Application Materials

Have you seen the EWU Career Services' information about resumes? They have a fantastic and thorough packet of resume tips, tricks, and samples on their website.

THE 30-SECOND TEST

On average, employers spend 30 seconds looking at a resume (Forbes reports 6.25 seconds—yikes!). Make yours easy to scan.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Be concise and direct; don't pack your resume with unneeded information to make yourself look experienced.

Keep your fonts clean (Cambria=good, Comic Sans=not so much).

Avoid color, graphics, and photos.

Exception: If you’re going into a creative field, your resume better show off your design skills. The default Calibri (size 11) will not fly.

WHAT ABOUT PAGE COUNT?

The canned answer for recent grads is you should fill a page, but no more. However, length can vary depending on your experience, and some jobs (like government jobs) want to know the nitty gritty.

LEAVE OUT MENTION OF REFERENCES

This should be a separate document. No need to waste precious resume space with the line, “References Available Upon Request.” Employers already know that.

AVOID TEMPLATES AT ALL COST

They're easy, but resist this temptation. You won't stand out looking like everyone else.

YOUR RESUME IS EVER EVOLVING

Every time you apply for a job, you need to tweak your resume to highlight what that employer wants. Play up the skills and past jobs that are relevant. Always keep your resume up-to-date with your new experience and skills.

PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, AND THEN PROOFREAD AGAIN

This should be obvious, but you don’t want to lose out on your dream gig because the employer was turned off by a silly typo or your misplaced commas. 

Click HERE for some proofreading strategies.