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Resume Dos & Don'ts

Formatting

Don't:

  • Make bullets longer than 2 lines. There should be no paragraphs in bullets

  • End bullets in periods (they are not complete sentences)

  • Make the font smaller than 10pt or larger than 12pt. Your name can be between 14 and 18pt

  • Include usual symbols, colors, photos, or other visual clutter. The only exception is if you are applying to graphic design or highly artistic roles. Talk to your Eastside Career Coach to learn more

  • Use personal pronouns anywhere on your resume (I, me, myself, our)

Do:

  • Start every bullet with a capital letter

  • Make all bullet points exactly the same font, size, and alignment

  • Use a professional typeface: Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, Calibri

Do:

  • Use right hand tab stop to right justify your dates and locations

    • In order to align dates to the right hand margin, follow these steps:

    • Go to the top ruler and click on it

    • Three options will pop up. Choose “Add right tab stop”

    • Drag the new triangle to align with the upside down triangle on the ruler so that it aligns with the right hand margin

    • For each line, place your cursor to the left of the dates or location, click it and then hit the tab key. The text should slide automatically to align to the right.  

Don't: 

  • Space over to the right to right align

Do:

  • List the entries in each section in reverse chronological order by COMPLETION DATE. 

    • The most recently completed items are at the top within each header

    • Example:

Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 16.40.02.png

GPA/Education

Do:

  • List your GPA if above a 3.0

  • Include 2 decimal places i.e. 3.45/4.00

  • Make sure it is the most recent GPA that matches your transcript

  • Make sure your graduation month and year are correct

Don't:

  • List your GPA if it is under 3.0

Bullet Points

Do:

  • Put verbs for present activities in present tense

    • Communicate

  • Start each bullet with an action verb

    • Presented​

Don't:

  • Use the gerund form of verbs

    • ​Communicating​

​

  • Start bullets with the following

    • Gave presentations​

    • Responsible for giving presentations

    • I presented

​

Header

Do:

  • Double check to make sure your address, phone number, and email is current and correct

  • Use the email address that you check most often

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