Resume

A resume is a document used to introduce yourself to employers and to market your skills, accomplishments, and educational background relevant to the position. On average, employers spend 7-20 seconds reviewing resumes, so it is important that you create a document that aligns your best qualifications with the position you are seeking.

Resume Icon [Link to template]

Template Resume
(Microsoft Word Document)

Formatting

  • Chronological: Showcase your education, activities and work history, highlighting most recent experiences first, followed by additional information organized in reverse chronological order
  • Functional: Draw attention to key skills, lessening the emphasis on graduation dates or dates of employment. This format is typically used by those who have diverse work experiences, or who have noticeable gaps in employment history
  • Chrono-Functional or Combination: Maintain emphasis on skills and notable accomplishments, including a brief section that outlines work history and dates of employment

Sections

Contact Information

  • Name, mailing address (if desired), cell phone number and professional email address 
  • Consider adding a LinkedIn URL to showcase your completed profile

Education

  • Education: University of Mississippi
  • Location: University, MS
  • Degree (Bachelor of Business Administration) and current major
  • Include minors, emphasis, and concentrations
  • Include anticipated graduation date
  • Consider removing high school after sophomore year
  • GPA (only recommended if 3.0 or higher) & Honors
  • Coursework related to the position you are seeking can be included
  • Study abroad experience can be included
  • Certifications can be included here or in a separate section

Professional Experience

  • Include organization/company name, position/title, and dates of employment
  • Highlight relevant experience using strong action words by business function
  • Focus on describing accomplishments and the positive impact you made on the organization – not just your duties or responsibilities
  • Focus on adding value by describing experiences as achievements, not like a job description 
  • Be specific and quantify and qualify accomplishments

Activities

  • Demonstrate transferable skills relevant to the position you’re seeking through student organizations, professional organizations, community service and volunteer work
  • Get involved in leadership roles

Skills

  • List skills to add value (hard skills instead of soft skills) such as certifications, technical knowledge, or proficiencies

Other Sections you can include

  • Objective, Summary of Skills, or Professional Qualifications section
  • Languages
  • Interests (if relevant to the position)
  • Honors and Awards
  • Availability
  • Geographic Preference

Layout

  • Use a font that is easy to read both in print and electronically, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, etc.  We recommend a 10-12 pt. font for the body of your document. You can enlarge your name to stand out on your resume (14-16 pt. font), and you can elect to use a smaller font for your demographic information, depending on the style you select to create your heading  
  • Use bold or italics to make key information stand out
  • Organize your information in a consistent manner throughout the document, making it easy for the reader to find key information. Either a bulleted format or a paragraph-style format is appropriate
  • Create a layout that has an uncluttered appearance, with white space remaining on the page. Use 1” margins, but no less than .5” margins

Vmock.com

Vmock.com is a machine-learning artificial intelligence resource where students can input a resume and receive customized feedback, scoring, and details on how to optimize a resume.

vmock.com link