Resume Resources

Table of Contents


Resume Overview

A resume presents your story by highlighting your skills (the things you do well). Employers initially scan a resume for 30 to 60 seconds, so it needs to be descriptive and concise at the same time. It also needs to be tailored to the organization to which you are applying. We asked a few recruiters to tell us what they notice on a resume in 30 seconds. Check out what they look for in the video below.

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Sections to Include + Quick Formatting Tips

To keep your resume easy to read, divide it into these common sections. Check out the samples in the resources section for examples of what to include.

  • Name and Contact Information
  • Summary (Optional- more common with experienced professionals, but an option for any student)
  • Education
  • Experience- This is often broken up into two or three sections based on the themes in your experiences. Common headings include: Work/Professional Experience, Clubs/Student Organizations, Leadership Experience, and Service/Community Involvement.
  • Skills (Optional)

Most employers take 30-60 seconds per resume during their first glance. Don’t get stuck in the “no” pile because of formatting issues.

  • Keep your document to one page (for most undergraduates)
  • Put your experiences in reverse chronological order in each section
  • Keep your formatting consistent and easy to skim quickly (i.e. put job titles, organization names, dates, and locations in the same location each time)
  • Use bullets, not paragraphs
  • Quantify when possible and use the Bullet Plus Formula to show skills, not just tasks (keep scrolling for more on the Bullet Plus formula!)
  • Tailor your resume to the experience for which you are applying

 

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Write Higher Quality Bullet Points

Show the reader your skills (instead of just listing the tasks you did) by using the bullet plus model:

Action Verb + What + How/Why/Impact 

For example:

  • Basic bullet: Developed interpersonal skills 
  • Bullet plus: Developed interpersonal skills by facilitating cross-cultural conversations with Malawian teens and community members (how)             
     
  • Basic bullet: Created real interest monitoring tool
  • Bullet plus: Created real interest monitoring tool to study the effect of rate changes on foreign exchange levels (why)              
     
  • Basic bullet: Directed actors in productions
  • Bullet plus: Directed 5-10 student actors and managed technical team in both short and full-length productions attracting audiences of 100+ (impact)

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Instant Resume Feedback + Other Resources

  • Resume Writing Guide- Get more in-depth information on resume writing 
  • VMOCK- 24/7 access to instant resume feedback for all U-M undergraduate students
  • Targeted Resume- Automatic feedback on if your resume is tailored for a specific position for anyone with a umich.edu email

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Resume Templates

To get started, choose a template from below > make a copy of the template > edit it with your information

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Resume Examples

Choose a thumbnail to access the full view

Undergrad Examples

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Masters Examples

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If you are a doctoral student, please visit our PhD Non-Academic Job Search page for resume resources.

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Resume Action Verbs

Action Verbs for Resumes and Professional Profiles

ManagementCommunicationResearchTechnicalTeachingFinancialCreativeHelpingOrganizationAchievements
administeredaddressedanalyzedadaptedadaptedadministeredactedadaptedapprovedachieved
analyzedadvertisedclarifiedassembledadvisedadjustedadaptedadvocatedarrangedcompleted
appointedarbitratedcollectedbuiltclarifiedallocatedbeganaidedcatalogedexpanded
approvedarrangedcomparedcalculatedcoachedanalyzedcombinedansweredcategorizedexceeded
assignedarticulatedconductedcomputedcommunicatedappraisedconceptualizedarrangedchartedimproved
attainedauthoredcritiquedconservedconductedassessedcondensedassessedclassifiedpioneered
authorizedclarifieddetectedconstructedcoordinatedauditedcreatedassistedcodedreduced (losses)
chairedcollaborateddeterminedconvertedcritiquedbalancedcustomizedcaredcollectedresolved (issues)
consideredcommunicateddiagnoseddebuggeddevelopedcalculateddesignedforcompiledrestored
consolidatedcomposedevaluateddesignedenabledcomputeddevelopedclarifiedcorrespondedspearheaded
contractedcondensedexamineddeterminedencouragedconserveddirectedcoacheddistributedsucceeded
controlledconferredexperimenteddevelopedevaluatedcorrecteddisplayedcollaboratedexecutedsurpassed
convertedconsultedexploredengineeredexplaineddetermineddrewcontributedfiledtransformed
coordinatedcontactedextractedfabricatedfacilitateddevelopedentertainedcooperatedgeneratedwon
decidedconveyedformulatedfortifiedfocusedestimatedestablishedcounseledimplemented 
delegatedconvincedgatheredinstalledguidedforecastedfashioneddemonstratedincorporated 
developedcorrespondedidentifiedmaintainedindividualizedmanagedformulateddiagnosedinspected 
directeddebatedinspectedoperatedinformedmarketedfoundededucatedlogged 
eliminateddefinedinterpretedoverhauledinstilledmeasuredillustratedencouragedmaintained 
emphasizeddescribedinterviewedprintedinstructedplannedinitiatedensuredmonitored 
enforceddevelopedinventedprogrammedmotivatedprogrammedinstitutedexpeditedobtained 
enhanceddirectedinvestigatedrectifiedpersuadedprojectedintegratedfacilitatedoperated 
establisheddiscussedlocatedregulatedsetreconciledintroducedfamiliarizeordered 
executeddraftedmeasuredrepairedgoalsreducedinventedfurtheredorganized 
generatededitedorganizedreplacedsimulatedresearchedmodeledguidedprepared 
handledelicitedresearchedrestoredstimulatedretrievedmodifiedhelpedprocessed 
headedenlistedsearchedsolvedtaught originatedinsuredprovided 
hiredexplainedsolvedspecializedtested performedintervenedpurchased 
hostedexpressedsummarizedstandardizedtrained photographedmotivatedrecorded 
improvedformulatedsurveyedstudiedtransmitted plannedprovidedregistered 
incorporatedfurnishedsystematizedupgradedtutored revisedreferredreserved 
increasedincorporatedtestedutilized  revitalizedrehabilitatedresponded 
initiatedinfluenced    shapedpresentedreviewed 
inspectedinteracted    solvedresolvedrouted 
institutedinterpreted     simplifiedscheduled 
ledinterviewed     suppliedscreened 
managedinvolved     supportedset up 
mergedjoined     volunteeredsubmitted 
motivatedjudged      supplied 
organizedlectured      standardized 
originatedlistened      systematized 
overhauledmarketed      updated 
oversawmediated      validated 
plannedmoderated      verified 
presidednegotiated        
prioritizedobserved        
producedoutlined        
recommendedparticipated        
reorganizedpersuaded        
replacedpresented        
restoredpromoted        
reviewedproposed        
scheduledpublicized        
streamlinedreconciled        
strengthenedrecruited        
supervisedreferred        
terminatedreinforced        
 reported        
 resolved        
 responded        
 solicited        
 specified        
 spoke        
 suggested        
 summarized        
 synthesized        
 translated        
 wrote        

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