Page 60 - Carlson School GBCC Career Guide

Building Your Resume Resume Dos and Don'ts
• Include only the most impressive and important accomplishments and skills. You want your resume to be visually appealing. You also want a recruiter to be able to take in all your information in 30 seconds.
• Ensure your resume is correct in spelling and grammar, as well as typo-free. Many employers will dismiss a candidate if errors are found on a resume.
• Use months in your dates of employment, and spell them out (e.g., July 2021).
• Have separate resumes for each functional area you are targeting. You are best served by having a resume that includes language, skills, and accomplishments most relevant to the area you are targeting.
• Pay attention to verb tense in your resume. Accomplishments from past positions need to be in past tense. Current tasks and responsibilities should use the present tense form of the verb.
• Include your GPA or GMAT score if your test scores are extremely high (in the 700s and above for GMAT or 3.8 and above for GPA). This is especially important if you are targeting an industry such as investment banking or strategy consulting where test scores and GPAs are important. Otherwise, most recruiters are not concerned with these.
• Include an academic concentration on your resume. Since your education goes at the top this is one of the easiest ways to signal your desired career direction an employer.
• Overcrowd your resume with information that is not relevant. White space is important.
• Consider the resume a one-size-fits-all document.
• Include personal information about hobbies or passions.
• Include references (these should be on a separate document).
• Exceed one page unless you have ten or more years of professional work experience.
• Use acronyms or complex terminology that a recruiter may not understand.
RESUME CHECKLIST
RESUMES
DOs
Before finalizing your resume, be sure and review the following:
Appearance
“Skimmable” and easy to read—looks professional in formatting and font
In the Carlson School format for all opportunities presented to you by the school (on-campus recruiting, job postings, networking events)
Contains no spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors
Leaves an appropriate amount of white space
Heading
Includes your name, current address, phone number (preferably your cell phone where you can always be reached), and U of M email address (or another professional email address)
Matches your cover letter
Education
Follows Carlson School’s standard formatting
Lists expected graduation date
Includes concentration or emphasis
Includes club involvement or other activities
Includes GMAT or GPA if very high and appropriate to target audience
Experience
Includes organization, title, city, state, and/ or country (if not US)
Includes month/year format for each position held
Bullet points begin with action verbs and include keywords
Bullets include transferable, technical, and soft skills Bullets include accomplishments and results
Content is specific and includes enough detail so that a potential employer clearly understands your role
Additional sections
“Technical Skills,” like language or computer skills “Carlson Projects,” related to experiential coursework
“Leadership,” listing relevant academic, professional, or community experiences
“Community involvement,” including significant volunteer experiences
DON'Ts
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