BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Writing the Resume
Whether it is to be submitted to a college placement office or sent along with a job-application
letter, the resume communicates in two ways: by its appearance and its content.
APPEARANCE OF THE RESUME
Because in almost all cases potential employers see the resume before they see the person who
wrote it, the resume has to make a good first impression. Employers believe -- often correctly --
that the appearance of the resume reflects the professionalism of the writer. A neat resume
implies that the writer would do professional work. When employers look at the resume,
therefore, they see more than a single piece of paper: they see an example of the kind of work
they can expect if they hire the writer.
Some colleges and universities advise students to have their resumes professionally printed. A
printed resume is attractive, and that’s good -- provided, of course, that the information on it is
consistent with its professional appearance. However, using a computer with a letter quality
printer and good-quality paper will produce a comparably professional appearance, and most
employers agree that a neatly typed resume photocopied on good-quality paper is perfectly
acceptable.
No matter how they are produced, resumes should have a neat and professional appearance.
They should feature the following:
1. Generous margins. Leave a one-inch margin on all four sides
2. Clean type. Use a typewriter with clear, sharp, unbroken letters or a letter-quality
printer.
3. Symmetry. Arrange the information so that the page has a balanced appearance.
4. Adequate white space. Avoid a cluttered, packed arrangement of information.
CONTENT OF THE RESUME
Although different experts advocate different approaches to resume writing, everyone agrees on
two things.
First, the resume must be completely free of errors. Grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling
errors undercut your professionalism by casting doubt on the accuracy of the information
contained in the resume. Ask for assistance after you have written a first draft of your resume,
and proofread the finished product at least twice.
Second, the resume must provide clear and specific information, without generalizations or self-
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
congratulation. Your resume is a sales document, but you are both the salesperson and the
product. You have to provide the specific details that will lead the reader to conclude that you
are a terrific job candidate. Let your experience show this to the reader. Saying it directly to the
reader is graceless and worse, unconvincing.
A resume should be long enough to include all of the pertinent information but not so long as to
bore or irritate the reader. Generally, a students’ resume should be kept to one page. If,
however, the student has special accomplishments to describe -- such as journal articles or
patents -- a two-page resume is appropriate. If your information comes to just over one page,
either eliminate or condense some material to make it fit onto one page, or modify the physical
layout of the resume so that it fills a substantial part of the second page.
FORMAT OF THE RESUME
The two most common resume formats are chronological and functional.
The chronological resume lists information in reverse chronological order (with the most recent
education and experience listed first)
A chronological resume is useful when...
• you have significant relevant work experience
• your experience can be related to the current job search
• your employment/education history has no major gaps.
The functional resume lists related skills and accomplishments.
Use a functional approach when...
• you lack relevant experience
• you are changing careers
• there are time gaps in your employment/education history.
ELEMENTS OF THE RESUME
Most resumes include the following categories of information.
1. Identifying information
2. Objective
2. Education
3. Employment/Experience
4. Additional headings (including professional affiliations/certifications/awards)
5. References (not usual)
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
Identifying Information
Your full name, address, and phone number should always appear at the top of the page. Your
name should appear on the first line, followed by your complete address, including the zip code.
Also use your complete phone number, with the area code and your e-mail address.
Note: be sure to choose an email that is professional e.g. hotbabe99@gmail.com is not a
good email to use for professional correspondence.
Students who have two addresses and phone numbers should make sure that both are listed and
identified clearly. Often, an employer will try to call a student during an academic holiday to
arrange an interview.
Objective
Indicate what type of position or area you wish to be considered for. If you are seeking a specific
position, ( e.g. editorial assistant ) name it.
Education
The education section usually follows the identifying information on the resume of a student or a
recent graduate. People with substantial professional experience usually place the employment
experience section before the education section.
The following information is included in the education section: the degree, the institution, its
location, and the date of graduation. After the degree abbreviation (such as B.S., B.A., A.A., or
M.S.), list the academic major (and, if you have one, the minor) -- for example, B.S. in Materials
Engineering. Identify the institution by its full name: Pennsylvania State University, not Penn
State. Also include the city and state of the institution. If your degree has not yet been granted,
write Anticipated date of graduation or Degree expected before the month and the year.
You should also list any other institutions you attended beyond the high school level -- even
those at which you did not earn a degree. Students are sometimes uneasy about listing
community colleges or junior colleges; they shouldn’t be. Employers are generally impressed to
learn that a student began at a smaller or less advanced school and was able to transfer to a four-
year college or university. The listings for other institutions attended should include the same
information as the main listing. Arrange the entries in reverse chronological order: that is, list
first the school you attended most recently.
You can also expand the education section by including a list of courses that would be of
particular interest to the reader. Advanced courses in an area of your major concentration might
be appropriate, especially if the potential employer has mentioned that area in the job
advertisement.
You also can list in the education section any honors and awards you received. Scholarships,
internships, and academic awards all offer evidence of an exceptional job candidate. If you are
using a functional resume, if you have received a number of such honors, or some that were not
exclusively academic, it might be more effective to list them under a separate heading in a
section called Honors or Awards. (See below)
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
Employment/Experience
The employment section, like the education section, conveys at least the basic information about
each job you’ve held: the dates of employment, the organization’s name and location, and your
position or title. This information is self-explanatory.
However, a skeletal listing of nothing more than these basic facts would not be very informative
or impressive. As in the education section, you should provide carefully selected details. What
readers want to know, after they have learned where and when you were employed, is what you
actually did or accomplished. Therefore, you should provide a two to three-line description for
each position.
The various jobs should be listed and described in reverse chronological order on the resume to
highlight those positions you have held most recently.
If you have held a number of non-professional positions as well as several professional positions,
the non-professional ones can be grouped together in one listing:
Other Employment: Cashier (summer, 1995), salesperson (part-time, 1995) clerk (summer,
1994)
If you have little or no substantial work experience, you may want to use a functional resume that
emphasizes other kinds of experience and accomplishments. List three to five skills (e.g.
research, writing, leadership). Under each skill, give two to six statements describing your
activity and accomplishments (e.g., Leadership: President of Hunter Accounting Society--
increased membership by 25%).
At the end of the skills section, list the places and dates of any employment.
Additional Headings (e.g., honors, awards, special skills, languages,
professional affiliations, certifications etc.)
Any special knowledge or experience you have can be listed in a separate section of the resume.
References
You may list the names of three or four references -- people who have written letters of
recommendation or who have agreed to speak on your behalf -- on your resume. Or you may
simply say that you will furnish the names of the references upon request. The length of your
resume sometimes dictates which style to use. If the resume is already long, the abbreviated
form might be preferable. If it does not fill out the page, the longer form might be the one to use.
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
CHRONOLIGICAL RESUME SAMPLE #1
Lillian Sample
1435 North Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 328-7743
Position
Sought: Buyer for a major retail clothing store.
Experience: Assistant Buyer Carroll’s Red Hanger Shop
1995-present 566 North State, Chicago, IL 60606
Responsible for ordering all men’s ready- to-wear clothing and
accessories. Handled budgets up to $250,000. Increased sales 20 percent
in two years. Supervised three assistants and one secretary.
Sales Clerk Geske’s Clothes
1993-1995 34 Virginia Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Handled all sales transactions in men’s and boy’s wear. Responsible for
special orders and customer relations.
Education: B.A. in business and marketing, June 1993,
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL
Honors: Edwin Ebert Marketing Award, 1992-1993
Delta Tau honorary business society, 1992
AID Scholarship, 1991
Activities: Vice President, Delta Tau, 1992-1993
Big Ten Marketing Exhibit, organizer, 1992
References: Mr. Harold Walker Mrs. Leslie Geske
General Manager Owner
Carroll=s Red Hanger Shop Geske’s Clothes
566 North State 34 Virginia Street
Chicago, IL 60606 Urbana, IL 61801
(312) 445-7384 (217) 459-6533
Other references furnished upon request.
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME SAMPLE #2
John Lewkowski
848 Plains Street
Fort Pierre, South Dakota 57067
605-555-9745
Employment Objective
A museum staff position leading eventually to a curatorship.
Education
B.A., Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, 1996.
Major: history Minor: biology GPA: 3.85/4.00=A
State University of New York, course in researching, cataloging, and mounting exhibits,
summer 1994.
Experience
Museum volunteer, Joseph Moore Museum, Earlham College, 1994-96. Assisted director
of small natural history museum. Developed traveling museum program for four local
elementary schools. Identified and catalogued specimens, maintained exhibits.
Summer intern, Tippecanoe County Historical Museum, Lafayette, Indiana, 1995. Wrote
grant proposal resulting in $10,000 award for archeological dig at 18th-century French
and Indian trading settlement. Wrote with state and federal agencies, university faculty,
museum staff.
Laboratory assistant, Earlham College, spring term, 1996. Supervised freshman biology
lab, prepared lab materials and specimens, answered students’ questions, and graded lab
reports. Was selected Outstanding Teaching Assistant in the Natural Sciences.
Honors and Activities
Earlham Alumni Scholarship, 1993-96
Outstanding Teaching Assistant, 1996
Earlham College tennis team, 1994-96
Personal Data
Speak and write French. Interests: travel and photography.
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
RESUME SAMPLE #3
Diane Bellows
1830 Lexington Ave.
Louisville, KY 40227
(502) 689-3137
EDUCATION University of Louisville, B.A., 1997
Major: Business Administration with emphasis in personal management
Minor: Economics with emphasis in corporate finance
EXPERIENCE
College Orientation Leader, University Admissions Office, 1995-97. Met with
prospective students and their parents; conducted tours of campus;
answered questions; wrote reports for each orientation meeting.
Academic Committee, Alpha Phi Sorority, 1995-97. Organized study
halls and tutoring services for disadvantaged students.
Advertising Manager, University yearbook, 1996. Responsible for
securing advertising that made the yearbook self-supporting; wrote
monthly progress report.
Summers Intern, Echo Electronics, June 1996. Learned about pension plans, health
care benefits, employee associations, and work regulations as they affect
employee relations and personnel management.
Volunteer Worker, Arthur Schneider’s School Board re-election
campaign, 1995. Wrote press releases, campaign brochures, direct
mailers; did research on teacher competence.
REFERENCES Placement Office
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 744-3219
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
SAMPLE FUNCTIONAL RESUME
MAGGIE HANNAN
2421-19 Hunter Avenue
Bronx, New York, 10475
(718) 379-6952
mer[email protected]nter.cuny.edu
OBJECTIVE Entry-level publishing position
EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude; Hunter College, 1999
Major: English--concentration in writing (3.3)
Minor: Film and Media Studies (3.5)
HONORS Dean's List 1996 - 1999
SKILLS Bilingual (French), research, writing, Microsoft Word
EXPERIENCE Writing: Contributed to writing press releases for Chrysalis records.
Participated in writing seminars. Performed readings of works.
Publicity: Assisted in publicity campaigns. Composed and sent press kits.
Research: Conducted semiotic analysis of women audiences as part of an
independent project in media. Implemented impact analysis of compact
disc technology.
WORK
EXPERIENCE Telemarketing Representative, 1997 - 1999
Edward Blank Associates, New York
Publicity Intern, Summer 1998
Chrysalis Records, New York
Office Clerk, 1995 - 1997
Queens College Financial Aid Office, Queens, NY
REFERENCES Provided upon request
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
