Center for Academic and Career Success

1. Degrees and certificates
2. Group projects and presentations
3. Capstones and competitions 
4. Thesis
5. Research and fieldwork
6. Study abroad 

1. Internships 
2. On-campus/part-time jobs 
3. Seasonal jobs 
4.  Off-campus jobs 
5.  Graduate assistantships 
6. Entrepreneurship/start-ups

1. Student organizations 
2. Professional associations 
3. Volunteering/community service 

1. Personal projects (websites, apps, games, etc.) 
2. Portfolios
3. Trainings and certifications 

1. Review the position description to find the specific requirements for the role. Use the T-Chart exercise to help you match their requirements to your list of accomplishments.
2. Over the years, you have developed many skills from coursework, co-curricular activities, and your total life experiences. Use the following checklist to help you pinpoint some of your Transferable Skills.

1.  Use this example of a Chronological Resume format to organize your resume. 
2.  Have a version that can be edited for multiple different positions. 
3. Helpful Formatting Guidelines:
   • Use a common font (e.g. Helvetica Neue, Garamond, Arial, Calibri, or Veranda) at 10-12 points in size.
   • Set margins no larger than 0.75 inches and no smaller than 0.5 inches.
   • Use formatting consistently so your resume looks clean and uniformed (e.g. punctuation, date format, order of info, etc.).
   • Use white space advantageously so your resume is both full and easy to read by adjusting font choice and size, adding spacing, and changing your margins.
   • Always submit/email your resume as a PDF file with a professional file name (e.g. RedCardinal_resume.pdf) unless the job posting asks for a Word document.

The “bullets,” or experience statements, are critical to highlighting your accomplishments. Use this exercise to help you decide what to include.

1.  Use Action Words to begin your bullet points.
2.  Quantify your accomplishments and outcomes wherever possible (include numbers, percentages, dollars)
3. Use keywords from the position description  
4. Check spelling, punctuation, and grammar 
5. Omit personal pronouns (I, you, me, my, their, they're) and, "a", "an", and "the" to achieve a concise style
6.  Avoid tables, charts, pictures, and multiple/decorative fonts, and use standard round bullets to improve readability 
7. Always submit/email your resume as a PDF file with a professional file name (e.g. RedCardinal_resume.pdf) unless the job posting asks for a Word document.

1. Scheduling an appointment: Academic and Career Advisors are available to meet with students and alumni for resume assistance and critiques, as well as a variety of other academic and career development related topics. To schedule an appointment, either visit us in 120 Garvey Hall or call (202)-319-6262 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
2. To test how your resume aligns with a job description, use Jobscan or Top Resume 

1. General Resume Format

1. Engineering Resume

2. Helpful Terminonlogy for Engineering Resumes:

Engineering and Related Technology

1. Nursing Resume Emphasizing experience
2. Nursing Resume Emphasizing clinicals

3. Helpful Terminology for Nursing Resumes:

Nursing and Related Fields

1. Social Work Resume

2. Helpful Terminology for Social Work Resume: 

1. Teaching Resume

2. Useful Terminology for Teaching Resume

Federal resumes are very detailed and must include specific information. Because of this, federal resumes tend to be longer than a resume for a private employer.  It is most important in a federal resume to completely list your knowledge, skills, and experiences.

1. How to analyze a federal job announcement.

2. Tips on Writing your Federal Resume

a. Highlight your knowledge, skills and abilities. Organize your information to communicate your most important attributes.

b. Review the job opening or announcement in detail. Write down the key phrases and qualifications listed.

c. Highlight examples for each of the duty areas mentioned in the open position. Use statistics and numbers where you can (saved x amount of time and/or money for the company, etc.).

d. Include hobby/volunteer skills that may be applicable or perhaps those acquired from an additional part-time career (past or present).. (writing, bookkeeping, editing, etc.)

e. List any and all education that is currently being pursued (additional degree, certifications, etc.).

f. List any and all awards, achievements, hobbies or titles applicable to the skills surrounding the position you are seeking (author, publisher, blog, etc.).

g. Include any unique responsibilities (international travel, deployments, military reserves, etc.)

h. Avoid using acronyms that others may not understand; proofread and ensure formatting, tone and tense are appropriate (bullet format, bold where applicable, reverse chronological order, etc.).

i. Highlight your computer skills (MS Word, Project, Excel, Powerpoint, Graphic Designer, etc.) as applicable

j. Include your resume even though the organization or agency may require an additional application

3. Some keywords found on government resume submissions include:

                                   Spearheaded  –  Improved  –  Managed

                                   Streamlined  –  Authored  –  Developed

                                    Steadfast  –  Saved  –  Implemented

                                    Fostered  –  Engaged  –  Hand-Picked

The above words can assist in not only capturing your expertise, but effectively highlighting your accomplishments. With a simple change, here is an example:

Old: Worked with a small team to develop a new mobility application for our organization which was very successful.

New: Spearheaded a new mobility application (called XFirst), which expanded our European business market segment by 10% and increased our international sales by 5% in year one.

4. Example of a Federal Resume

1. Career Changer Resume
2. Functional Resume
3. Combination Resume