NEVER USE A STOCK RESUME! 
EVERY RESUME YOU SUBMIT SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT AND TAILORED TO THE JOB WHICH YOU HAVE APPLIED. 
A COPY OF THE CUSTOM RESUME SHOULD ALSO BE SAVED ON FILE AND REVIEWED PRIOR TO INTERVIEW .
  1. Formatting
    1. Name, address, email, and phone number in bigger font on top of page
      1. Use header to save space
    2. 10-12 point font, Times New Roman; don’t use cursive/cute/weird/gothic fonts
    3. Put education as first section, then relevant experience in chronological order (most recent/top to least recent/bottom, then other activities or skill sets
      1. If no relevant experience, talk about the lab experiences that you have had (either from research or from chemistry classes) and elaborate on the techniques that you have mastered
    4. Bold important things
      1. If you have a good GPA (>3.0); don’t list GPA if it is below 3.0
      2. Titles of jobs, honors, scholarships, awards
      3. Don’t bold everything, bolding is to make important things stand out
    5. Try to fill up the entire page, don’t go over 1 page but get as close as to filling the entire page up
    6. Make resume easy to read:
      1. Vertical alignment is more pleasing to the eyes
 
  1. What to put and what not to put
    1. Avoid putting an objective.
      1. Most people will have an objective similar to yours.
      2. Your space can be better used to put down a summary of yourself (ask Katherine for examples)
      3. Or just completely eliminate that section and use the space for other things
    2. Do not put personal information
      1. Leave out social security, marital, or any unnecessary information
      2. Do not put down references, provide only if they ask
  2. Cover Letter
    1. Ideal Length: ½ to ¾ of a page
    2. When to write a cover letter:
      1. Whenever applying to jobs on zotlink or company websites, only submit what they have asked for
      2. Otherwise, always write a cover letter
      3. Suggestion: when emailing your cover letter and resume to a hiring manager, always type something in the email body, NEVER LEAVE IT BLANK.
    3. NEVER USE A STOCK COVER LETTER
    4. http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/02/10/how-to-write-a-cover-letter-that-will-get-you-an-interview
    5. Have ~3 paragraphs
      1. State your purpose, how you’ve heard of the job, why you’re interested, brief introduction of yourself
      2. How you qualify (aka what the job description says and how you fit into those descriptions)
      3. Closing paragraph - state that you want opportunities, look forward to meeting [hiring manager or whoever]; thank them for their time and consideration
    6. https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/cdc/resumes/cover-ltr-writing
  3. CV (cirriculum vitae) vs. Resume
    1. In industry, try to use a resume
    2. CV is usually for master or PhD students, which includes publications and/or research details
    3. Since a resume is typically only given ~15 seconds to look over, it’s better to have a resume than a CV so that whoever’s reading it can look over the more important information you want them to know
If you have any questions, or want someone to look over your resume, feel free to ask anyone on AIChE board, or email it to board@aicheuci.com!