Résumés are necessary if you want to get a job. They can be challenging to write, but they are worth the effort. Whatever stage you're in, whether it's brainstorming or final polishing, the Career Center can help. Contact us to set up an appointment if you think you need major work, or just drop by if you have some brief questions.

When you’re applying for a job or internship, your resume will be looked at quickly (most likely within 20 seconds!) and critically. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind.

Your resume must impress employers the first time they skim through it.

This means that your resume should:

1. look professional,
2. be completely free of spelling errors,
3. have consistent formatting and style,
4. be easy to read, and
5. draw attention to relevant experiences.

You will have to write résumés again and again and again.

Don’t write just one and forget about it! At the very least, you should update your resume(s) after every term with new work experiences, new dates of activities, and new achievements. Even better, write several versions of your resume tailored for certain employers or types of positions; a resume for a job teaching middle school students at a summer camp should look different from a resume for an assistant position at a nonprofit in the arts or for a geology research internship.

The cover letter is crucial!

A good cover letter can make a potential employer actually read your résumé, rather than leaving it in a pile of similar ones. Learn more about crafting an effective cover letter.