Ashley Orehek-Rossi, STEM Librarian/Assistant Professor

Not so long ago, I was in your shoes. I was on the job market, hunting down the job that would kickstart my professional career. I searched all over the place (within reason, because my now husband lived with me then and we could only move so far for my new job). I submitted applications to jobs I thought were perfect fits, and to jobs I knew I was under- or overqualified for. I didn’t want to keep driving to my Starbucks job almost an hour away from my house. Something had to give, someone had to take a chance on me. Patience… 

Finally, I had a break! Out of approximately 16 applications, I had one interview, which then became my only job offer… at a place I couldn’t see myself long-term. I took it anyway, telling myself this was a stepping-stone job to something better. I took a break from the job hunt, but still polished my application materials and remained active in organizations and activities that could help me move on. 

Then, my “dream job” appeared on a listserv, within a commutable distance of where I lived already(!). Too good to be true? It was (I applied anyway). Sure, I was only five months into this new job, but you have to keep your options open. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. Patience… 

I was tickled when the interview request came. The first interview came, the second, and then the wait as the search committee deliberated. I did everything in my power to show them why I was perfect. I let fate play it out. Then, the call came. The dean offered me the job. I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry (because I totally did). Because, patience is a virtue. After years of hard work and hustling, I finally landed the “dream job.” 

Now, I’m here to share my experiences. What worked on my applications? What didn’t? These are all solely my opinion, not an end all be all. Some tips may work better for others; you’ll never know if you don’t try!

Do	Don't
Formatting
Use tables (with and without borders) and the alignment functions. They help align information neatly within your document.	Use “tab” or excessive spacing. It is quite obvious when spacing doesn’t line up.
Use a font like on your college essays. The font needs to be readable across most devices. Arial, Garamond, Times New Roman, Tahoma, Calibri, and Verdana are safe bets!	Use fun fonts. It comes off unprofessional and they may be hard to read. Also, some fonts do not transfer well between devices.
Utilize bold, italic, and underline fonts to emphasize and highlight.	Use bright and/or contrasting colors. Someone may be colorblind. It can also come off as unprofessional.
Make it yours! It’s your resume. Let your personality shine.	Directly copy a template or another’s resume. Use examples as inspiration for yours.
Try to keep it to 2 pages, no more than 3.1	Have 5+ pages.2
Experiences (Positions)
List positions you held in the last 5-7 years.	List every single position.
Highlight positions that make you fit the job. (e.g., Mention a restaurant server position if the job requires customer service.)	Include irrelevant positions. (e.g., Refrain from including a seasonal job unless you actually learned something useful)
Include your internships. Unpaid or paid, it still counts as experience.
Include your extracurricular activities as an early-career professional or recent graduate.
References
Keep a running list of supervisors, mentors, co-workers, volunteer leaders, etc. you worked with in the past 3-ish years in a separate document.	List your references in your resume. It takes up valuable page space, and usually jobs request references listed in a separate space.
Ask your references FOR PERMISSION to list their names and contact info.	Assume you can list someone as a reference. Someone may not be comfortable with it… it may present a conflict-of-interest…
Use someone who has seen your work (e.g., supervisor, volunteer leader).	Use your best friend’s parents, a family member, or other personal reference.3
Have a variety of references (e.g. professor, boss, colleague).	Use references from the same work group (e.g., 3 people from one department).
Education
List out all the degree(s) you received (e.g., Bachelor of Science in Meteorology). This includes minors and graduate certificates.	Assume someone will know an abbreviation or acronym.4
List your certifications (e.g., ICS 100, First Aid, ServSafe). They still talk about your story and what you can do.	List your GPA, Credit hours, Academic advisor, etc.5
Skills / Descriptions
Transform qualification phrases with your experiences and skills.	Repeat qualifications verbatim from the job description. You look like a cookie cutter more than a standout individual.
Target keywords. Some resumes are pre-screened by a computer before getting to an actual person.	Repeat qualifications between positions on your resume. Make it look like you enhanced skills as you moved forward.
Include numbers. This shows evidence of impacts you’ve made.	Be vague. It won’t show what impacts you’ve made or what you’ve learned
Personal Information
Include your phone and email, as these are the most basic ways that someone will contact you.	Feel you need to include your mailing / home address.6 If anything, DO include your current city location.
Have a professional email that includes your name. Your student email is perfectly fine to use, as long as you can retain access to it after you graduate.	Use an informal email address (e.g., My first email was [email protected]…).
List your professional name, or how you want to be known.	Have to include your middle name. Totally optional!
Include your social media handles and personal websites - especially broadcasters.

¹  This is experience and job dependent. Keep it short and sweet.
²  An academic CV is the only time you are allowed to use as many pages as needed.
³ This avoids any potential biases or conflicts of interest.
⁴ Spell it out the first time mentioned, then continue using the abbreviation or acronym.
⁵ Typically, you would include this information in a federal resume.
⁶  For early career professionals, our address may change several times before we settle somewhere.

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Additional Tips and Observations

Cover Letters

Don’t have relevant experience from your internships or jobs? Describe a project from your coursework or volunteer experience!

Optional Sections to Include

• Poster presentations
• Oral presentations & Seminar participation
• Article publications
• Grants (Did you write or participate on one?)
• Scholarships / Awards
• Memberships (What are you involved with?)
• Volunteer Experience (It is good practice to keep these separate from your professional experience so it helps tell your story).

Types of Skills to Include in Your Descriptions

Hard — Skills that you are trained to do through coursework, past and current positions, and / or self-taught

Soft — Skills that often come naturally to you or with some practice.

You can also use these as keywords in your experience descriptions and cover letter:

Some Hard Skills to Include

Skill	Examples
Specific computer programming languages you know	Python, R, HTML, Fortran
Specific software programs	ArcGIS, iMovie, Bufkit
Computer operating systems you know	Mac OS X, Microsoft, Linux
Weather equipment operation	Lidar, Radiosondes, Flux tower, Wind sodar
Foreign languages	Any of them are awesome if you are proficient in speaking, reading, and writing. List even basic knowledge, too, or if you are learning a language. Tip: Spanish is appearing more under the preferred qualifications list.
Specific applications	Canva, Social media
General Lists*	Video editing software, Video conferencing software, Course management software, Database software, etc.
Other examples:	Data analysis, Quality assurance, Machine learning

*If you know multiple methods, you can clarify in your cover letter or later in an interview.

Some Soft Skills to Include

Other Tips and Tricks

• *ALWAYS LIST IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER* (Starting with your most recent position, project, award, etc).
• Use bullet points to describe your professional achievements and accomplishments.
• QUANTIFY your achievements and accomplishments. If you cannot quantify, qualitative descriptions are also valid.
• Include hyperlinks in your document. Most people will be reviewing application materials from their computer. These can enhance your resume and help give a better picture of that project, position, or whatever. *Only include hyperlinks to conference proceedings, conference presentations, conference session information, project / grant information, and article DOIs.
• Include a short description of the award(s) or scholarship(s) you received.
• Create a CV for grad schools and other academic-related positions.
• Be consistent in your citation style. Science and engineering fields typically follow APA style
• Answer every question on the application truthfully. If you don’t have a certain degree yet – like you haven’t graduated yet – do not claim you do until after the date conferred. 

The Objective - To Include Or Not Include

Disclaimer: This is an opinion.
I personally do not like objectives. They basically restate why you are applying for a said position. It is already obvious that you are interested in said position. Also, if the reviewer does their job and reviews your application thoroughly, they can put a story together about you and determine how you qualify.

Examples

• Example Resume

• Example Academic CV