Update

Updating your resume is a regular part of the job and internship search process. If you’ve already got a resume style and structure you like, this section covers how to update it to tell your story.

Watch this webinar to learn more about updating your resume content to tell your story.

Structure + Formatting

  • Each section should be organized in reverse chronological order.
  • Place important information toward the top of the document, because HR managers often scan resumes quickly. These sections include Education, Relevant Experience, and/or Leadership Experience.
  • Within your bullets, organize these descriptors so that the most relevant appear first.
  • Use numbers instead of writing them out, for example, use 5 instead of five.
  • Familiarize yourself with the structure of accomplishment statements (bullet points). They tell your story and highlight your skill set.
  • If you include relevant coursework, ensure that the courses listed are relevant to the position. Irrelevant courses or standard courses expected of a student with the stated major should not be listed.

Must Dos

  • Review your accomplishment statements closely for a strong action verb, what you did, and 1-2 of the following: why you did what you did, how you did what you did, for whom, outcomes of your work and/or impact of your work.
  • Use past tense in your accomplishment statements (bullet points) unless you are currently involved in the experience.
  • Review and improve your action verbs. View the table below for examples. Check out this list of action verb options.
GoodBetterBest
WorkedContributedImproved
DidPerformedProduced
Responsible forManagedSpearheaded
AttendedParticipatedOrchestrated
SawObservedAnalyzed
LearnedGained ExperienceImplemented
TriedTestedDeveloped
Examples of good, better, and best action verbs.

Avoid

  • Don’t include tables to organize the document.
  • Avoid personal pronouns in the resume.
  • Avoid colors. If you do use color on your resume, ensure your primary font color is black.

Tips

  • Keep your resume to one page in length. If you must go to 2 pages, ensure that you can fill both pages with experiences relevant to what you are applying to.
  • Decide if a summary statement is helpful for your resume.