Success with Employers - 3 - Resume Preparation - Building an Excellent Resume

Sep 13, 2026

Resume preparation guidance for securing interviews with potential employers, focused on marketable skills and targeted qualifications. The guide outlines the purpose of a strong resume as both a positioning tool and an interview framework, then details core content elements such as contact information, career objectives, education, work experience, and relevant achievements. It provides actionable formatting and writing rules, including concision, prioritizing the strongest selling point, easy-to-scan structure, keyword optimization for electronic scanning systems, and the use of action verbs plus quantified results.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Success with Employers

Resume Preparation

Building an Excellent Resume

Purpose

Basic Content

Important Guidelines

Quick Tips

Printing Your Resume

03 Success with Employers Resume Preparation Building an Excellent Resume After you have identifed the type(s) of jobs you will seek, preparing a resume and other written materials for your job search is the next step. Get started by attending a resume writing workshop at Career Services. Counselors are available by appointment to review a rough draft of your resume (or cover letter) and to answer questions about your job search. Purpose: » Market your skills and experiences to potential employers, with the goal of securing an interview. » Amplify your qualifcations for a specifc position. » Can serve as an “outline” during your interview and help to “guide” the discussion regarding your skill sets. Basic Content: » Name, address, email and telephone number(s), include both your personal and work number (with the area code) . » State your career objective, by identifying the kind of position you are seeking as specifcally as possible. » A targeted summary of your education, work experience, qualifcations and accomplishments. » Any additional information on your activities, interests or background that illustrates your suitability for the job. 20 SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY | CAREER SERVICES Important Guidelines: » Make It Concise. Resumes for recent college graduates without a lot of related work experience should be one page in length. Longer resumes are acceptable for experienced professionals and are more common in education/research felds, where teaching or published works are included on a resume or curriculum vitae. » Important Material Goes First. Decide which section (education or experience) is the best “selling point” for your stated career objective and put it frst. When describing job duties, activities or listing relevant coursework, put the most relevant items frst. In chronological resumes, jobs should be listed in reverse chronological order, listing the mostrecent frst. » Easy-to-Scan Format. Use a format that makes education, main work experience and important skills visually prominent. Experiment with diferent layouts and margins until you develop a balanced, easy-toscan resume that is neither too small nor too large. Use underlining or bold-faced type and capital letters to denote main section headingsand job titles. Your margins should be equal on each side and at the top and bottom. » Format for Electronic Scanning Systems. Many employers use resume scanning systems. When electronic searches are done to compare “job requirements” against “resume qualifcations” in the database, keywords are used to make matches; therefore, your resume should contain words that are very descriptive and specifc about your background and skills. Also, make sure to follow specifc formatting guidelines provided by employers. » Verbs and Buzz Words. Use action verbs, such as “managed,” “coordinated” and “developed” to begin short phrases that describe your job duties. Read job descriptions related to your feld and decide which skills, experience or “buzz words” to emphasize. A sales resume, for example, might emphasize sales and marketing experience, verbal skills, initiative and the ability to convince and persuade. » Maximize and Quantify Relevant Experience. Experience related to your stated career objective can include both unpaid and paid internships, courses, special seminars, club activities, etc. Think broadly about all of your achievements and describe them in terms relevant to your objective. Quantify when numbers give scope or add credibility (e.g.,“managed a $20,000 annual club budget” or “directed a camp crafts program serving 150 teenagers per day”) . Visit the virtual career resource library at [career.sdsu.edu](career.sdsu.edu) Taken prior to 2020. Amplify Your Skill Sets: » Research the prospective job thoroughly. Know what type of skills are generally preferred by employers and what specifc employee traits are valued in a particular work environment. » Thor

FAQs

What is the purpose of preparing a resume for employers?

The resume markets skills and experiences to secure an interview, strengthens qualifications for a specific position, and can serve as an outline to guide interview discussion.

What core sections should a basic resume include?

A basic resume should include name and contact details, a specific career objective, a targeted summary of education and work experience, and additional information that demonstrates suitability.

How should the resume be formatted for both people and electronic scanning systems?

Use a concise, easy-to-scan layout with prominent headings and job titles, and include descriptive, specific keywords that match job requirements used in employer databases.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Evangeline