Co-op Resumé

A resumé presents certain essential information that reflects your professional background. Here are some tips on the different elements of a resumé.

Writing your resumé

Personal information

Include your name and contact information as well as other details, such as your LinkedIn profile.

Content

Summary of qualifications:

Level of education and years of experience
Job-related skills and abilities
Organizations
Field of specialization
Technical skills
Written and spoken languages
Education
Work experience
Volunteer experience
Awards

You can add sections to highlight your volunteer or community involvement, awards and achievements, extracurricular activities, areas of interest, etc.

Format

A resumé should be no longer than two pages, so be sure to follow these principles:

Clarity: Information is well organized, logical and readable
Conciseness: There is no repetition or redundancy
Completeness: All relevant information is presented
Consistency: Style and form are consistent
Up to date: The information is accurate and reflects your current situation

Tips

Repeat your name and contact information in the second page header.
Use boldface for your name and phone number, as well as section headings and degrees, positions or job titles.
Reduce the left and right margins.
Align all dates to the right.
Be consistent in your alignment, spacing, font selection, punctuation and bullets.
Correct all spelling and grammatical errors.

Checklist

Before sending your resumé, take the time to revise it and pay special attention to the following:

Page layout

Appropriate, clean and readable font (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
Font size between 10 and 12 points
Maximum of two pages (unless it’s an academic resumé)
Contact information in the second page header
Concise, simple and evocative style
Educational institutions
All degrees and diplomas earned, the years they were earned and the institutions are listed
All awards are specified

Experience

All experience relevant to your job search is listed.
You've used action verbs and key words.
Each example of experience is described in 3 to 5 lines and refers to a task or group of tasks.

Grammar and spelling

You have read and reread your resumé, and you have had someone else read it to correct errors.
You have run it through a proofreading program (Antidote, Grammarly, etc.).

Other ways to improve your resumé

Always tailor your resumé to the position you’re applying for, highlighting your most relevant skills and experience for that position.

Resumé types

Skill-based

Allows you to highlight your skills if you have little to no experience.
Helpful if you have gaps in your employment history.
Focuses on your transferable or technical skills in research, communication, organization, etc.

Chronological

Useful for highlighting relevant experience.
Contains a section describing your experience in reverse chronological order.
Allows you to add any other experience in a “volunteer” or “other” section.

Combined

Ideal if you have developed skills outside of work (school, volunteer work, extracurricular activities).
Allows you to list the skills you have acquired through your work experience and extracurricular activities.