Basic Content for Resumes & CVs
Resume
Name and Contact Information
Education (may include senior research project, study abroad, or special courses)
Licensure and Certifications
Field Experiences/Shadowing/Clinical Rotations
Skills
Experience (can include employment, internship or volunteer)
Extra-Curricular Activities (can include volunteer, sports, clubs, professional associations). This section could be called
something else such as Leadership, Social Responsibility, or Community Involvement.
Honors (if strictly academic, may also be listed under “Education”)
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Name and Contact Information
Education (may include senior research project, study abroad, special courses)
Licensure and Certifications
Academic Honors
Continuing Education, Professional Development, Conferences
Field Experience/Shadowing/Clinical Rotations
Research
Publications
Presentations
Classes Taught
Committee Work and Service to Organization or Profession (May also include professional associations membership).
Experience/Employment
CVs generally emphasize academic related activities more than work experience however, this may vary depending upon
discipline or career field. Early in your career, your CV will look very much like a traditional résumé.
fugett 4/2020
Appointments to review and discuss resumes, cover letters, and references are available by calling
330-823-8685 or emailing [email protected].
Resume Writing Guidelines
1. There is more than one right way to format or design a resume.
2. Be sure that you can explain, describe and justify everything on your resume. Do not list skills or phrases
just because they sound good or everyone says you need to have them on your resume. Some of the more
commonly over-used and hard-to-back-up phrases include leadership and critical thinking.
3. No typos. This includes misspellings and incorrect punctuation and capitalizations.
4. List everything in reverse chronological order.
5. Don’t abbreviate unless it is for a term that is abbreviated as a standard practice in your industry (i.e.
NCAA, SPSS). Some employers view the use of abbreviations as short-cutting.
6. Be sure that your verb tense is appropriate and consistent. Begin each statement with an action verb.
7. Show effectiveness where possible (i.e. increased sales by 7%).
8. Do not write in the first person except on a cover letter (i.e. don’t use pronouns).
9. A list of bullet points is usually easier to read than a paragraph of text. Be careful not to use so many bullet
points that your resume looks polka dotted.
10. While the primary purpose of extra-curricular and volunteer activities is to show that you do more than what
is required of you, you may describe your duties/responsibilities. If you choose to, the description should
show transferable skills or exposure to populations you may work with in your career.
11. References go on a separate sheet of paper and are only submitted if requested.
12. No photos and no links to social media.
13. Only include your GPA if it is 3.0 or higher. If employers are using a cut-off GPA, it is often 3.0. In this
case a 2.99 will move your resume to the “no” pile. Some professions (especially science and medicine will
have higher GPA cut-offs).
14. If you have a strong portfolio of your work which is accessible on-line, provide a link or address to the
portfolio site.
15. A skills section is often useful, as it provides a place to list keywords and abilities that an employer may be
scanning your resume for. Skills listed should include any that are noted in the qualifications section of a
job posting.
16. Font size can be 10-12 points. Simple, common font styles such as Times New Roman, Arial, Ventura, and
Calibri are all acceptable.
17. Common categories include: name and contact information, education, licensure and certifications, field
experiences/shadowing/clinical rotations, skills, experience (can be paid or unpaid), extra-curricular
activities, and honors.
