Resume and CV Best Practices

The guides presented here for Resume and CV (Curriculum Vitae) building contain a variety of materials from the FAU Libraries and external sources.  We provide a sample model for constructing a resume, best practices for video resumes, print and electronic library books, and links to support and guidance..

• Use clean fonts like Arial, New Times Roman, or Courier. Avoid fonts like Comic Sans and scripts.

• Make sure your email address is professional (not necessarily using your school address) but your first.last name @ “known email exchange” that indicates who the hiring managers are emailing. Nicknames, etc are not recommended.

• Lock down your social media accounts; make sure they’re Friends Only. Untag yourself from  questionable photos.

• SPELLING - double check the spelling and grammar in your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, etc.

• Keep your information relevant and current. No need to list your high school jobs. Only go back ten years or so - unless the job tasks/accomplishments are still relatable to the job to which you are applying.

• Unless you’re going for an executive position and have ten years of relevant experience, keep your resume to one page. Read the job ad/description and match your experiences to what they’re looking for.

• Use action verbs for your work history.  Lots of “doing” and less “responsible for” - be proactive and show responsibility.

• Do not include a photo. That could lead to misunderstandings, discrimination, and other unwanted outcomes.

Content provided by Jennifer Gallo, MLIS

Name (16-18 pt)

Address (complete with zip code)(switch to 12pt)

Working phone number(s) (Make sure your voicemail message is professional)

Professional/personal email. LinkedIn, etc.

Profile

(Two or three sentences giving your professional accomplishments, talents, knowledge. This is the introduction to the details below. Hiring managers often give a resume 10-20 seconds of attention. This is where you hit them first.)

Education

(Especially if you’re still in school, put your full university name, city, major/minor, and degree being sought here. Add the year at the end (“pending” if you’re still taking classes.)

(Add certificates, other relevant training as well.)

Skills (6-9 should suffice, these are some examples)

Depending on your work history:

Title, place of employment, years (do not include months)

• Use bullet points with action verbs to describe your position
• Highlight accomplishments (numbers, percentages, etc) rather than daily tasks
• Include supervision, leadership, management, etc.

Repeat for each job.

Content provided by Jennifer Gallo, MLIS