Top Tips: Undergraduate Résumé

Welcome to Career Development’s undergraduate résumé guide and template! Here you will find information about how to construct a professional résumé to apply for jobs.

Instructions

You are required to use the résumé template, which has preset tabs, margins, fonts, bullet points, etc. Do not copy/paste from your old résumé. It erases the established format.

Formatting

  1. Limit resume to 1 page unless you have 5+ years of professional experience (maximum 2 pages.)
  2. Create document in Word format but submit in PDF format (Save as [Your Name] Resume.pdf.)
  3. Do NOT use graphics, photos or borders.
  4. Margins should be no smaller than 0.5” and should be equal on all sides.
  5. Font type must be professional (e.g., Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Helvetica) and font size must be between 10 and 12 for body and 12 and 16 for headers. Use 18-24 point font for your name.
  6. Use single line spacing.
  7. Name, city/state, cell phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL should be centered.
    • Name should be in bold and in uppercase. You can include a nickname or preferred name in parenthesis i.e. Elizabeth (Ellie) Smith, however, your legal name should be used on any applications or forms that may be used for background checks.
    • Upon graduation, use a non-AU email address.
  8. Maintain consistency throughout your resume by paying attention to the lines that should be in
    bold, italics bold, etc.
  9. Be consistent in tense use throughout each experience (e.g., use past tense for the entire experience if the experience is past tense). Do not use “ing” when starting a bullet point with an action verb.

Education

  • List in reverse chronological order (most recent listed first).
  • American University and the Kogod School of Business should be listed as shown on the template.
  • Use Bachelor of Science [Chosen Field of Study] to reflect degree and list any specializations or minors.
  • List your graduation date using Month and Year only (e.g. May 2021).
  • Include GPA if 3.00 or higher. Do not round up your GPA, and list to the second decimal place (3.489 would be 3.48).
  • Study abroad experiences are also listed under Education. Make sure to note if you took courses in another language as this demonstrates proficiency.
  • Relevant coursework should be unique and directly related to the job for which you are applying. Do not exceed two lines of listed coursework.

Work & Leadership Experience

  • Follow the template to show jobs held, company, title and dates of employment in reverse chronological order.
  • Provide 2-5 concise, results-oriented accomplishment statements for each work experience. Begin each accomplishment statement with a strong action verb (see Action Verb List). Wherever possible, quantify your accomplishments (e.g. dollars saved, volume of customers, amount of new business generated, increased sales, improved efficiency, reduced staff needs, improved efficiency or productivity), e.g. “Conducted 20+ sales calls weekly on key accounts and potential customers, resulting in 72% positive response rate.”
  • A leadership experience can be used to highlight non-paid experiences such as on-campus activities, involvement with student organizations, volunteer work, or places where you held leadership roles, etc.

Skills & Interest

  • Include software, technology, social media and certifications.
  • List any languages (other than English) you speak, comprehend, and indicate proficiency level.
  • List outside interests you have (no more than 3-4).

Additional Notes

  • Use a “Leadership Experience” section if needed
  • Tailor your resume to by using industry specific language and key words from the job description.
  • If you have difficulty keeping your resume to one page, connect with Career Development.

Download the UG template