A sample resume is available to download here.

Overview
     A resume is a persuasive summary of your qualifications for employment. If you’re in the job market, having a well-fashioned resume makes you look organized and prepared. If you’re still far from job hunting, preparing a resume now will make you more conscious of that to do in the future to make yourself an attractive candidate. Writing a resume is also an ego-building experience: the person who looks so good on paper is YOU!

Before you start…

     Formatting Guidelines
          The font size should be no smaller than 10 point. Don't use intricate fonts that are hard to read. Keeping your fonts standard will help combat conversion issues from PC to MAC and from one program version to another. The length of your resume should be 1 page only.

     Highlight your strengths
          Highlight your strengths, and what is most relevant to the potential employer. In-coming resumes are typically reviewed in 10-30 seconds, so put forth the effort and determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective.

     Customize to the Specific Employer’s Needs
          Review job postings. Use the keywords listed in these ads, and match them to the bullet points in your resume. Using a custom resume instead of a generic one will greatly increase your chances of an interview.

     Use %'s, $'s and #'s
          You should always use %'s, $'s and #'s if you helped out with improving a certain project you worked on. Dollar totals, numbers, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume.
          Ex) Bad: Account manager for advertising agency
                Good: Managed 15 strategic accounts billing in excess of $15MM annually

     White space is important
          Open up the newspaper, and take note of which ads first catch your attention. This is done to grab your attention, as readers are always attracted to open areas. For this reason, don't worry if you are having a hard time filling the page with text; increase your line spacing to compensate.

     Be positive
          Above all - you must be positive. Therefore, leave off negatives and irrelevant points.

Resume Content - Body

     Objective
          Most resumes begin by candidates’ objectives (do this prior to writing the resume). Clearly think about what sort of a job you want and know what skill-set and experience is needed to do well in that job. If you know the title of the position you are applying for, state that in the objective.
          Ex) Seeking a career in public accounting within the audit/assurance area.

     Summary
          Compile a personal summary after the objective and use action words to describe and highlight your strengths, because it’s these key words that employers are looking for and makes you stand out from other resumes that are lacking the words.
          Ex) Dedicated, goal oriented, motivated professional with effective communication skills, and a loyal and positive attitude.

     Education
          If you don’t have as much work experience, then List your education before work experience on the resume. For education background:
                List in order the degree your pursuing, list your option, the school you are attending, and your GPA, your major GPA and your overall GPA.
                If you transferred from another school, list that school second on the resume and the current school you are attending first.
                Have the date ending of your final attendance at the school, even if you haven’t graduated yet
                Have your degree and option bolded with the rest of the text un-bolded.
          Ex: B.S. Business Administration                    June 2008
                Emphasis: Accounting
                California State University, Los Angeles
                GPA: Major 3.5, Cumulative 3.6

                A.S. Business Administration                     May 2006
                Emphasis: Accounting
                Glendale Community College
                GPA Major 3.7, Cumulative 3.9

     Work Experience
          List any work experience you may have had. As mentioned above, you action words and parallel construction that best describes what you did or are currently doing now. Bottom line - put yourself in the shoes of the resume reader - when looking at the job qualifications needed for the position; what would you be looking for in a candidate.

          Strive to be clear and concise, as the purpose is to attract potential employer’s interest, but not to list everything you have experienced. To better demonstrate your experience:
                Use Bulleted Sentences
                    - Resumes are read quickly. Bulleting information will help the reader view your accomplishments at a glance. Keep every sentence brief: in one line only.
                Use Action Words
                    - Words like prepared, managed, developed, championed, monitored, and presented will cause your resume to stand out.
                    Ex) • Created comparative profit and loss for stage play reports
                          • Developed royalty statements

     Honors
          List any honors you may have received during your college career. List the school you are currently attending first in bolded letters and the honor received.

     Memberships
          List any organizations that you are a part of. This shows an employer that you are highly involved in your organization and want to participate as much as you can in your major. List any leadership positions held and stress how you built upon teamwork, leadership, and communication skills at the actual interview.
          Ex) Beta Alpha Psi
                Accounting Society
                CalCPA

     Technical Skills
          List any technical skills that you may have learned. Often at times it can be computer skills. This portion will be found at the bottom of the resume before memberships.
          Ex) Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, QuickBooks.

     Languages
          Globalization is the main trend of today’s world, and many jobs require proficiency in multiple languages. Make sure to list all the languages you can speak and bold them if necessary.
          Ex) Fully Bilingual in English and Spanish

After writing the resume…

     Get 3rd Party Advice
          Get an outside opinion on your resume before sending it off. - Have someone such as a counselor, professor, or faculty advisor review and critique your resume. Having someone subjectively review your resume can give you insight into how others will view your personal marketing materials. Feedbacks from the readers can help you discover items you inadvertently left off your resume.

     Proof Reading, Proof Reading, and Proof Reading!
          Any grammar or spelling mistakes will definitely turn you down. So, get your resume proofread by your friends, family, and whoever has good language skills.