Writing a Professional Resume

A resume is a document that summarizes your education, professional background, skills, and accomplishments. Think of it as an advertisement for yourself, showing how your skills match the job you want. Most importantly, it is often your first chance to make a good impression on the person hiring for a job or internship.

Essential Resume Sections

Contact Information

Include your name, phone number, and a professional email address.
Optional: Add your LinkedIn profile link if you have one.

Executive Summary

Provide a brief overview of what makes you a strong candidate by highlighting your strengths, relevant experience, and key qualifications for the job.

Education

Include the following information:

School name
Degree or major
Dates attended
Optional additions: relevant coursework, GPA (if above 3.5), leadership roles, and awards

Work Experience

For each position, list:

Job title
Company name
Location
Dates of employment

Use two to three bullet points per job describing responsibilities and accomplishments. Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb.

Skills

Soft Skills: Personal qualities such as communication and teamwork.
Hard Skills: Technical abilities such as software proficiency or languages.
Tailor this section to each job by focusing on keywords from the job description.

Optional Resume Sections

Certifications

Examples include:

CPR / First Aid
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)

Volunteer Experience

Highlight unpaid work that supports a cause or community.

Examples include:

Tutoring or mentoring
Community service projects
Religious or community group involvement

Things to Consider

Action Words

Use strong action verbs to describe your achievements (for example, “led” or “developed”).
Find examples on sites such as Indeed.com, themuse.com, and careercenter.tamu.edu.

Customization

Use keywords from each job description to tailor your resume to match your skills and experience.

Format

Use a chronological format, listing experience from most recent to oldest.
Limit your resume to one page, focusing on relevant information.
Showcase additional experiences on LinkedIn.
Keep a “brag file” of all achievements that may be useful for future resumes.

Professional Tone

Keep your resume clear, organized, and easy to read.

File Format

If not specified otherwise, save your resume as a PDF using your first and last name as the file name.

Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid clichés and repetitive phrases.
Do not list references on the resume.
Do not over-rely on spellcheck.
Never provide false or misleading information.

Sample Resume Structure

[Your Name]

[Your Phone Number] | [Your Professional Email] | [Your LinkedIn Profile]

Executive Summary

Organized and detail-oriented student with a strong foundation in [relevant field or major]. Experienced in [relevant skills, part-time work, internships, or volunteer experience]. Strong communicator with a passion for [related field or area of interest].

Education

[School Name] – [Location]
Degree or Major (Month/Year–Month/Year)

GPA: [if above 3.5]
Relevant Coursework: [list courses]
Awards: [list relevant details]

Work Experience

Company Name – [Location]
Job Title (Month/Year–Month/Year)

Led [project or task], improving [specific outcome].
Increased [metric] through [specific task].

Skills

[Hard skill from the job description, such as Excel proficiency]
[Soft skill from the job description, such as strong communication]

Certifications (Optional)

[Name of certification, if relevant]

Volunteer Experience (Optional)

Organization Name – [Location]
Volunteer Role (Month/Year–Month/Year)

Assisted with [task], contributing to [outcome].

Sources

Borsellino, Regina. “Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What the Heck Is the Difference.” The Muse, 27 April 2023.
Borsellino, Regina. “The Ultimate Guide to Soft Skills in the Workplace and Your Job Search.” The Muse, 27 April 2023.
Herrity, Jennifer. “How to Write an Executive Summary on a Resume.” Indeed, 15 August 2024.
Markel, Mike, and Stuart Selber. Technical Communication. Macmillan Learning, 2021.
Texas A&M Career Center. “Resume.”