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Contents What is a resume? Why write a resume? What kind of resume should you write? Tailoring for your audience Developing your content Organizing your sections Designing your page

Your Resume: General Concerns Designing your page Using the whole page When resumes fill only three-quarters or half a page, leaving white space to the right or bottom of the page, they seem underdeveloped. By using the whole page, you give prospective employers the impression you have much to offer. However, if you put too much on your page, readers will likely get frustrated trying to read it. With the one-page resume now nearly standard, your challenge is to get the most into an 8 1/2" X 11" space without bogging down your reader. Try the following test: fold your resume draft from top to bottom and then from left to right. Your page will now be divided into four equal sections or quadrants, like this:   Each of these quadrants should be as "full" as possible without appearing crowded. If you find, for example, that quadrants 3 and 4 are mostly white space, you may need to work on developing content (see above) or designing your page so that information is distributed more evenly. What are some strategies for balancing your page? The single best strategy is to use columns. You might use one narrow column for headings, for instance, and a wide column for the body of your resume.   Education Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Studies ß Or you may use columns within sections that include lists of information. Relevant Coursework Finite Element Methods Hydraulic Control Systems Professional Selling Skills Design of Machine Components Irrigation Management and Design  Soil and Water Resource Engineering Note: Depending on the word-processing program you are using, you may find it easier to set up columns by inserting a table (with no borders). creating a visual hierarchy using the whole page using a consistent format choosing the right paper       back to top

 Written and Designed by Bryan M. Kopp and the Business Writing Consulting/Tutoring Staff with the Assistance of Liz Thelen.

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