Resume Points - Duke University



Set the right tone: You are what your write

A resume articulates your professional brand, highlighting your unique capabilities in reference to your goals, skills, strengths, accomplishments, leadership and service.

Emphasize what’s happened in your professional life: preparation and experiences.

Create a brand that matches the career-relevant qualifications and a personal “connectedness” to the career field or job you are seeking.

Career interests must reflect and support your qualifications and expertise.

Qualifications and expertise must reflect and support your career interests.

Focus on your strongest skills, knowledge, experiences, and future capabilities.

Be clear, no vague generalities. Say what you mean, using the smallest number of words to make your point and give context to your personal role.

Ex: Emphasize content and personal subject matter expertise related to teaching assistantships/tutors. These are career specific, and thus more relevant, than listing "boring" administrative and grading duties.

Organize coursework and specialized professional training, highlighting most marketable and relevant to career interests and goals.

Tip: Course titles don’t always tell what skills, competencies or technical applications learned; employers want specific information.

Use stronger, yet truthful job titles. Many job titles are weak; employers want to see

“skill-based”, descriptive job titles.

Experience descriptions should illustrate work behaviors, performance and lessons learned, not a laundry list of tasks or duties. Relevance of position in organizational structure is important too.

Include “value-added" professional skills and level of confidence in managing or supervising people or projects, leading, working independently and in teams, advanced computer competencies, or specialized training/certifications/knowledge.

Write simply and use Action Verbs and keywords.

Action Verbs (power words). See handout for sample of resume power words or Career Services Blackboard site for many more power words.

Keywords (talents) are nouns: technical jargon, job-related skills and current career field knowledge, job titles, and personal characteristics.

Set yourself apart from, and ahead of, other candidates by setting the right tone. Write what you are and where you are going.

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