Basic Student Athlete Resume Example and Template
*Be sure to send your completed resume to jobweb@shepherd.edu for a review!
Cover Letter Outline
Important Qualities of Any Resume
- Think Relevance. What you say on your resume should relate to your job objective or qualifications summary. You can include computer and/or technical skills or terminology from the field to which you’re applying.
- Limit resume to one page. Most of the time, recent college graduates do not have the experience to justify a two-page resume. If a second page is needed, put the most important information on the first page.
- Make sure your resume is organized and neat. It should contain NO spelling and/or grammatical errors.
- Use action words. Avoid passive or weak phrases. Use a thesaurus to assist you. Be consistent with display techniques, punctuation, and verb tense.
- Be honest. Do not exaggerate or make up job titles; it is a good idea to contact your employer to verify that the title is appropriate. Do not make up information because you may be asked to expand on this information in an interview.
- Avoid abbreviations. An employer may have the perception if you are willing to use “short cuts” on your resume, you may take short cuts on the job.
- Avoid controversy. For example, if you’re applying for a job to work with a Republican senator, but your previous experience has been working with the College Democrats, find another way to phrase the information (“managed a campus political organization”). Fraternity or sorority memberships can be controversial. If just a member, may not want to list it. If you held an office or served on different committees, you may want to include it.
- Do not include high school information.
- Do not include references in your resume. They should always be listed on a separate page. Only submit references if requested to do so by an employer.
- Your resume should look professional. Use white, cream, or beige resume quality paper. Do not include fancy fonts, or unusual bullets. Use a laser printer if at all possible.
- Your resume should not contain any personal information! Social security number, marital status, number of children, sexual orientation, age, religion, gender, and personal photographs should not be included. It is important to include certain licenses or certificates you have obtained, but never include your license or certificate numbers on your resume – if this information ends up in the wrong hands, it could be a source for identity theft.
- Font size: 10 (minimum), 12 (maximum); Headings may be larger. Serif fonts have “tails” (Times New Roman). San Serif fonts do not have “tails” (Arial). Use only San Serif fonts on electronic resumes – they do not have “tails” that bleed and make it difficult to read/scan.
- Margins: 1 inch (ideal); ½ inch (minimum)