How to Write a Resume or CV

Include: Name, email, phone number.

Optional: Home address, customized LinkedIn URL.

Pro Tip 1: Don’t include your home address if posting your resume to an online platform.

Pro Tip 2: Make your name stand out and remove hyperlinks from contact information.

Pro Tip 3: If your resume is two pages, copy your header to the next page and indicate the page number.

Include: Institutions where you have completed, or will soon complete, some level of education, the city and state where the institution is located, the name of your degree(s), major and minor fields, and date (month, year) of graduation.

Optional: List honors, related coursework, and/or study abroad opportunities here or create separate sections.

Optional: List your grade point average. Recommended to include if 3.0 or higher.

Optional: If you are a freshman or sophomore, you can include high school information.

Pro tip: Bold your degree name and major so it is easily seen on the page.

Resume Example Early college, including high school info

Resume Example Multiple schools

Resume Example Grad Student

Include: Job title (bold), name of organization, city and state, start and end dates (month, year).

Bullet statements for each experience that begin with an action verb and provide details on the skills, tasks, knowledge, and results from each experience. 

Optional: Include experiences that are paid, unpaid/volunteer, full- and part-time experiences. Types of experiences to potentially include: internship, co-op, practicum, student teaching, field placement, job (on/off-campus, summer), and/or volunteer. 

Pro tip 1:  Start your bullet statements with an action verb in the present tense if the experience is currently happening or on-going. Start the bullet statement with a past-tense action verb if the experience took place in the past and is complete. 

Pro tip 2: Tailor your bullet statements to what you are applying to by using keywords from the job description and listing the statements in order of importance to the relevance of the position. 

Pro tip 3: If you have experience directly related to what you are applying for, list it in a section with the name of the experience. For example: Sales Experience; Research Experience, Relevant Experience. Experience not directly related to what you are applying for may be listed in an Additional Experience section where bullet statements are optional depending on space.

Action Verbs by Category

Current Student & Recent Graduate: 1 page

• Exception: Education and Human Service professions can have 2 pages if needed

Curriculum Vitae (CV): As long as it needs to be

Research: Include the title of research, bullet statements describing what you did, the techniques, equipment or software used, results, and dates you worked on the research. List a research advisor if applying to graduate school.

Publications: Include the title publication, name of publication source, and date published formatted in the citation style appropriate to your field. Publications can be listed as “pending” if they have been submitted.

Research Example:

Mitochondrial capacity of breast cancer cells.     June - August 20XX
Summer Undergraduate Research Program, UMD
     - Earned grant through competitive selection process
     - Conducted experiments to test whether or not there are biomarkers
        specific to anti-estrogen resistant breast cancer
     - Helped select tests and interpreted results

Publication Example:

Skildum, A. and Researcher, C. 2019. “Mitochondrial capacity is increased in resistant forms of cancer cells.” American Journal of Cancer, Vol. 20, Issue 15, 341-346.

Resume Example

Include: Title of project, course name (if applicable), dates, and bullet point statements describing the project. Projects are a way to showcase working with a team, applying concepts or skills learned in class, and/or working to meet a client’s needs.

Recommend Majors: STEM Majors (especially Computer Science & Engineering), Marketing, and any other major where you complete major projects.

Example:

Student to Business Initiative, Consumer Behavior, Fall 20XX
     - Collaborated with team of five to analyze client’s business environment
       and consumer interactions
     - Determined target markets and applied consumer behavior concepts to
       increase sales

Resume Example

Include: List the name of courses you have taken that are most relevant to the opportunities you are looking for, requirements for a particular position or program, or are unique courses you have taken that perhaps others in your field may not have taken.

Optional: Relevant coursework can be included as part of the Education section or in its own section.

Resume Example #1
Resume Example #2 

Include: The exact name of the award and date (month, year) received. 

Optional: Can include Honors in Education section if they are related to your education or if you only plan to list one honor. 

Optional: Honors might include Dean’s List for Academic Excellence, awards, special recognition, and/or scholarships.

Resume Example

Include: Skills can include technical, software, and/or lab skills, foreign language abilities, and/or special licenses or certifications. 

Optional: If your skills fall into a specific category, you can name the section by topic, such as Computer Skills or Language Skills.

Pro tip: Avoid simply listing transferable skills (communication, time management, team player) in a Skills section, and instead demonstrate how you utilize these skills by incorporating them into your Experience section bullet statements.

Resume Example - computer skills
Resume Example - computer skills in STEM major
Resume Example - languages

Include: List licensures, certifications, and exams (upcoming or taken) relevant to your search in either the Education section or a separate section.

Accounting Majors: if you are pursuing 150 credits in order to take the CPA exam, list it in your Education section.

Potential licenses, certifications, or exams: Actuary, CNA, CPR, EMT, First Aid, Professional Engineering, Social Work, Teaching, Water Safety Instructor.

Resume Example

Studying abroad can add much to developing your future career path. It is also an experience that can be used to showcase skills in language, adaptability, independence, global awareness, and more. Depending on your experience, you could include your study abroad experience in your Education, Experience, Projects, and/or Activities sections. 

Education Section:
Include: Program, University (if applicable), Dates
Optional: You may also want to include a few details about your experience abroad.

Examples:

Study in New Zealand, University of Waikato    March 2019-June 2019

Coral Reef Studies in the Bahamas, Study Abroad   May 2019
     - Studied the interactions between physical and biological factors of coral
       reefs using biological and geological field techniques

Experience/Projects Section: 
Include: Position (paid or volunteer) or project, organization/class, location, and dates. Showcase relevant skills used and developed through the experience.

Experience Example:

Intern, Office of the Major, Clermont-Ferrand, France      Aug. 2019-Dec. 2019
Mission des Relations Internationales
     - Supported the administration of sister-city projects in Anglophone
       countries
     - Facilitated the organization of a celebration for more than 500 visiting
       international students

Project Example:

SPAN, Student Projects for Amity Among Nations           May - July 2019
University of Ibn Zohr, Morocco
     - Conducted independent cross-cultural research on relational development
     - Edited and aided in website and social branding as a volunteer for RDTR,
       a tourist organization

Here are more ideas of how you can showcase your study abroad experience through your resume, cover letter, and interviews as shared by fellow students.

Include: The name of the organization, city, state, and dates (month, year) you were involved. You can also include bullet statements for these experiences if relevant or if you have additional space on your resume. 

Optional: If you held a leadership position, list the title of your position first in bold before the other information. 

Optional: You can list activities like sports (team or club), music, volunteer opportunities, student organization involvement, and any other relevant co-curricular or community activities. 

Pro tip: Including these activities can help highlight leadership skills or demonstrate your interests to help you stand out.

Resume Example - With more information about role

Resume Example - Athletics

Include: Position, Branch of Military, Location(s), Years of Service. Format similarly to the Experience section detailed above.

Pro tip: Including your military experience can showcase skills related to your major and career path, along with other core skills such as leadership, discipline, teamwork, and communication.

Resume Example