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 .
Formatting
Name, address, email, and phone number in bigger font on top of page
Use header to save space
10-12 point font, Times New Roman; don’t use cursive/cute/weird/gothic fonts
Put education as first section, then relevant experience in chronological order (most recent/top to least recent/bottom, then other activities or skill sets
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
Bold important things
If you have a good GPA (>3.0); don’t list GPA if it is below 3.0
Titles of jobs, honors, scholarships, awards
Don’t bold everything, bolding is to make important things stand out
Try to fill up the entire page, don’t go over 1 page but get as close as to filling the entire page up
Make resume easy to read:
Vertical alignment is more pleasing to the eyes
What to put and what not to put
Avoid putting an objective.
Most people will have an objective similar to yours.
Your space can be better used to put down a summary of yourself (ask Katherine for examples)
Or just completely eliminate that section and use the space for other things
Do not put personal information
Leave out social security, marital, or any unnecessary information
Do not put down references, provide only if they ask
Cover Letter
Ideal Length: ½ to ¾ of a page
When to write a cover letter:
Whenever applying to jobs on zotlink or company websites, only submit what they have asked for
Otherwise, always write a cover letter
Suggestion: when emailing your cover letter and resume to a hiring manager, always type something in the email body, NEVER LEAVE IT BLANK.
State your purpose, how you’ve heard of the job, why you’re interested, brief introduction of yourself
How you qualify (aka what the job description says and how you fit into those descriptions)
Closing paragraph - state that you want opportunities, look forward to meeting [hiring manager or whoever]; thank them for their time and consideration
CV is usually for master or PhD students, which includes publications and/or research details
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!