How To
How to write a resume / CV
Practical, recruiter-tested advice on structure, wording, formatting, and getting past applicant tracking systems.
7 guides from 7 universities.
Key takeaways
Across top university career centers, the same advice keeps coming up. Start here, then read each university's full guide below.
- 1.Tailor it to the specific job — mirror the posting's exact keywords; both humans and ATS look for them.
- 2.It's a marketing document, not a biography — recruiters scan in seconds, so surface the most relevant material first.
- 3.Show accomplishments, not duties — use Action + Context + Result, and quantify whenever possible.
- 4.Lead bullets with strong action verbs — no first person, no passive voice.
- 5.Keep it short and clean — conservative font 10–12pt, half-inch+ margins, generous white space.
- 6.Stay ATS-safe — single column, no graphics or images, real text (no skill-rating bars), standard headings.
- 7.Proofread relentlessly — spelling errors and missing contact details are the fastest way to get rejected.
Key idea
A resume is a targeted marketing document, not a biography. Recruiters spend only seconds on it, so the format must surface relevant information instantly.
Structure & sections
- Build a single tailored resume per application, drawn from a longer “master” list of everything you’ve done.
- Choose experiences that demonstrate the skills the position actually asks for.
- “Experience” is broad: jobs, internships, research, leadership — but also class projects, competitions, and personal projects, as long as you frame their relevance clearly.
Do's
- Start from a blank page rather than a rigid template — templates get harder to edit over time.
- Quantify impact wherever you can: audience size for a presentation, money raised or managed, schedule beaten.
- Describe how you did something, not just what — the language you coded in, the lab technique you used.
- Have several people proofread; ideally an advisor.
Don'ts
- Don’t write in the first person (no “I”, “me”, “my”).
- Don’t list references on the resume — “available on request” is assumed.
- Don’t pad with responsibilities that read like a job description.
Formatting
- Conservative font, no smaller than 10pt; at least half-inch margins on all sides.
- Use bold sparingly, for section headings or key facts only.
Common mistakes
- Listing duties instead of accomplishments (“responsible for delivering projects on time” → “delivered projects on or ahead of schedule”).
- Forgetting contact information — a flawless resume is worthless if no one can reach you.
Wording & verbs
- Open each bullet with a strong action verb (built, managed, developed, wrote).
- Lead with the contribution and its result, not the task.