Resume, References, Cover Letter Guide

• Your name: Should be larger and bolder than the rest of your resume.
• Current or permanent address.
• Cell phone number.
• Email address: Now is the time to create and use a new email address outside of "@mcdaniel.edu." Use your email provider of choice (such as Gmail) to create a professional email address to use for job applications. YOURNAME@gmail.com is the best way to go.
• Webpage address (if relevant): This can be your personal website, your LinkedIn profile, or a link to your online portfolio.

Required:

• Name of degree-granting institutions with most recent first.
• Degree received (such as Bachelor or Arts) and major.
• Graduation date with month and year (or dates of attendance if a degree was not completed).
• Overseas academic experience (such as study abroad, dates, name of specific program/university abroad).

Optional:

• Minors, specializations, or focus areas.
• Honors and GPA (only if it enhances your resume).
• Relevant courses (a maximum of five with specific course name (Professional Communication) and not course code (ENG 2212).
• Senior capstone project title and description.
• If seeking particular certification after graduation, consider including relevant information. For example, if CPA-bound, include “total credits: 150.”

A summary of experience and accomplishments including jobs and internships. List the most recent first and include:

• Position title.
• Name of company or organization.
• Location of company or organization (city and state).
• Dates worked (month and year).
• Descriptions of skills utilized, responsibilities, and accomplishments using action verbs. Use present tense for current positions only.
• Believable, verifiable, and quantifiable accomplishments. For example, “Managed $100,000 budget.”

Click here to learn more about writing accomplishment statements. 

This section should include campus involvement, volunteer work, and athletics. Follow a similar format as the work experience section of your resume in this section.

Headers can include:

• Skills: Use the section for hard skills such as computer programs/software, technical skills, etc.
• Languages: Highlight any foreign language skills and differentiate if you have a basic understanding, are conversant, or are fluent.
• Interests: This information primarily serves as a conversation starter between you and an employer. List no more than three interests (such as finance, marketing, and travel).

• Ensure fonts are large enough that they can be read and margins are between 0.5 and 1.0 inches.
• Save completed resumes as a PDF to ensure formatting is maintained when submitting electronically.