Develop Your Resume

Number of Pages

One page is common for early professionals or those with limited experience. Two pages are appropriate for extensive relevant experience, experienced professionals, and/or people with graduate degrees.

Margins

Margins should be:

• the same on every side
• 0.5 inch minimum – 1 inch maximum
• Start with a 0.5 inch margin to maximize space. You can always make it wider later if needed.

Spacing
Single spacing keeps your resume clean and readable. Maintain even spacing between entries and sections to create a clean, readable layout. Check the resources page for examples.

Justification
Left-align your text—it is easier to read and skim quickly. Reserve centering for headings or letterhead, not for text blocks or job details.

For a resume, stick to fonts that are simple and easy to read. Serif fonts are ideal for printed resumes with a more timeless style, while sans-serif fonts are more legible on digital screens and offer a contemporary feel.

Sans-Serif:

• Avenir
• Calibri
• Gill Sans
• Helvetica
• Proxima Nova

Serif:

• Cambria
• Constantia
• Didot
• Garamond
• Georgia

Font choices to avoid

Arial (overused)
Brush Script (script fonts are not good for this)
Century Gothic (also overused)
Comic Sans (resumes aren’t for toddlers)
Courier (the typewriter is dead)
Hobo (decorative)
Impact (too bold for body text)
Papyrus (it’s not an ancient Egyptian scroll)
Stencil (great on ammo crates and nowhere else)
Times New Roman (overused everywhere for everything)

To help employers easily skim your resume, create visual categorization by useing headings and subheadings along with text formatting such as bold, italics, and font size to highlight key details.

• Body Text: Keep between 10 pt and 12 pt.
• Entry Headings: Same size as body text, but altered (bold, italic, etc.) to stand out.
• Main Headings: Increase by 2 pt.
• Your Name: Make it 4-8 pt larger than your body text.

Example:
Arya Stark [name]
Cheney, WA 99004 | 509.555.1212 | arya.stark@ewu.edu

EXPERIENCE [main heading]
Research Assistant | Fall 2013 [entry heading line 1]
Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA [entry heading line 2]

• Conducted research on gene expression [body text]
• Purified proteins [body text]
• Created statistical reports [body text]

Black is really your color.
Using any other color is usually a bad idea for anyone whose job isn’t actually about the use of color. Bright colors are distracting and gray or soft pastels can be difficult to read.
Black is classic. It behaves itself. It won’t get you in trouble.

Don’t include pictures or graphics.
Bluntly, if you’re not applying to be an actor, dancer, or model, your future employer doesn’t need your headshot. Submitting a photo with your resume puts a potential employer at risk for violating Equal Opportunity legislation. Many employers won’t interview those who submit a personal photo. 

Avoid using graphics or clip art as well—your resume should focus on your qualifications, not your artistic skills.

A professional email address is one that is as close to your name as possible with as few numbers as possible (i.e., jamie.doe@anything.edu, or jdoe4@company.com).

Anything that doesn’t meet that criteria (e.g., modernwarsmurf@wherever.com, unicornhunter@anything.edu, etc.) is an unprofessional email address and should not be used.

Your prospective employer needs to know how to contact you, but in the age of the internet, they’re not likely to do that through the mail. If you’re applying to a job in another city, however, it’s often a good idea to list your city and state so they can structure interviews appropriately.

Here’s an example:

Stuart Griffin
Spokane, WA | 509.555.1212 | sgriffin@domain.ext

Your experience entries should follow the same layout and arrangement as your entries in your education section. They should be listed in reverse chronological order and contain:

• position title
• dates (month and year)
• organization name
• location (city and state)

Do not include additional details such as street addresses, phone numbers, supervisor names, or wages.

Next, describe your activities in that experience that are relevant to your audience.

• Use bullets, not paragraphs – bullets are easier to skim.
• 3 – 5 bullets per entry is ideal. One is not enough. Eight is too many.
• Bullets are often one line long, but particularly important ones might be two lines.
• Use phrases, not complete sentences.
• Begin each bullet with strong action verbs in past tense, even for experiences you’re currently engaged in.
• Each bullet point should demonstrate a different skill used, relevant to what you are applying for.
• Don’t include items that do not bring value to your future position.

The basic bullet formula is:

Action Verb + What You Did + How You Did It + Quantities + Frequencies + [Results if applicable]

If you follow this formula, your bullets will have consistent phrasing and won’t be flat, shallow, and generic. Using quantities and frequencies proves your level of competence at that skill.

EXPERIENCE
Communications Intern | January 2022 – March 2022
Spokane AIDS Network, Spokane, WA

• Wrote weekly press releases resulting in 24 publications in three local news papers
• Developed script for Sub for Santa segment on Good Morning Spokane news program
• Assisted in coordination of donor recognition event, hosting more than 150 guests and 15 high profile donors
• Edited “Spokane AIDS Walk” campaign pamphlets and website, ensuring seamless transition during new media campaign
• Provided creative ideas for 15 second commercial, supporting Communications Director in development of workable concepts and script