Step 1: Collect Experiences and Skills

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Begin the process of writing your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) by making note of all of the experiences and positions you've had. Be extensive—this is not the time to worry about keeping things to one page. Use the resume starter kit to get started. The table below covers content to consider as you brainstorm.

Essential Components of every resume and CV

  • Contact Information
  • Essentials
    Full name, address, best phone number and email to reach you, web address (e.g. your LinkedIn or online portfolio) you would like employers to use to contact you.
    Hints
    Make sure email and phone number are professionally appropriate and typo-free. Do not include your address or phone number if posting your resume or CV publicly online.
  • Education
  • Essentials
    Name of school, degree earned, major and minor, expected graduation date, and sometimes GPA (depends on field and employer). GPA is not included on CV's.
    Hints
    List your highest degree first followed by other degrees you have received. Listing community college is optional, especially if no degree was awarded. Can also list study abroad experiences.
  • Relevant Experience
  • Essentials
    Job Title, company name, dates of experience, describe job, duties, significant accomplishments and contributions. You can include volunteer or leadership and research experience related to your objective here (or below) as well. Experiences should be listed in reverse chronological order.
    Hints
    Can include paid and non-paid positions, internships, and military duty. Present achievements, contributions, and results. CVs could include professional, research and teaching (mentoring) experience sections.

Optional Components that can be included on a resume or CV. Include components that best describe your skills and experiences that relate to the position you are seeking.

  • Objective
  • Essentials
    Only used when describing a very specific position (e.g. "Summer internship at Intel," "Career position in finance," or "Senior analyst #6532 at Sandia National Lab").
    Hints
    This is a one-line description of the position desired that may include job title, job number and company name. It can be omitted in most cases, and is typically not included in CVs.
  • Qualifications/Skills
  • Essentials
    Identify skills the employer is looking for. They may be grouped by category such as: laboratory skills; computer and software skills; research techniques, processes and analysis; language skills; and administrative or professional skills, but do not have to be.
    Hints
    List only the skills you can perform with little or no supervision. Consider using the ICC's transferable skills list.
  • Group/Class Project/Relevant Coursework
  • Essentials
    Relevant classes and/or projects. Include if it demonstrates skill set or knowledge gained through coursework or project implementation, but make sure it is relevant to the position.
    Hints
    Lists the course title, not the course number. Relevant classes can be listed as a subsection under Education.
  • Honors and Awards
  • Essentials
    Honors, awards, grants, and scholarships. Be sure to include a description and year received. Focus on merit-based scholarships and grants.
    Hints
    Can be listed spearatley or as a subsection under Education. For a CV, this section should follow the publications and presentations section.
  • Travel
  • Essentials
    List countries and travel experiences, if relevant to the position for which you are applying.
  • Research/Publications/Presentations/Posters
  • Essentials
    Project title, where published and when. Undergrads-List roles as Research Assistant, name the lab, project or techniques.
    Hints
    For CV, list publications in citation format. STEM fields usually number publications and bold your name in the list of authors.
  • Relevant Volunteer and Community Activities/Leadership/Academic Service
  • Essentials
    List organization, office(s) held and time frame. A brief description of accomplishments can also be added if highly relevant.
    Hints
    We suggest that you place internship positions under the experience section instead of this section.
  • Certifications/Licenses/Patents
  • Essentials
    List if noteworthy and/or applicable to the position for which you are applying. Only list if current.
    Hints
    Add date issued or future expiration date. Write out abbreviations.
  • Professional Affiliations
  • Essentials
    Include current memberships only, add leadership positions within organizations if appropriate.
    Hints
    For advanced degree resumes, it might be best to include this information below the education section.
  • References
  • Essentials
    Not included on a resume, but included on a CV and should include full contact information.
    Hints
    See references page for more information.