include context explaining use or extent of skill
_ Appropriate to job objective or transferrable skills
_ Course titles only, appropriateto job objective (typically for undergraduate résumés only)
_ Course assignments with explanations
Publications, Presentations, & Research (if used)
_ Title, date
_ Biographical information including premise, process, outcomes, presentation/publication of findings
Military Service (if used)
_ Branch of service
_ Rank at time of discharge
_ Service specialty
_ Relevant training or service schools
_ Leadership activities
_ Skills developed appropriate to job objective
References
_ Use separate reference page
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Definite Rejection Criteria
_ No contact information
_ Personal information (marital status, gender, ethnicity, religion, height, weight, DOB)
_ Photograph
_ Errors (spelling, punctuation, listing titles of degrees, majors, etc.)
_ Obvious exaggeration
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