530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Resume Starter Kit
Internship and Career Center (ICC)
University of California, Davis
2015
A resume is a summary of your experiences, skills and accomplishments. It is not every detail of
your work history. You may tailor them to each position.
How to Get Started on Writing a Resume
Use the information on the next two pages of this packet to learn the basics of writing and
formatting a resume.
1)
Review the additional resume resources on the ICC website.
2)
Attend a Resume Basics Workshop - see ICC Calendar of Events
3)
Start with the Resume Content Worksheet on the last two pages of this packet to create
a rough draft of the key points you want in your resume. Focus on content rst, then on
format. Include everything here as it’s easier to edit things out than add them in.
4)
Bring the completed (printed) Resume Content Worksheet or a rst, rough draft resume to
meet with advisers at the ICC.
5)
Drop-In Advising with
ICC Coordinators
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Wed – Thurs
30 Min Appointments
with ICC Coordinators
Appointments are
scheduled online
Drop-In Advising with
Peer Advisers
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.*
Mon – Fri
* Exact times vary. See website
for more info.
icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/resume
icc.ucdavis.edu/services/calendar.htm
icc.ucdavis.edu/services/advising.htm
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530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Employers are looking for well-rounded applicants with clearly articulated skills, academic accomplishments,
work experience and extracurricular activities. Incorporating this content into your resume will demonstrate your
overall t for the job. Remember, there is no one perfect format.
You should tailor your resume or to show you are
a good t for the position. You will need to clearly
understand the mission, focus, goals and objectives
of the organization and job that you are applying to.
Research is key. To get started, follow the steps below:
1. Collect Experiences and Skills
Use the Resume Content Worksheet on the last two
pages of this packet.
2. Tailor and Format
Visit icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/resume/step2.htm
for more information.
3. Submit
Visit icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/resume/step3.htm
for more information.
• One page for recent graduates; two pages if you
have extensive work history. Do not include more
than 10+ years on your resume.
• Direct the reader’s eye using layout/headings.
• Proofread! No typographical, spelling or
grammatical errors.
• Don’t rely on spell-check.
• Tailor contents to each job/application.
• List information in reverse chronological order.
• Sell yourself—be selective about what you include
and organize information logically.
• Use consistent verb tense—use either past or
present.
• Some job boards and employer sites ask you to
upload a text version of your resume.
Resume Tips for Specic Fields
How to Get StartedGeneral Resume Guidelines
Arts and Communication
• Portfolios/work samples are sometimes expected and
should be noted on your resume. If you have an online
portfolio, include a link in your resume contact information
heading.
• Graphics are invited in this eld and will be seen as a
demonstration of your creativity.
• It’s okay to translate your internships into job titles that
accurately describe your duties, e.g. using Public Relations
Assistant instead of the ofcial job title of Student Assistant.
• For journalism opportunities, include uency in other
languages if applicable.
Business
• In most cases “management” isn’t a very realistic
objective.
• Focus on a particular area—nance, marketing, human
resources—and express long-term interest in management.
• Business employers are interested in results. Be sure your
resume highlights specic achievements, times when you
exceeded goals, etc.
• Quantify your experience: “Increased sales by 30%.”
Show accomplishments in previous experience.
• Stress tangible leadership experience when listing
extracurricular involvement.
• List transferable skills such as time management, conict
resolution and decision making.
Human Services
• For many of these occupations, experience as a volunteer is
considered a strong measure of knowledge and commitment.
List key responsibilities and outcomes.
• For teaching jobs, experience you had working with young
people and any tutoring or teaching experiences are important.
Life Sciences/Physical Sciences
• Research and lab techniques should be listed for jobs in these
elds. List scientic techniques you are most familiar with or
have recently used.
• Because the employer may be looking for certain majors, your
education should be near the top of your resume.
• Healthcare jobs place a strong emphasis upon communication
skills, including bilingual ability.
• Include science organization memberships.
Technology
• Employers in this eld prefer objectives that are precise,
indicating a particular area of interest or expertise.
• Include technical courses and projects to support interest and
objective.
• GPA should be included.
• Break technical skills into subcategories. This will make it easier
for the reader to pick up the specic skills they are looking for
(i.e. Operating Systems, Hardware, Software, Networking and
Programming Languages).
• Be sure your resume is loaded with keywords denoting skills.
Have a text version of your resume for sites requesting this
format.
• Including both technical and non-technical work experience
demonstrates experience working in professional settings.
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530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Content Essentials Hints
These components are ESSENTIAL for EVERY resume and CV.
Contact Information
Full name, address, best phone number and
email to reach you, and web address (e.g.
your LinkedIn or online portfolio) you would
like employers to use to contact you.
Make sure email and phone number are
professionally appropriate and typo-free.
Do not include your address or phone
number if posting your resume or CV
publicly online.
Education
Name of school, degree earned, major
and minor, expected graduation date, and
sometimes GPA (depends on eld and
employer). GPA is not included on CVs.
List your highest degree rst followed by
other degrees you have received. Listing
community college is optional, especially
if no degree was awarded. Can also list
study abroad experiences.
Relevant Experience
Job title, company name, dates of
experience, describe job duties, signicant
accomplishments and contributions. You can
include volunteer or leadership and research
experience related to your objective here (or
below) as well. Experiences should be listed
in reverse chronological order.
Can include paid and non-paid positions,
internships and military duty. Present
achievements, contributions and results.
CVs could include professional, research
and teaching (mentoring) experience
sections.
The following categories are optional and can be included on a resume or CV—include the categories that best describe
your skills and experiences that relate to the position you are seeking.
Objective
Only used when describing a very specic
position (e.g. “Summer internship at Intel,”
“Career position in nance,” or “Senior
analyst #6532 at Sandia National Lab”).
This is a one-line description of the
position desired that may include job title,
job number and company name. It can
be omitted in most cases, and is typically
not included in CVs.
Qualications/Skills
Identify skills the employer is looking for.
They may be grouped by category such as:
laboratory skills; computer and sotfware
skills; research techniques, processes and
analysis; language skills; and administrative
or professional skills, but do not have to be.
List only the skills you can perform with
little or no supervision. Consider using the
ICC’s transferable skills list.
Group/Class Projects/Relevant
Coursework
Relevant classes and/or projects. Include
if it demonstrates skill set or knowledge
gained through coursework or project
implementation, but make sure it is relevant
to the position.
List the course title, not the course number.
Relevant classes can be listed as a
subsection under Education.
Honors and Awards
Honors, awards, grants, and scholarships.
Be sure to include a description and year
received. Focus on merit-based scholarships
and grants.
Can be listed separately or as a
subsection under Education. For a CV,
this section should follow the publications
and presentations section.
Travel
List countries and travel experiences, if
relevant to the position for which you are
applying.
Step 1: Collect Experiences and Skills
The table below covers content to consider as you brainstorm experiences and skills for your
resume. Source: http://icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/resume/step1.htm
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530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Content Essentials Hints
The following categories are optional and can be included on a resume or CV—include the categories that best describe
your skills and experiences that relate to the position you are seeking.
Research/Publications/
Presentations/Posters
Project title, where published and when.
Undergrads—List roles as Research
Assistant, name the lab, project or
techniques.
For CV, list publications in citation format.
STEM elds ususally number publications
and bold your name in the list of authors.
Relevant Volunteer and
Community Activities/
Leadership/Academic Service
List organization, ofce(s) held and
time frame. A brief description of
accomplishments can also be added if
highly relevant.
We suggest that you place internship
positions under the experience section
instad of this section.
Certications/Licenses/Patents List if noteworthy and/or applicable to the
position for which you are applying. Only
list if current.
Add date issued or future expiration date.
Write out abbreviations.
Professional Afliations Include current memberships only, add
leadership positions within organizations if
appropriate.
For advanced degree resumes, it might be
best to include this information below the
education section.
References Not included on a resume, but included
on a CV and should include full contact
information.
See references page for more information:
icc.ucdavis.edu/materials/references.htm
Step 1: Collect Experiences and Skills (continued)
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530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Name: __________________________
Begin the process of writing your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) by making note of all of the
experiences and positions you’ve had using the grid below.
Date: ______________
Essential Resume Content
Resume Content Worksheet
Optional Resume Content
Contact
Information
Education
Relevant
Experience
Objective
Qualications
and Skills
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530–752–2855 South Hall, 2nd Floor icc.ucdavis.edu
Group/Class
Projects and
Relevant
Coursework
Honors and
Awards
Travel
Research,
Publications,
Presentations
and Posters
Relevant
Volunteer and
Community
Activities,
Leadership
and Academic
Service
Certications,
Licenses and
Patents
Professional
Afliations
References
Optional Resume Content (continued)
Once completed, bring this paper to the ICC for help crafting your resume or CV. For drop-in hours or
to make an appointment, visit icc.ucdavis.edu/services/advising.htm
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