Resume Suggestions

• Remember, it's YOUR resume. Make it something you feel good about.. only take these suggestions if you agree.
• Take a long, hard look at your resume – what story does it say about your ability to learn new skills, demonstrate technical savvy, work with others, and communicate effectively?  If you can’t answer that question, invest time and effort to revise your resume with new projects that highlight your skills (read more here)
• Have these items ready and keep them updated during your job search:
     Writing samples
     Printed resume
     Resume for online apps
     Resume reel (if appropriate)
     Set up RSS feed to search sites
     Recommendation letters
     Head shots
     List of jobs applied for and result
     Thank you notes
  
• Create a portfolio site. More employers are asking that students have websites containing resumes and a portfolio of multimedia work - stories, photos, videos, slideshows - and working links to the original content. The sites does not have to be fancy, but students need to show they can post work on the web. 
• Make sure that your resume looks good in a plain text editor (like Notepad) because the Web software used in slicing and dicing applicants may not preserve fancy formatting. Therefore, if you have the option of uploading a PDF and submitting it as a separate plain text file, do both.
• Go over it many times for mistakes. It should be error free.
• Kept it short and sweet. Think of it as a billboard someone is driving past.
• Show them, don’t tell them. Be specific (ex: not “have good editing skills” instead use “edited weekly four-page newsletter, The DM Weekly”. Don't just tell them that you're great, tell them why and how.
• Put your name and basic info on each page in case they become separated.
• The fonts should all be the same for similar information.
• "Years Attended" should be the same size, etc.
• Minimize use of articles (such as a, the, of)
• Slant it to the future: “I have the ability to..” instead of “I have experience at”
• Focus on your accomplishments rather than your position. Explain why you are better at what you did than others who have done the same things?
• Your accomplishments: Problem.. solution.. result
• Do you have a sample of each skill item on your resume, to show what you can do?  Be able to demonstrate your skills.