Resume Tips

Tips

 * Keep it to one page, front-only. (I've gotten shocked looks when I pointed out that my resume had a back page. Seriously, one page front-only is the norm!)
 * Don't use "resume paper", but use something nicer than cheap copier paper. You want it to look good, but not look like you're showing off.
 * Most people try to cram too much on their resume. This is a case of "less is more".
 * Instead of big paragraphs, try using bullet points to describe your duties at a job or skills.
 * Use no extraneous words; make every word and phrase on the page contribute meaningfully towards representing yourself.
 * Use whitespace to make your resume readable. 1/2" margins and no space between sections leads to an ugly wall of text. Space things out, and consider whether you're trying to cram too many words on the page.
 * Use easily readable fonts. (For body text, I like classic serif fonts like Palatino, Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, Georgia, Cambria, and Garamond; I avoid Times New Roman because that's what everyone uses.)
 * Eschew bold (except for section headings) and italics; if you do use them, be very sparing (section headings and maybe item titles only), and be consistent. The body text should always be plain.


 * A resume should be honest, but don't forget that you're trying to convince someone why you're right for the job. Don't lie or embellish, but do emphasize your strong points and minimize or even omit your weak points.
 * Focus on things you've done recently. Try to limit things done before college to only the most impressive elements.

What should go in your resume
At the top should always be your name, contact info, and objective.

After that, the ordering can vary. Skills, education, and experience/work history need to be there, but you should judge which one is strongest and put it at the top.

At the bottom go awards, extracurricular activities, and other.


 * Name – Obvious. Use whatever name you want to go by professionally. (Using your middle name is fine. Using a nickname isn't, unless it's a normal one [e.g. Will instead of William])
 * If you have a foreign-looking name, considering adding "US Citizen" or your visa status (either at the top, or somewhere visible). Many employers can't hire non US Citizens and aren't supposed to ask so don't get thrown out of the good pile based on your name.


 * Contact info – Local postal address that you check regularly (GT mail center is fine), telephone (indicate if it's a mobile number), e-mail address. Make sure your e-mail address is professional: use gburdell3 instead of dicksmasher.
 * Objective – Although you may hear differently, you do need an "objective/goal/position" statement. This is where HR managers look for a job title or description to match up with the position they're trying to fill. They can't read your mind, so you need to tell them explicitly that you want to be a code monkey, or drafting engineer, or quality assurance tester, or technical writer, or salesperson, etc.
 * Skills – This depends much more on your field, but you probably need a "skills" section, too. This is where HR managers expect to see industry buzzwords, so it's the easiest way to convey what your specialties and strengths are.
 * Education – Keep it short and simple:
 * Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
 * BS Mechanical Engineering, 2013–present (or, "expected May 2014" if you're graduating soon)
 * If your GPA is not excellent (say, less than 3.5), leave it off, or put your major GPA if that's better. (A few companies might ask, and you should tell them honestly; either they know what Tech GPAs are like so it's okay, or they don't so fuck 'em.)
 * If you did a minor, certificate, or co-op, you may list that. Leave everything else off.


 * Work experience – If you have industry experience, list it. If you only have grocery store and babysitting jobs, list them but be very brief, or leave them off in favor of a "Relevant coursework" section.
 * For the job title, put what you actually did, not what it said on your employment records. If you helped design a rocket engine, then put "Rocket design engineer", not "Internship, pay level 3-b".
 * You must give a description of what you did. No one knows whether "rocket design engineer" means that you designed the little american flag that got painted on, or whether you drew up plans for the fuel tanks. This also lets you work in non-technical points about teamwork, talking to customers, managing projects, juggling multiple tasks, etc.
 * There's no rule that you "must" list every job you've ever held. (Think about it: your resume is expected to fit on 1 page. It'd be impossible after 2 or 3 jobs.) If your resume is too cluttered, leave out your less-impressive jobs (like lawn mowing, or an unrewarding internship).
 * Including a variety of work experience is good, especially if your previous jobs involved you working on something that is directly related to what your trying to get a job doing.
 * But, if you interned or co-oped, listing your lawn mowing or grocery bagging jobs may not be ideal. If you do list them, they don't need more than 1 sentence of description. Your strengths should be your technical skills and experience.


 * Relevant coursework – If your work experience is pretty empty (even if you had a single internship or short-lived co-op job), list impressive coursework. This could be a sub-section of "Education", if you prefer to lay out your resume that way. You could talk about
 * cool and difficult projects you did
 * group projects where you had to work together and organize a team
 * advanced courses where you studied difficult material
 * Awards – Unless you got the award since starting college, and it was significant, don't mention these. It's mostly filler.
 * Extracurricular activities – This is for you to show off skills that you haven't demonstrated in your "Skills" and "Work history" sections, such as
 * being a club officer (shows management skills, money handling, etc.)
 * dedicating yourself to a long-term goal (training for a marathon)
 * Clubs and activities are a good way to show diverse interests and abilities, but most employers will consider them less important than education, skills, and work experience.

Job and Career Fairs
The point of a career fair is to give you the chance to meet lots of employers and find out what kind of work they do. They can tell you what positions they have open, and the people you talk to may even be the people who will interview and hire you. Almost every company will take your resume on the spot if you want to apply, and some companies will be in town for a few days conducting interviews.

Tips

 * Dress to impress; the recruiters may be in polo shirts, but you should still wear a suit.
 * Come with multiple copies of your resume, and be prepared to talk to people. You're not going to get a job on the spot, but a good impression paired with a strong resume is always an advantage.

Interviewing Tips

 * Dress to impress (wear a nice suit and SHOES, unless explicitly told "no suit").
 * "No" and "I don't know" are always acceptable answers. Making up answers will only make you look like an idiot. Instead, show that you know the limits of your knowledge, and then think through the answer out loud as best you can. Interviewers love seeing the process you use to solve a problem. It's okay to ask questions, too; if you understand the question except for one term, ask them to explain it and then work your way towards an answer.
 * Don't rush to give an answer to any question. It isn't a speed contest; take a few seconds and make sure you're comfortable with what you're about to say.
 * Speak loudly. This may be a confidence issue with yourself or just your English, either way, please speak up.
 * Always have questions for the interviewer.
 * Bad questions:
 * "How much vacation time would I get?"
 * "What does your company do?"
 * Good questions:
 * "I know your company works in ziener diode matlab kernels... [insert question here that invites the interviewer to talk more about the work that they do]."
 * "What's a typical day/week like for an [engineer/technician/whatever job you're applying for]?"
 * "What's the company hierarchy like? How do various groups interact with each other?"
 * (if it's a big company) "What options do employees have for moving between projects?"