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As long as you are aspiring to
professional advancement, your
resume is a work in progress.
hile there are some basic rules (spellcheck is a must!)
and standard practices to resume writing, it is largely a
personal undertaking. We encourage you to take a holistic
approach to creating your resume, considering your
unique set of experiences in relation to the types of roles
to which you aspire. In other words, think of your resume
as a marketing tool that demonstrates how a product
(you) meets the needs of a potential customer (employer).
This Resume Guide is designed for both the novice
resume writer and the more seasoned candidate. Follow
the basic principles, adding in advanced components
when appropriate.
New to resume writing Introductory Resume
Worksheet
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Adding new items and
trying to cut old ones
Advanced Resume
Worksheet
4
Shifting career
directions
Crafting Your
Descriptions
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• Know that resume writing can be complex and take several
tries to master.
• Save PDF and .txt versions of your resume. Keep prior
versions of your resume for reference.
• Do not fear changing directions. You can reposition any
experience by focusing on Transferable Skills.
• Ask for feedback from a Peer Career Adviser or schedule an
appointment with a career adviser in Handshake.
• Typically resumes should be one page. However,
for graduate school, fellowship, and non-corporate
applications, it is acceptable to extend to two pages with
a signicant amount of aligned experience.
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• Look at job descriptions carefully. If certain keywords,
skills, or traits keep popping up, check that they are
reected in your resume in your own words.
• Experience comes not only from internships and jobs
but from campus activities, class projects and volunteer
work as well. There is value – what employers call
transferable skills – in all you do as a Princeton student.
• Readers only know what you tell them. Include concise
yet detailed Action-Oriented Accomplishment
Statements to pique a reader’s interest.
• Demonstrate skills through your bullet points in addition
to listing them in a “Skills” section.
• Think ahead to the interview. Make sure the content
you’d talk about is well-represented in your resume.
• Consider the context for which you’re using your resume
and adjust content, headers and details to match the specic
job/internship posting, scholarship application, career fair/
Meetup or other opportunity.
• Note differences in style, tone, keywords and content across
industries and around the globe.
• Distinguish yourself from other Princeton students by
detailing your individual role and unique impact, especially
when several students may have the same experience (e.g.,
RCA, McGraw Center Tutor).
• Do not include personal information like age, Social Security
number, marital status, religion or parents’ occupations.
• Do you need a CV or resume? In the U.S., a CV is used
primarily for admission to – or roles in – academia. It is a type
of resume with an in-depth focus on research, presentations,
academic awards, and/or publications.
• Typically resumes should be one page. However, for
graduate school, fellowship, and non-corporate applications,
it is acceptable to extend to two pages with a signicant
amount of aligned experience.
The document should be written
with the reader in mind
Your resume’s job is to get you
an interview.
• Use bullet points instead of paragraphs. Avoid pronouns
(I, we) and minimize the use of articles (a, an, the).
• Use CAPS, bold fonts, and line spacing to distinguish
between sections.
• Set the margins between 0.75” and 1” (ideal) and no
less than 0.5”.
• Use consistent font styles and sizes (10-12pt) throughout
the document.
• Save space by leaving off your mailing address. Your
phone number and email sufce.
• List content in reverse chronological order in each
section of your resume.
Your resume should be easy to scan
and digest in 15-30 seconds.
Basic Principles of Resume Writing
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