What is a Resume?
- A resume is a marketing tool that promotes YOU!
- Answers the question: Why should we hire you?
- 1-page summary that highlights your experiences that are relevant to your career goals.
Importance of Format = Beat the Bots!
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are AI systems used on electronically submitted resumes to:
- Manage high volumes of applicants
- Identify qualified candidates through keywords
- Weed out weak candidates
Once your resume clears an ATS, an employer only spends 6-10 seconds viewing a resume so it must be error free, easy to read and targeted!
St. John’s University provides access to Microsoft Office 365 Suite to all students for free on up to 5 devices! Download Microsoft Word and other Microsoft applications today to draft your resume, cover letters and other professional documents.
Quick Formatting Tips
- One Page: the rule of thumb is 1-page for every 10-years of experience you have. Everything on your resume should be recent and relevant to your career goals!
- Margins and Font Size: use appropriate margins (0.5″ – 1.0″) and font size (10-12pt) to maintain readability
- Grammar: do not use the word “I” or other first-person pronouns and use proper verb tense (past tense for previous experiences and present tense for current experiences)
- Be Consistent: use bold, italics and underline formatting to break up the text and make the document reader friendly, but maintain consistency throughout
