1. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF RESUME WRITING
Key strategies to develop a competitive resume for your job
search
Emily Flositz

2. PURPOSE OF A RESUME
 The main purpose of your resume is to get you
the job interview
 During the job interview it can serve as a guide
for conversation between candidate and
employer
 There is no exact science to creating a resume;
in fact it is more of an art form tailored to how
you want to be perceived by your potential
employers, showcasing your knowledge,
abilities and skills as they relate to the job
opening

3. KEY SECTIONS OF A RESUME
 The first step to writing
your resume is to know
your audience and to
know how you want to
market yourself
 Resume must-have’s
include:
 Contact information
 Objective/career
summary
 Education
 Work experience
 Optional sections include:
 Summary of Skills
 Volunteer Work
 Technical Skills
 Honors and Awards
 Memberships and
Affiliations
 Relevant Coursework

4. CONTACT INFORMATION
 A full formal name is traditional, but it is acceptable to use
the name you prefer to be called (ex. Jessica to “Jessie”)
 Your name should be bold and in a larger font, typically
16pt-20pt
 Essential contact points are Phone number, E-mail
address and a physical address (one that is best to
contact you at)
 Ensure that the e-mail address provided is professional
and simple (ejones@gmail.com rather than
topgun47@aol.com). Student e-mail address should
suffice, however, upon graduation consider obtaining
your own e-mail account specifically for job hunting and
to separate from student identity and to stay organized in
your job search
 Remember to provide a professional sounding voicemail
greeting for potential employers that clearly identifies
your name
 If your resume is more than one page, be sure to provide
your contact information as a header on all subsequent
pages
Example:
Jonathan “Jon” Davis
Phone: (407) 555-4321 / E-Mail: jdavis@gmail.com
123 Main St. Orlando, FL 32701

5. OBJECTIVE/CAREER SUMMARY
 An objective statement is typically
used for students or alumni and
career changers
 It gives your resume clear direction
and focus
 It will consist of a short and concise
statement that identifies:
 Position you are seeking
 Field of interest
 Your strongest relatable skills for the
job (What you can bring to the
position)
 A career summary is often used for
experienced professionals
 It summarizes and highlights your
relevant experiences and
qualifications obtained through
similar work experiences,
transferrable into new job prospects
 Designed to captivate your audience
and communicate your value as an
employee
 Can be in paragraph form, bullet
statements or a combination of both
 It identifies:
 Your career profile
 Brief statements describing work history
 Skills and abilities that support desired
field of work
 Technical skills or qualifications
(licenses, certifications, etc.)

6. EDUCATION
 As a student or alumni, this section may need to be
provided before listing work experience
 Identify your degree, school name, any
concentrations, dates enrolled and, if desired, your
GPA
 High school diploma/information is typically
unnecessary at this stage of your professional
development
 Example:
08/2008 – 05/2012 Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
Seminole State College, Lake Mary, FL
GPA: 3.77

7. EXPERIENCE
 This section is not limited to professional/paid work experience
 Volunteer work, research projects, internships, community service
and the like can all be considered as “experience”
 Include dates of employment, job title, name of company, and
location
 Follow this with 3-5 Bullet statements describing specific skills
and responsibilities undertaken and developed in this experience
 Do not list references, they can be listed on a separate document
to submit as needed
 Example:
01/2009 – Present Front Service Manager
Publix, Orlando, FL
 Develop and monitor labor schedules of 25 employees
 Interact with customers, identifying their needs and if needed, resolve any customer service issues
 Supervise front end staff of cashiers, baggers, and support assistants

8. THE STAR METHOD
To create your bullet statements for each work experience, try
using the STAR Method:
 Situation – What situation have you confronted or handled?
 Task – List requirements of the situation; what needed to be
done?
 Action Steps – What steps did you take to handle/resolve
this situation?
 Results – What was the conclusion of the situation, and the
impact of it on the company, agency, fellow employees,
customers, etc.?

9. FORMATTING
 The most important thing to remember when formatting your
resume is consistency; Find a style you like and stick with it
throughout
 Each section that lists similar information (dates, title, company,
location, bullet statements) should be formatted in the same style
 Keep it simple: Avoid any fancy or creative fonts, choose one
that is easy to read and can easily transfer from sender to
receiver (some fonts are not supported by other users’ programs)
 Typical font size for content is between 10pt -12pt
 Watch grammar and punctuation (If you end any bullet
statements with a period, make sure to end all of them with a
period)
 Try to stay with one page; Typical rule of thumb is one page for
every 10 years of experience. Page margins, font sizes and line
spacing can be adjusted
 List all experiences and education in Reverse Chronological
(Most recent first, oldest last)

10. TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
 Work on one section at a time; This will reduce stress and
exhaustion
 If at any time you get stuck, move onto another section and come
back to it later
 Start with the easy things; they require little effort/thought and can
be completed quickly
 Get it all down, then go back through to polish it; have others
review it several times to check for errors and fluidity
 Be sure to tailor your resume to each job posting so that only the
relevant material are highlighted/incorporated
 Do not include salary history, age, gender, or personal information
 Have a career counselor review your resume, they are great
asset with valuable resources!
 Don’t forget about aesthetics! Refrain from abstract coloring,
fonts, paper, etc. Stick to professional looking whites, blacks, and
grays