Your resume is your personal highlight reel\u2014it is your chance to grab attention and land an interview for the role you want. It is not about listing everything you have ever done but about being intentional and showcasing what makes you the best fit.<\/p>\n
The best resumes are never one-size-fits-all<\/strong>\u2014they are designed precisely for the opportunity you are pursuing. Most recruiters only spend 30 seconds or less reviewing resumes, so yours needs to be clear, concise, and tailored.<\/p>\n We recommend creating a professional inventory<\/a> of your skills, experiences, and accomplishments to build a resume that focuses on what’s most relevant to the position and gets you noticed!<\/p>\n Make an Appointment<\/a> Wisedoc Resume Builder<\/a><\/p>\n","blocks":[{"acf_fc_layout":"accordion-with-notes","module_background_color":"white","accordion_position":"right","title":"Formatting Your Resume","notes":" Setting up your Document<\/strong><\/p>\n Feel free to draw inspiration from examples, but steer clear of templates\u2014crafting your own resume is the best way to ensure it is both effective and professional.<\/p>\n Use these page setup tips to get started:<\/p>\n","include_spacing":true,"expanded":false,"sections":[{"label":"Essential Page, Margins & Spacing Rules","copy":" Number of Pages<\/strong><\/p>\n One page is common for early professionals or those with limited experience. Two pages are appropriate for extensive relevant experience, experienced professionals, and\/or people with graduate degrees.<\/p>\n Margins<\/strong><\/p>\n Margins should be:<\/p>\n Spacing<\/strong> Justification<\/strong> For a resume, stick to fonts that are simple and easy to read. Serif<\/em> fonts are ideal for printed resumes with a more timeless style, while sans-serif<\/em> fonts are more legible on digital screens and offer a contemporary feel.<\/p>\n Sans-Serif:<\/em><\/p>\n Serif:<\/em><\/p>\n Font choices to avoid<\/strong><\/p>\n Arial (overused<\/em>) To help employers easily skim your resume, create visual categorization by useing headings and subheadings along with text formatting such as bold, italics, and font size to highlight key details.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong> EXPERIENCE <\/b>[main heading] Black is really your color.<\/strong> Don\u2019t include pictures or graphics.<\/strong> Avoid using graphics or clip art as well\u2014your resume should focus on your qualifications, not your artistic skills.<\/p>\n"}],"component_options_toggle":true,"component_options":{"disable_component":false,"nickname":"Formatting","identifier":"resume-formatting","navigable":true}},{"acf_fc_layout":"copy-with-image","layout":"small-image","show_left":false,"module_background_color":"off-white","title":"Required Sections to Include","copy":" At a minimum, your resume\u00a0must<\/strong> have these three sections:<\/p>\n It might have more, but those sections are optional according to the needs of your audience and the content you want to deliver.<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":110,"id":110,"title":"2024-2-28 Career Fair-16","filename":"2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16.jpg","filesize":2247198,"url":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/internship-job-search\/2024-2-28-career-fair-16\/","alt":"EWU Student discusses resume with Employer at Career Fair","author":"433","description":"","caption":"","name":"2024-2-28-career-fair-16","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":610,"date":"2024-12-16 21:07:55","modified":"2025-01-13 19:40:19","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2400,"height":1601,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-300x200.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":200,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-1024x683.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":683,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-1536x1025.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1025,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16-2048x1366.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1366,"gform-image-choice-sm":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16.jpg","gform-image-choice-sm-width":300,"gform-image-choice-sm-height":200,"gform-image-choice-md":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16.jpg","gform-image-choice-md-width":400,"gform-image-choice-md-height":267,"gform-image-choice-lg":"https:\/\/www.ewu.edu\/careercenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2024\/12\/2024-2-28-Career-Fair-16.jpg","gform-image-choice-lg-width":600,"gform-image-choice-lg-height":400}},"youtube_video_id":"","video_orientation":"horizontal","image_alt":"EWU Student discusses resume with Employer at Career Fair","secondary_image":"Geo-texture-blk.svg","background_vertical_alignment":"center","background_horizontal_alignment":"center","background_crop":"chevron","component_options_toggle":true,"component_options":{"disable_component":false,"nickname":"Resume Content","identifier":"resume-content","navigable":true}},{"acf_fc_layout":"accordion-with-notes","module_background_color":"white","accordion_position":"right","title":"Letterhead","notes":" The letterhead contains your contact information at the top of the page. It should include:<\/p>\n *They need to know your general location, but don’t need your full address<\/p>\n","include_spacing":true,"expanded":false,"sections":[{"label":"Email Addresses","copy":" A\u00a0professional<\/strong> email address is one that is as close to your name as possible with as few numbers as possible (i.e., jamie.doe@anything.edu, or jdoe4@company.com).<\/p>\n Anything<\/em>\u00a0that doesn\u2019t meet that criteria (e.g., modernwarsmurf@wherever.com, unicornhunter@anything.edu, etc.) is an\u00a0unprofessional<\/strong>\u00a0email address and should not be used.<\/p>\n"},{"label":"Optional Mailing Address","copy":" Your prospective employer needs to know how to contact you, but in the age of the internet, they\u2019re not likely to do that through the mail. If you\u2019re applying to a job in another city, however, it\u2019s often a good idea to list your city and state so they can structure interviews appropriately.<\/p>\n"},{"label":"Example","copy":" Here\u2019s an example:<\/em><\/p>\n Stuart Griffin You can put your Education either before or after Experience. Before is more common for current students and new professionals. After is more common for experienced professionals.<\/p>\n Education entries\u00a0must<\/em>\u00a0contain four elements:<\/p>\n Start with your most recent degree, either completed or in progress, and work backward in time.<\/p>\n","include_spacing":true,"expanded":false,"sections":[{"label":"Additional Items to Possibly Include","copy":" You may find there is additional relevant information that needs to be included with your education, such as:<\/p>\n High School (unless you\u2019re Running Start)<\/strong> Associate Degrees (under most circumstances)<\/strong> Dean\u2019s List (if your GPA is over 3.5)<\/strong> Irrelevant Coursework<\/strong> Irrelevant Awards<\/strong> Not sure what\u2019s irrelevant?<\/strong> Consider completing a Professional Inventory<\/a> to identify what should be included and what should be left out.<\/p>\n"},{"label":"Example","copy":"\n
\nSingle spacing keeps your resume clean and readable. Maintain even spacing between entries and sections to create a clean, readable layout. Check the resources page<\/a> for examples.<\/p>\n
\nLeft-align your text\u2014it is easier to read and skim quickly. Reserve centering for headings or letterhead, not for text blocks or job details.<\/p>\n"},{"label":"Choosing the Right Font","copy":"\n
\n
\nBrush Script (script fonts are not good for this<\/em>)
\nCentury Gothic (also overused<\/em>)
\nComic Sans (resumes aren\u2019t for toddlers<\/em>)
\nCourier (the typewriter is dead<\/em>)
\nHobo (decorative<\/em>)
\nImpact (too bold for body text<\/em>)
\nPapyrus (it\u2019s not an ancient Egyptian scroll<\/em>)
\nStencil (great on ammo crates and nowhere else<\/em>)
\nTimes New Roman (overused everywhere for everything<\/em>)<\/p>\n"},{"label":"Formatting Headings, Sub-Headings, & Body Text","copy":"\n
\nArya Stark<\/strong> [name]
\nCheney, WA 99004 | 509.555.1212 | arya.stark@ewu.edu<\/a><\/p>\n
\nResearch Assistant<\/strong> | Fall 2013 [entry heading line 1]
\nEastern Washington University<\/em>, Cheney, WA [entry heading line 2]<\/p>\n\n
\nUsing any other color is usually a bad idea for anyone\u00a0whose job isn\u2019t actually about the use of color. Bright colors are distracting and gray or soft pastels can be difficult to read.
\nBlack is classic. It behaves itself. It won\u2019t get you in trouble.<\/p>\n
\nBluntly, if you\u2019re not applying to be an actor, dancer, or model, your future employer doesn\u2019t need your headshot. Submitting a photo with your resume puts a potential employer at risk for violating Equal Opportunity legislation. Many employers won\u2019t interview those who submit a personal photo.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\n<\/strong>Spokane, WA | 509.555.1212 | sgriffin@domain.ext<\/p>\n"}],"component_options_toggle":true,"component_options":{"disable_component":false,"nickname":"Letterhead","identifier":"letterhead","navigable":true}},{"acf_fc_layout":"accordion-with-notes","module_background_color":"off-white","accordion_position":"left","title":"Education","notes":"\n
\n
\nOnce you have a bachelor\u2019s degree, your high school education is no longer necessary. Leaving it off makes room for more relevant details, unless you’re in a Running Start program, in which case it can be worth mentioning.<\/p>\n
\nIf you have a bachelor\u2019s degree, your associate\u2019s degree is generally not needed, as your bachelor\u2019s level education is more relevant.<\/p>\n
\nIf your GPA is already strong, listing Dean\u2019s List achievements is usually redundant, as a high GPA is assumed with strong academic performance.<\/p>\n
\nAvoid listing classes that are not related to your degree or career goals. Focus on the most relevant coursework that shows your skills and knowledge in your field.<\/p>\n
\nOnly include awards that are relevant to the position you\u2019re applying for. Leaving out unrelated awards keeps your resume focused.<\/p>\n