© by Barbara J. Feitler-Karchin, The Career Planner: Resume Tips. 2012, all rights reserved.
4
TYPICAL RESUME INFORMATION
(Paper copy and electronic hints)
These categories are suggested areas. If you do not have information to fit, feel free to skip it!
Identifying Data: include your name, address and telephone number, cell number and e-mail address at which
you can be reached during normal business hours.
** Cyber Safety: Limit access to your personal contact information on the web. Options range from
blocking access to just the contact information to keeping your resume completely out of the database
searched by employers. Select the option you feel most comfortable with when you post your resume. If
you select full confidentiality, it is up to you to remember to delete contact information from your
resume! Modify your "cyberspace resume" by removing all of the standard contact information, name
address and telephone numbers, and replace your personal e-mail address with an e-mail address set up
specifically for your job search. Use an appropriate e-mail name to demonstrate you are a serious job
seeker.
Summary of Qualifications/Professional Highlights: A Summary of Qualifications specifically summarizes
your skills and accomplishments or lists your "Skills Set". Many resumes are scanned by computer to do an
initial screening in a large database.
Education: List the high school, colleges or universities that you have attended in reverse chronological order.
Include the degrees or anticipated degrees with a date (exclude the date if you are posting a resume in a
cyberspace database.) Include your most recent educational experience first. Include any certifications you
have received. If you have been awarded academic honors, you may include this information in this area of
your resume. If you have a good grade point average (over a 3.5/4.0), you may wish to include it. If you have a
significant number of honors, you may create a separate category on your resume.
Work Experience: Include a brief summary of your previous employment listed in reverse chronological order
(most recent experience to oldest). Include the Title of your position, Name of the employer, and City, State
location, include time frame of employment (from month date to end date or present) and a brief action oriented
description of your accomplishments. Begin phrases with action verbs (see Skills Identification Activity or Key
Resume Words list) to help generate active phrases that describe what you did. I.e., "Posted and audited books
of original entry for division generating $1 Million dollars in sales annually." If you were involved in an internship,
state the dates, type of internship, organization, geographical location and your position accomplishments.
** Cyber Safety: Modify your employment history. Remove all dates from your resume. Then, remove the
names of all employers and replace them with accurate, but generic descriptions, instead of General
Motors Corporation, use a descriptor, such as international automotive manufacturer. Use a generic title for
your position title as well. If you post your resume, make sure you check on its status frequently. Renew
your resume posting at least every two weeks (14 days). If you have not received any feedback from your
resume posting in 30 days, then remove it from the database and post it elsewhere.
Skills/Accomplishments: Describe your accomplishments and skills through specific terminology for your
field. Many resumes are pre-screened through computer databases looking for special combinations of words
that bring your resume to the top of the pile. Evaluate all of your past experience and define it in terms of what
you have accomplished and what you want to "market" to your prospective employer. If there are tasks and
functions that you absolutely do not want to do, eliminate them from your resume. You determine what you are
selecting to "market" and select those functions that you are happy to sell. Use action verbs, accomplishments
and numbers to help define your successes. Include your proficiency on the computer with PC and Mac
platforms and which software packages you are familiar and knowledgeable using in an employment situation.