The main differences between CVs and resumes are how each document provides evidence of success and
what success looks like. Resumes are usually shorter (1-2 pages), generally provide more details about specific
experiences to show success, and are customized for each job application.
Key format elements
> 1-2 pages, maximum, in length. For many industry jobs 1 page is sufficient.
> 10.5-12 point standard fonts (e.g. Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman)
> Standard margins on all sides (1.0 or close to 1.0)
> Bold, underline, all-caps, italics are often used to demarcate sections or headings
There are many potential categories to include on your resume. The titles and order of your resume
categories will vary based on the job description and your strengths. While CVs often include references,
resumes do not, unless the job posting specifically requests a list of references on the resume.
Contact Information
Include your name (big and bold), address, phone number, and one email address. Including your LinkedIn
profile URL or personal webpage URL is optional.
> If you want to note your continuing affiliation with a particular university or workplace, you can list
your work address too, although one address is most common on a resume.
> Do not include other personal information such as a photo, age, social security number, etc.
> If your current last name is different than the last name you used at previous schools or jobs, you may
include a statement to this effect (Previously Known As, Also Known As).
Summary of Qualifications/Profile
This category is appropriate if you are targeting a specific job description and you want to highlight the
congruence between your skills and company needs in a concise way.
> If you want to include this section, look for key skill words in the job description and then discuss the
skills (that actually match your qualifications) using 3-6 bullet points.
> Objectives were once a common category in a resume but are no longer a standard section.
BEYOND ACADEMIA:
Turn your CV into a Resume
Education
The education section is usually very close to the top of the resume, unless you are seeking positions
unrelated to your degree field or you have significant work experience and then it is near the bottom.
> List your post-secondary degrees in reverse chronological order.
> For each entry, include degree type, field of study, school, location, and graduation date. If you have
not yet graduated, include “Expected” before the graduation date.
> If relevant for the job description, include your dissertation title, thesis title, related courses, minor
area of study, study abroad experiences, etc.
> Consider including your graduating honors (e.g. summa cum laude) or grade point average for each
degree if you have performed well academically. This is optional.
Experience
If all of your previous experiences are highly similar to the positions to which you are applying, you may only
need one section called “experience” or “related experience.” If you have held multiple or varied jobs, you
may need to divide this section into two sections. For example: Related Experience and Additional
Experience. Or you could divide it according to topic or field (teaching, consulting, management, etc.).
> You can include relevant jobs, internships, and volunteer positions together in this category if you
omit the words “work” and “employment” in the category title.
> List experiences within each section in reverse chronological order.
> Give the most detail and use the most space for the experiences that are most relevant to your
current career objective.
> For each experience list position title, organization, dates of employment, and geographic location
on one or two lines using consistent formatting throughout the section.
> Describe the skills you demonstrated in those positions using 2-5 bullet points, action words, short
sentences, and key words from the job description. Consider an Action Verb + Task + Result format.
> Translate “academic” skills into “everyday” language, when possible.
> Use past tense to describe tasks in past jobs and present tense for current jobs. Or past tense for all.
> Avoid phrases like “responsible for” or “duties include.” Make every word count.
> Whenever possible, include the outcomes or results of your work.
Leadership Experience / Community Service / Volunteer Activity
List committees and other activities through which you have contributed to your school or community –
especially ones related to job descriptions of interest to you. This is an optional section.
> For each entry, include your title (volunteer, member, chair, etc.), the name of the group or project,
and the dates.
> Use the same formatting you used in the Experience section(s) of your resume.
Publications & Presentations
A complete listing of publications and presentations is not typically included on a resume, unless the job
requires research, writing for publication or other closely related skills.
> If you are not applying for a research / writing position, you can state how many publications you
have in one sentence and omit the full citations.
> If you include publications or presentations, list them in reverse chronological order according to
date and use the reference style appropriate to your discipline.
> If an article has been accepted for publication, indicate “in press” in lieu of the publication year.
Skills: Language, Lab, and Technical
> This section is commonly found near the end of a resume.
> If you only wish to highlight one set of skills, label the category header according to that skill.
> If you include a section on languages, be sure to indicate the name of the language and some
indication of your fluency level for each entry.
> If possible, quantify or otherwise describe your level of proficiency with each technical skill.
Honors, Awards, and Professional Affiliations
List your honors in reverse chronological order as they make sense for what you are applying to. This is an
optional section and if included, is generally much smaller than it would be on a CV.
> For each entry, include the name of the award, the granting institution/organization, and the date
awarded.
> List memberships in state, national, and international professional associations that are relevant to
the positions to which you are applying.
> If you do not have many awards, consider including them in your education section.
References
You do not need to include references on your resume unless specifically directed to by the job posting.
> Employers typically ask for a list of references during the interview process.
Consider maintaining a “master resume” or a complete listing of all your experiences and activities much
like you would have for a CV. Then build a more tailored resume from the master for each job application.
Resumes should be customized for each and every job posting. Common ways to tailor a resume include
modifying the summary of qualifications or profile to best highlight the applicant’s match, crafting category
headers that make sense (“teaching experience” and “additional experience” for a teaching job), and providing
more details about positions that were more relevant to the job and fewer details about positions that are
less relevant.
Ensure that your resume is free from all grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Friends and fellow
graduate students make great peer reviewers for format and content elements of resumes.
Same-Day Sessions & Scheduled Appointments: Work with a career counselor one-on-one to tailor your
resume for specific positions and get questions answered.
Resume Labs: 60 minute workshop on resumes, held during the quarter, get peer review and feedback on
your resume
Career Guide: Sample resumes; available in hardcopy in MGH 134, or online at http://careers.uw.edu/
