Prepare a Resume

What is a resume?

A strong resume paints a clear, concise picture of your experiences, skills and strengths. For employers, resumes work as both introductions to and reminders of potential employees; many even use resumes as guidelines for interviews. For applicants, resumes are self-evaluation tools; creating, rereading and updating your resume can help you perceive what you can offer in the job market and to construct your career goals.

Not everyone's resume will look the same or have all of the same information, but a strong resume will be well-organized and will make it easy for the reader to find key information.

Our RESUME GUIDE contains several sample Sewanee student resumes, as well as a list of common Sewanee student experiences and activities to help you more easily put together a well-written resume. By the time you reach your junior year, most high-school information can be removed from your resume.  List work and volunteer experiences in reverse chronological order (most recent first.) In each of your entries on your resume, include your job title, organization/business, city, state (or country), and dates.  For individual help in crafting your resume, please contact our office (x1121) to make an appointment.

Format

Resumes of college students should:

• Be only a single page in length
• Be arranged in order of importance to the employer
• Be printed on high-quality paper (unless sent electronically)
• Have no typographical errors and be completely truthful
• Emphasize skills of use to the employer

According to a survey of employers,

A resume should demonstrate that the candidate has the abillity to work in a team, leadership skills, written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and a strong work ethic.