Resume best practices

Here are some best practices to consider when creating or updating a resume

1. Use a blank Word document so you control all your space, and you will only use headings that are meaningful for your resume. 

2. Use professional fonts – Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond or Times New Roman.  These fonts are easily readable for quick review by a hiring manager.  

3. You will want to make sure your point size is readable. Headings can be 11 to 14 points and text 10 to 12 points.  It depends on the font you chose.  

What to include

1. Contact details: Begin your resume with your full name and accurate contact information, including a professionally named email address. You do not have to add your physical address, but you may want to add City, State and ZIP code. This ensures potential employers can easily reach out to you. 

2. Optional section – professional summary/summary of qualifications: Write a concise professional summary that highlights your most valuable skills or qualifications for the job you are applying for in a few sentences or bullet points. This lets the reviewers see quickly that you are a great candidate. 

3. Work experience: List your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. For each job, provide details about your responsibilities, accomplishments, and any specific achievements. Use bullet points and quantifiable facts wherever possible in your resume. Start each bullet point with an action verb.  

4. Education background: Include details about your educational qualifications, such as the degrees you have earned, the institutions you attended, and any relevant certifications or training programs. 

5. Optional section – key skills: Highlight the skills most relevant to the position you are applying for. These could include technical skills, verifiable soft skills and any specialized knowledge related to your field.  

6. Optional section – volunteer experience, leadership experience, awards, hobbies, interests: Choose which optional section best fits you. Each person’s experience is unique, and so is their resume. Only use the sections that are applicable to your work history. Also, consider how any of the sections might make you a better fit for the position.    

Remember these additional tips

• Use short statements instead of complete sentences. 

• Be consistent in formatting (font, margins, bold/italics). 

• Avoid personal pronouns (“I,” “my”) and abbreviations. 

• Keep your resume concise, and limit it to one or two pages.