RESUME Q & A

What is a resume?

A resume is a written summary of your qualifications, skills, and work-related experience.

Do colleges look at resumes?

The Short answer is YES! Your activity resume will be a key element in your college applications (and even applications for some honor societies, scholarships, and summer programs). Of the roughly 900 colleges that accept the Common Application, about ⅓ provide you with the opportunity to upload your résumé. 

Should students have a resume by High School?

Yes, top tier students should be familiar with resume writing and have a master resume from which to draw pertinent information.

Students need a resume to apply to college, for scholarships, employment, and internships. Your resume is an important marketing tool. A well-written high school resume represents your character, your skills and accomplishments, and how you spend your time

I do not have a lot of real world experience. How can I craft a viable resume?

Some action words that you can use in your the resume include: observed, organized, assisted, developed, trained, tutored, and researched. Although your real-life work experience is likely minimal, you can creatively convey expertise.

How long should a resume be?

For most candidates, a resume should be only one page. Be brief and concise with anything you write on your resume. Draw information from your master resume. Customize your resume for the job you're applying for and include only relevant experience. If you've done everything right, you shouldn't get past one page.

What is a master resume?

A master resume is the "long version" of your experiences, education, awards, achievements, community service history, volunteer work, team and individual competitions, and serious interests. If you diligently keep this up to date, customizing a resume for different endeavors will be a much simpler process.