RESUME GUIDELINES - Drexel CCI



RESUME GUIDELINES

FOR COOP STUDENTS IN ENGINEERING

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GENERAL UNDERGRAD RESUME FORMAT

1. Contact Information

2. Education

3. Honors and Awards

4. Relevant Coursework

5. Computer Skills

6. Language Skills

7. Work Experience

8. Special Skills (Optional)

9. Activities

10. Volunteer Experience (Optional)

RESUME GUIDELINES

ENGINEERING

CONTACT INFORMATION

General Guidelines:

o List your complete address, phone number(s), and e-mail information

o FOR BANNER ON-LINE RESUMES: Your address will appear as it does in Banner. Current address in Banner will appear as your local/mailing address on your resume. Billing address in Banner will appear as your permanent address. To change the information on your on-line resume, it needs to be changed in Banner first.

Example:

Jane Doe

(215) 555-4321

janedoe@

Local/Mailing: Permanent Address:

123 Drexel Street 345 Azalea Lane

Philadelphia, PA 19009 Pittsburgh, PA 19345

Common Mistakes:

o Listing a personal e-mail address with an unprofessional name (i.e., beerguzzlingguy32@ or hotchick27@).

o Having an unprofessional voicemail message at the phone number listed.

o Not listing a local address or phone number

o Listing a number that you do not frequently check for messages

o Not formatting (bold, larger fonts, italics, etc) key information

EDUCATION

General Guidelines:

o List all colleges attended in reverse chronological order

o List study abroad experiences (if applicable)

o Format for Undergraduate Education Section:

Name of School, Location of School

Name of Degree (i.e., Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering), Anticipated Graduation Date

Concentration/Minor (if applicable), G.P.A. (if over 3.0)

Honors:

Example:

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Anticipated Graduation June 2005

G.P.A. 3.4

Honors: Dean’s List, 2003

US Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award

Common Mistakes:

o Listing the full name of your degree AND listing your major (B.A. in Mechanical Engineering, Major: Mechanical Engineering)

o Not labeling ‘G.P.A.’

o Putting the year you started attending

o Not including the location of the school

o Including high school information (exception: unless it is a prestigious, well-known school)

Honors & Awards

General Guidelines

o List scholarships, awards, and honor society memberships

o Specify dates received

o List name of organization that sponsored award or honor (if applicable0

o Format: Title of Award/Honor, Date

Examples:

o A.J. Drexel Academic Scholarship, 2003-Present

o KPMG Academic Achievement Award, 2003

o Representative at the National Association of Campus Activities National Conference, 2000

o Van Renesslaer Award for Student Service, 2003

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

General Guidelines:

o List 6-10 classes, including all tDEC classes and other relevant classes

o Consider putting in two or three column format to save space

Example:

Statics Illumination and Electrical Systems

Mathematical Systems I, II Energy II (thermodynamics)

Engineering Economics Engineering Ethics

Architectural Studio I & II Introduction to HVAC Systems

Mechanics of Materials Evaluation and Presentation of Experimental Data I, II

Common Mistakes:

o Listing every class taken, regardless of relevance

o Having one long list of classes in a single column

o Using course numbers (Engineering 302) which are not relevant to employers

Added tips for Engineering Students:

o Add a section for your Freshman Engineering Design Project. Describe what was involved (after your freshman year, you may want to consider removing this)

For example:

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT

• Developed plans to renovate an abandoned building into a gymnasium

• Met weekly with team to provide status updates and develop deadlines

• Worked in a team to develop proposals, reports and presentations

• Consulted with professionals on procedures and methods

• Final 40-page report consisted of detailed drawings, maps, surveying

WORK EXPERIENCE

General Guidelines:

o Use strong action verbs to describe your duties and accomplishments

o Be specific when possible

o List experience in reverse chronological order

o List company name, city and state of company, title, dates employed

o If currently working at a job, use present tense verbs. Use the past tense positions for all past positions

o Be consistent, concise, and clear in your explanations of jobs

o Proofread for spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors

Example:

CSA North America, Philadelphia, PA

Data Conversion Technician, September 2001 to March 2002

• Worked in Team environment on GIS Data Conversion Project for Philadelphia Water Dept.

• Followed specifications and processes to capture utility (water, sewer, high-pressure fire) features on Microsoft Visio

• Prepared single source documents containing all attribution and topological representations

• Interfaced with Sub Consultants in Problem Resolution

• Developed Training Manuals for future employees

• Trained new Data Conversion Technicians

Common Mistakes:

o Mixing tenses within a job description

o Using personal pronouns

o Listing too many duties under a job

o Listing too many ‘non-relevant’ jobs

o Not formatting the name of the employer or title of position

o Inconsistent formatting between different jobs

o Listing duties only, rather than accomplishments (for first-time resume writers, this may be more difficult to do)

Added tips for Engineering Students:

o Think about the types of jobs you are applying to when writing your job descriptions. Include duties and accomplishments that are the most relevant to your future employers, not just a list of all duties you performed.

COMPUTER SKILLS

General Guidelines:

o List all of your computer skills—that way there will be no question in the mind of the employer. The person reviewing your resume may not be the hiring manager.

o A suggested format for coop resumes includes hardware, software, program languages, and operating systems

o List names and dates of all technical certifications received

Example:

Hardware: IBM compatibles, Macintosh

Software: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Filemaker Pro, Corel 8 Office Suite, OrCAD, MATLAB 6.5

Languages: C++, Java

Operating Systems: Windows 98/2000/NT, Mac OS, DOS, UNIX

Common Mistakes:

o Not listing all computer experience because it’s assumed that it’s ‘obvious’ to the employer

o Mixing types of computer experiences and not organizing into categories

o Quantifying computer use/knowledge (for example: ‘some knowledge of….’ or ‘basic knowledge of…’. Just list the software with which you are familiar (without explaining).

ACTIVITIES

General Guidelines:

o Organizational memberships and elected offices can be listed in this section.

o List the dates you participated, starting with your most recent activities and moving in reverse chronological order

o Consider emphasizing those activities that are most relevant to jobs you are seeking or that demonstrate you are a well-rounded student

Example:

• Resident Assistant - International House - 2000-2002

• Student Member of the Society of Automotive Engineers - 2000-2002

• Drexel University Varsity Swim Team (2000-2002)

• Philadelphia Reads program (January 2001-March 2001)

Common Mistakes:

o Adding sorority/fraternity membership without corresponding leadership roles or community activity involvement

o Adding all sports played in high school

Added tips for Engineering Students:

o Consider joining a professional association within your major (discounted student memberships are often available). In addition to being able to indicate your association membership on your resume, becoming involved will help you develop connections that can assist you greatly in your current and future career development. Emphasize any leadership role that you perform.

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