RESUME AND CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) GUIDE
Welcome to our resume and curriculum vitae (CV) guide-- which has been designed especially for you—to give you a competitive career and professional advantage. This guide is designed to help you create a resume or CV that is eye-catching, easily readable, and full of compelling content. In addition to this guide, we have many outstanding student resume examples for you to view in the Rocket Career Center office. Plus, if you need additional help, you can have your resume reviewed by one of our career ambassadors or career consultants.
PURPOSE
The purpose of a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is to land you an interview. A well-written, targeted resume or CV is essential when applying for internships, full- and part-time jobs, enrichment programs, graduate schools, and scholarships.
RESUME DROP BOX
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SAMPLE RESUMES & CVS
Resume and CV Resources
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Visual Appeal
Before you dive into your resume, let’s look at where it all begins—the look and the readability of your resume.
Did You Know?
Recruiters spend just six seconds scanning a resume before deciding whether to keep it or toss it?
For online applications, applicant tracking software (ATS) scans and rates your resume in seconds, too. Therefore, your resume needs one-column formatting with ample amounts of white space, and most importantly, compelling, readable content that aligns with the job or program’s stated requirements.
In formatting your resume or CV, here are important guidelines based on our review of hundreds of resumes:
MARGINS
Set Your Margins To 1"
If needed, you can expand your content and create a smaller margin. However, don’t go any smaller than a .5 margin. Remember, white space, i.e., space without text, aids in readability.
LENGTH
Keep Your Resume To One Page
CVs are typically longer documents and include additional sections such as publications, presentations, and professional organizations.
FONT TYPE SIZE
Use A Black, Easy-To-Scan Font
Fonts we recommend include Arial, Arial Narrow, Calibri, Gill Sans MT, Georgia, Times New Roman, and Veranda.
Font SIZE
10-12 point font is key!
Use a 10-12 point-sized font for the body of your resume and CV and a 14–18-point font for your name.
BOLDING
Use Bolding Consistently
Bolding can be used for section headers, degrees, and job titles.
ITALICS
Avoid Using Italics
Use of italics is not recommended, as it is not always ATS friendly.
GRAPHICS
Avoid Using Graphics
Avoid using tables, columns, text boxes, headers, footers, underlining, graphics, and symbols in your resume. These elements are unreadable by scanning software.
BULLETS
Make Your Resume Come To Life
Make your resume easy to read with action-oriented statements headed by bullets versus dense blocks of sentences. Learn how to write your bullets in section 3!
Contact Information
With visual appeal covered, let’s start at the top of the page. Make it easy for the prospective employer or graduate school to contact you with the following information:
- List your first and last name in bold type.
- Immediately under your name, list your UToledo email address.
- Next, list your LinkedIn profile URL portfolio URL, or website URL.
- Before adding your LinkedIn profile URL, make sure it is complete, up to date, and professional-looking. Be sure to update your sites as you update your resume with new skills and experiences.
- Lastly, list your phone number
ROCKY ROCKET
Rocky.Rocket@rockets.utoledo.edu
www.linkedin.com/rockyrocket/
PHONE TIPS:
- Have a professional voicemail message connected with your phone number
- Check your voicemails and emails regularly
- Answer your phone when you are in the season of job applications.
- Do not answer your phone when the environment is very noisy, your conversation might be awkwardly interrupted, or in other situations that can seem too personal and unprofessional.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR ADDRESS?
In today’s virtual world, listing your physical address on your resume is not necessary. However, use your physical address if you live in the city where you wish to be employed or if you are applying for federal positions.
Sections and Content
FOR RESUMES
With your header completed, you are ready to create the body of your resume. Standard resume sections for college students include:
FOR CV'S
If you are pursuing research positions or graduate or professional school or if you are in graduate or professional school, you may extend your resume to two or three pages to include these important sections:
- Lab, Research, or Clinical Experience
- Presentations or Performances
- Publications
- Professional Organizations
Please note that many healthcare positions will use the terms CV and resume interchangeably. If you are about to graduate, or a recent graduate, the content on your resume and CV may be the same.
SUMMARY OR PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT
Career objectives are not considered a worthwhile statement on a resume according to recruiters. You should have your objective in mind, (what it is that you wish to achieve) just don’t list it on your resume.
A summary element on a resume is used for an individual who has an extensive resume. It describes your qualifications in 3-5 sentences and convinces the recruiter to read your entire resume.
EXAMPLE SUMMARY
An experienced marketing professional with eight years of progressive experience. Proven success in running email marketing campaigns and implementing marketing strategies that have resulted in a 20% increase in qualified leads. Proficient in content, social media, and inbound marketing strategies.
EDUCATION
Degree
As a college student or recent graduate, your college degree is of foremost importance on your resume. List the full name of the degree you are pursuing, your major, and your expected date of graduation. For graduate degrees, list your dissertation/thesis title, concentration(s), and specialty(ties).
Order your education section in reverse chronological order, i.e., list your most recent degree first, then your next degree, and so forth.
EXAMPLES:
Doctorate degree (e.g., Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Pharmacy)
Doctor of Education, Higher Education, May 2025
Student Affairs Concentration
University of Toledo
Master’s degree (e.g., Master of Arts, Master of Business Administration)
Master of Science, Biology, May 2023
Cell Biology Research
University of Toledo
Bachelor’s degree (e.g., Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science)
Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood Education, May 2022
University of Toledo
Licensure
Professional programs such as Education, Social Work, and Nursing require licensure to be employed in those fields. You will want to list your licensure directly after your education, so it is easy for an employer to see you are qualified for the position.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Include your GPA if it is a 3.0 or above. This is a general rule of thumb. Some competitive majors such as Nursing require higher GPAs for admission so you may decide you do not want to list your GPA even if it is above a 3.0. Your GPA can be listed under your degree.
Resume writing tip: List your major GPA, instead, if it is higher and highlights you better. Be sure to title it as Major GPA.
Relevant Coursework
Resume writing tip: If your resume or CV lacks relevant work experience, you can enhance your resume or CV with the names of key, high-level college courses and unexpected elective coursework you have taken/are taking related to the position you are seeking. Separate your listed courses with commas.
Study Abroad
This is a great place for you to shine. Not everyone has international study experience. List where you studied, courses/topics, and key learnings from these study abroad experiences.
High School Education
For beginner college resumes, you can include your high school education information.
Resume writing tip: By the end of your sophomore year, we recommend that you remove it unless you graduated from a top high school in the city where you are seeking a position.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Relevant skills and competency-building experiences come from many sources including full-time work; clinical rotations; internships and co-ops—both paid and unpaid; and part-time, summer, and work-study positions. You will want to focus not on your duties in these positions but on the skills and competencies you developed in them. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) lists eight Career Readiness Competencies that you will want to consider and highlight in your experience sections.
- Write down all your work experiences.
- Include your most relevant, recent experiences that best showcase how your strengths align with the position’s requirements.
- List positions in reverse chronological order, i.e., begin with your current or most recent position
WRITING BULLET POINTS
First, start by jotting down your tasks. Next, think about your tasks using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, and Results). Each bullet point should describe a specific situation, the action(s) you took, and the results you produced or achieved.
USE KEYWORDS WITHIN YOUR BULLET STATEMENTS.
- A secret resume-writing weapon: Skill-specific keywords are used by application software to scan, sort, and score
digital resumes. Recruiters and hiring managers also look for task-specific keywords
as they scan resumes.
- Identify your must-include keywords by reading postings of desired jobs and internships and include them in your resume when they are genuine to your work experiences and applicable to the role for which you are applying.
- Use more bullet points for your most relevant experience and less for less relevant experience. Bullets should describe your experience, skills, and accomplishments to make it easy for the reader or software to scan your resume. A general rule of thumb is 3-4 bullet points per experience but be sure to emphasize your most relevant experiences.
- Start each bullet with an action verb and describe what you did/do, for whom, and why, including the outcome
Example Action Verbs
Achieved, built, conducted, created, designed, developed, edited, engaged, ensured, finalized, generated, led, marketed, performed, taught, tested, utilized, and verified.
View A Full List of Action Verbs Here!
- Do not begin your bullet statements with “responsible for” or “duties included.” These are useless fillers.
- Do not use personal pronouns such as I, my, we, or our.
- For current positions, use present tense action verbs, e.g., administer, develop, and teach.
- Use past tense verbs if you’re no longer in the role, e.g., administered, developed, and taught.
- Keep each bullet to no more than two lines.
Example Bullet Points
Entry-Level Examples
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- Provided excellent customer service to over 100 individuals a day in a fast-paced, retail environment.
- Trained new team members in basic food handling and safety to ensure compliance with restaurant health department regulations.
- Provided outstanding frontline service to a diverse population—every contact, every time—by phone, in person, and email.
Creative Research and Design Examples
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- Partnered with a team of researchers and designers to conduct research on the mobile app user experience for PNC Bank resulting in changes that increased customer usage by 19%.
- Collaborated with the design team to create new wayfinding signage for the John Glen Columbus International Airport which the airport adopted.
Marketing Examples
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- Created compelling features and benefits copy for Closet Ecology’s e-commerce collection achieving a 25% increase in conversion rate.
- Conducted market research on the Toledo-area’s estate sale company competitors for a start-up senior relocation company which helped the owners develop stronger sales pitches.
Medical Examples
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- Administered and documented Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to faculty, staff, and students at the University of Toledo thus reducing the spread of the virus on campus.
- Performed screening, examination, evaluation, treatment, and discharge of adolescent and adult patients with orthopedic or neurological diagnoses in the outpatient setting.
- Traced COVID-19 contacts through phone interviews with approximately three confirmed cases per day, contributing to the reduction and prevention of the spread of the coronavirus.
Performing Arts Examples
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- Created a series of 5-minute music education videos on rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, texture, and form for elementary students.
- Served as rehearsal accompanist and vocal coach for the Sylvania United Methodist Church Chancel Choir.
Teaching: Science and Math Examples
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- Selected by the Chemistry and Biology faculty to tutor peers in 200-level courses for four hours per week using special training provided to identify learning challenges and to use strategies for improved retention.
- Designed and implemented lesson plans in Algebra II that used evidence-based strategies like modeling, guided practice, drill and skill, graphic organizers, and examples/non-examples.
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT OR LEADERSHIP
Employers and graduate schools like to see students active both on- and off-campus because they, too, create and demonstrate skills. List your college-level leadership positions and describe your accomplishments in each role. Also, list any activities that may not have involved leadership but show dedication to a cause if they are related to the position you are seeking.
Rather than stating the purpose of the club or organization, describe the ways in which you specifically impacted its success.
Examples of How to Show Your INvolvement
- Collaborated with the Toledo Economic Development Commission Executive Board and developed a community educational workshop, “Must-Have Social Media for the New Entrepreneur” resulting in new, downtown small businesses seeing an increase in customer engagement.
- Tutored grade-school children from low-income families for two hours each week in reading and math activities improving their grades and reading levels.
- Researched and wrote three news articles per month for the "Toledo Today" website.
- Volunteer one Saturday each month delivering food to those without transportation resulting in reducing hunger and improving the nutrition of those in need.
SKILLS
Resume writing tip: Use skills as a category for your resume or CV if don’t have relevant work experience that showcases skills. Only include hard, testable skills such as specific software programs and tools, foreign language(s), and lab tools and procedures.
BACK TO THE TOP ^REFERENCES
Unless requested, do not include references as part of your resume. Also, do not state at the end of your resume, “References Available on Request.” It’s assumed that if you apply for a position you will provide references when asked. When you're asked to submit references, have a page ready with your references’ names; contact information, i.e., phone and email; and your relationship to each reference.
Resume writing tip: Use the same heading as you did for your resume on your reference page for consistency!
Ask supervisors, professors, or community leaders who can speak to your work performance for permission to list them as a reference. Here is where the work you’ve done building your professional network pays off. You’ll want to use people with whom you’ve built a professional relationship to serve as references.
PROFESSIONALISM
These final tips are presented to give you a lead over the competition. Stand above the crowd!
- It may be tempting to embellish or fabricate your work experience but don’t. Keep it real; keep it honest; keep it factual.
- Make sure that your resume is free from spelling errors and grammatical pitfalls. Resumes with glaring errors result in rejection.
- Find a skilled proofreader to review your resume or CV.
- To preserve your resume's formatting, save your resume as a PDF before sending it. Only send your resume in Word unless you are specifically requested to do so.
- When offering your resume in person or if you are mailing a printed copy of your document, have it printed on a professional resume weight white or off-white paper.
- Be sure to keep your references apprised of your job search progress. Send them to thank you for serving as references and playing a role in getting you selected.
In closing, a resume or CV is your chance to shine. It is your story about your academic, work, and leadership experiences that make you uniquely qualified for a particular position, scholarship, or program. A resume or CV is also a great tool to assess where you are and to help chart where it is you wish to go.