Resume Guide

Formats

Select a standard Word or PDF format that you can customize. Before beginning to write, think about your audience—the CEO of a large company, a human resources director, the director of an in-house design group, a principal in a design firm, or senior people in engineering, marketing, corporate communications, or research. What do the people in these functions want to know about you in relation to their organization’s needs? That’s the big picture about resumes. If you are not applying for a specific position but reaching out to an organization you are interested in, the resume must provide information about you that people in that organization will care about and understand, even if you are a new graduate. Tell them what they need to know. Your resume should never be longer than two pages; one should suffice for a new graduate. Put the most important information on the top of the first page: your name, telephone and email, what you want to do, and what you have done.

Identification & Contact Information

It is OK not to write your street address, providing you have city, state or country. If your resume runs to two pages, put your name on the second page also. Don’t want to be called at work? Don’t provide your office telephone number. Don’t want to be emailed at work? Don’t email from your work email address or put it on your resume. If your current address and telephone number are temporary,

indicate how long you will be there and provide a permanent address and/or telephone. Do not forget to provide zip and area codes, url(s). Distinguish daytime or office numbers from cell or home numbers. An email address makes it easy for the recipient to contact you at any time. Use an email address with your own individual name, not something silly or one you share.

Descriptive Titles

After your name, you may want to provide a label, such as “industrial designer,” “research director,” “architect” or “graphic designer,” if your most recent job title is not descriptive, although the work you do will be apparent in the description of your experience. (Architects may put registration information here or at the end.)