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Resume Best Practices

Resume versus CV

A resume intends to be a brief and targeted highlight of professional accomplishments. It emphasizes transferable skills and related experiences. It is used primarily for positions in industry and non-profit sectors. A hybrid document with elements from both a CV and resume is common for government positions.

CV stands for “curriculum vitae” and is a document often used to capture someone’s accomplishments in one’s career.  A CV is commonly used when applying for a faculty or postdoctoral position or research- or teaching-focused positions within universities. You may also be required to submit a CV as part of a fellowship/grant application. 

Use numbers to highlight your accomplishments

Use numbers, percentages, or dollars to highlight your accomplishments—you can find this information in your performance reviews, previous job descriptions, awards, and letters of recommendation.

When explaining your accomplishments:

  • Include examples of how you saved, earned, or managed money.
  • Include examples of how you saved or managed time.

Examples

  • "Improved efficiency of document processing by 25 percent over the previous year".
  • "Wrote 25 news releases in three weeks under daily deadlines".
  • "Managed a student organization budget of more than $7,000".
  • "Wrote a prospect letter that has brought in more than $25,000 in donations to date".

These statements show in concrete terms what you accomplished.

Use  exact terms/phrases and address every required qualification

Your experience needs to address every required qualification in the job announcement. Hiring agencies will look for specific terms in your resume to make sure you have the experience they're seeking.

For example, if the qualifications section says you need experience with “MS Project,” you need to use the words ” MS Project” in your resume.

Customize your resume

You should tailor your resume to the job announcement rather than sending out the same resume for every job. Customizing your resume helps you match your competencies, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience to the requirements for each job. Emphasize your strengths and include everything you've done that relates to the job you're seeking. Leave out experiences that aren't relevant.

Organize your resume to make it easy to understand

You need to organize your resume to help agencies evaluate your experience. If you don't provide the information required for the hiring agency to determine your qualifications, you might not be considered for the job.

  • Use reverse chronological order to list your experience—start with your most recent experience first and work your way back.
  • Provide greater detail for experience that is relevant to the job for which you are applying.
  • Show all experiences and accomplishments under the job in which you earned it. This helps agencies determine the amount of experience you have with that particular skill.
  • Use either bullet or paragraph format to describe your experiences and accomplishments.
  • Use plain language—avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood.

Be concise

Hiring agencies often receive dozens or even hundreds of resumes for certain positions. Hiring managers quickly skim through submissions and eliminate candidates who are not qualified. The standard length for a resume is typically one to two pages. However, federal resumes are often 4-5 pages long. Look at your resume and ask:

  • Can a hiring manager see my main credentials within 10 to 15 seconds?
  • Does critical information jump off the page?
  • Do I effectively sell myself on the top quarter of the first page?

Review your resume before you apply

Check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors, and have someone else with a good eye for detail review your resume.

Additional Resources 

Check out these videos on Beyond the Professoriate to assist with resume building. Use this link to find out more information about Beyond the Professoriate and how to sign in. 

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