OBJECTIVE (OPTIONAL)

• Tells an employer what kind of job you are looking for
• Be specific about industry or position if you know it
• May be stated in a cover letter

Example:

Marketing Assistant in the nonprofit sector

QUALIFICATIONS OR PERSONAL STRENGTHS (OPTIONAL)

• Makes assertions about abilities, qualities, experience, and achievements
• Presents relevant information related to your objective

Example:

Enthusiastic and persuasive presentations;
Earned compliments for organization, attention to detail, and follow through from customers and managers

EDUCATION

• List pertinent educational history (college/university) in reverse chronological order — starting from the most recent and working backwards
• Lead with degree earned, institution, then date
• Optional: may add bullets describing minor studies, languages, scholarships and academic honors, GPA, study abroad, etc.
• Optional: related coursework may be listed in EDUCATION or a separate section

Example:

BA in Political Science and Philosophy, University of Oregon, June 2023
Recipient of three scholarships based on academic achievement and community involvement;
Study abroad in Barcelona, Spain; proficient in Spanish language, writing, and conversation

EXPERIENCE

• Lead with position title, followed by organization, location, and employment dates
• Avoid a review of your duties—focus on skills and lead with strong, descriptive action verbs
• Can include work, internships, and leadership activities (paid and unpaid)
• Use numbers to add dimension to your statements. Example:

  Increased attendance at annual conference by 20%;
  Supervised and delegated work assignments to five student workers;
  Contributed to professor’s research by reviewing and analyzing 35 articles

• When preparing statements, constantly ask the questions “who, what, why, where, when and how” to clarify and add interest
• Use bullets to draw attention to action verbs leading résumé statements—employers want to skim for detail and will not read lengthy paragraphs

Example:

Customer Service Representative, Royal Caribbean, Eugene, OR (2022-present)
Solved problems for customers by explaining advantages of different travel itineraries;
Increased bookings over a six month period by 25%

COMMUNITY SERVICE, LEADERSHIP, ACTIVITIES (OPTIONAL)

• Includes community or university activities not mentioned in Experience section
• Typically formatted as a list and may not require bulleted statements

Example:

Member, Golden Key Honorary (2022-present)
Volunteer, SMART reading program for elementary students (2021-22)

SKILLS (OPTIONAL)

• Lists skills relevant to the job you are applying to that are not immediately apparent from your education or experience description (e.g. computer literacy, languages, writing, technical skills)

HONORS AND AWARDS (OPTIONAL)

• Lists honors and awards that are relevant to your potential job

INTERESTS (OPTIONAL)

• Lists interests to show diverse skills and well-roundedness
• Section may serve as a conversation starter in interviews

REFERENCES

• References are typically past or current employers, faculty, or advisors who can speak to your skills and performance related to work
• List name, title, phone and email for three to five references on a separate page
• Include the relationship the person had to you (past supervisor, faculty advisor)
• Be sure to secure permission before sharing references with a potential employer
• Copy and paste résumé headline the at top of the page.