Resume Prepartion & Guidelines
EY Center for Careers
Resume Preparation & Guidelines
Preparation
What is the purpose of the Resume?
o Match the requirements of the job description
o Focus on relevant content in order of importance
o Be selected for an interview
** USE THE RESUME TEMPLATES ON THE EY CENTER WEBSITE (1 for
Accounting | 1 for IS/CIT)
o Each template is customized for your major and expectations of the employers
o Use the format as provided including the right tab margins for date ranges
o Include expected content
o Space sections and lines consistently throughout; offset 1st bullet point in each section by 3 points and use single line spacing for the rest of the bullets
o Space date ranges and use dash size consistently throughout
Experience (also for student organization and volunteer section) statements should be specific and detailed including
o Action (What did you do) – detail the specific aspects of each task (do not use short phrases, and do not assume the reader knows what you do/did)
o Purpose (Why did you do it) – ask yourself why you performed each task, how are/were you evaluated, and what is/was expected to meet/exceed performance expectations
o Results (How well did you do it) – how well did you perform each task based on facts (results) – what did you accomplish, what did you contribute, did you meet/exceed expectations; do not give an opinion, but instead provide the factual proof
Examples
o Yes: Greeted and welcomed customers with a friendly manner, provided product information (or provided product recommendations based on customers’ needs), and resolved issues to their satisfaction resulting in improved customer retention and increased sales
o No: Provided excellent customer service (this is an opinion)
o Yes: Assisted co-workers with handling and resolving escalated customer issues and supported other sales associates by checking warehouse stock to find products to meet their customer’s needs
o No: Worked as a team player (this is an opinion)
Guidelines
• 1 page only (unless you have a lot of RELEVANT work experience)
• Margins: Top/Bottom = .5” to 1” | Left/Right = .75” to 1”
• Use a standard font style (e.g., Calibri, Arial)
• Use 10 to 12 point font for the resume content
• Use 14 to 16 point font for your Name only (Do not capitalize your entire name)
• Include your Phone # (and have voicemail setup) | Address is optional
• You can use your CSUN or personal email address (do not use a silly email address)
• Bold your Name, Section Headings, Company Names, Job Titles, Student Organizations and Leadership Roles, and Volunteer Organizations and Roles
• Do not use Italics, abbreviations, or symbols (&)
• Put Education as the 1st section (unless you have a LOT of Relevant experience)
• Put the Degree (Bachelors or Masters) program above the name of the school
• Include Overall GPA and Major GPA (if 3.0 or above for either/both) | You can also include your CSUN GPA if higher | Include Dean’s List (# of semesters) and other Honors
• Put Company Names and Job Titles on the left
• Put Dates on the right (on the right margin using a right Tab) - put a space before and after the dash in the Dates (use short dashes and be consistent throughout)
• Put white space between sections and between content within sections - adjust space as needed to keep it on 1 page | be consistent with Section and LINE spacing
• Include specific details in your Experience statements – see above (what you do/did, what was the value, what were the results) - statements can go to the edge of the line or wrap around to a 2nd line
• Take credit for your accomplishments (e.g., saved $$, improved process, took initiative, given or assumed additional responsibilities, trained others, promoted, solved problems)
• ** DO NOT list soft skills (communication, leadership, team player, multi- tasking, detail oriented,customer service, etc.) (demonstrate soft skills by examples in your experience statements)
• Start statements with the proper verb tenses = present tense for current positions, past tense for prior positions | use the 1st person form of the verb (“handle” - not “handling”)
• Volunteer experience such as bookkeeping, computer work, office work, or retail sales in which you do not get paid does belong in (Work) Experience
• You do NOT need to have the same # of bullet points for each Experience or student organization / volunteer experience
• Include any type of work experience (as space permits) - the job does not have to relate to your major (employers value work experience while going to school as you learn and utilize key skills such as customer service, leadership, teamwork, organization/time management, problem solving, conflict resolution, etc.)
• You do NOT have to include all of your jobs especially if they are in the distant past
• Include the # of (average) hours you work(ed) next to the Job Title if 20 hours/week or more(e.g., ~20 hours/week; 20 - 25 hours/week; full-time or 40 hours/week)
• With technical skills, if you have a specific level of expertise, you can add it (e.g., Excel -vLookups, pivot tables, macros)
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program experience usually belongs in Professional Development, not in Experience, unless you have little or no work experience
• Include Interests only if applying to a Big 4 or mid-tier accounting firm
• Do not use pronouns (“I”, “We”, “They”) or pronoun possessives (“My”, “Our”, “Their”)
• Use #’s only when they add value (significance)
• Do NOT fluff, exaggerate or mis-represent your experience or accomplishments!
• ** Review your resume carefully for format consistency, spelling, punctuation and grammar – the EY Center conducts resume reviews and provides feedback, but you are responsible for the final product