What Does a Good Resume Look Like?

This editorial was originally published on the Govern For America blog on September 25, 2020.

A resume is an important component of any job application. Sometimes, recruiters base their entire interaction with a candidate from their resume. While we don’t do that at Govern For America, check out these tips to help you craft a compelling resume to demonstrate your skills regardless of where you are applying. If you are just getting started and need a template, we recommend this one. We don’t require you to use this format and we can’t wait to read your resume!

1. Keep your resume to one page. The average amount of time a recruiter spends on a resume is 6 seconds (GFA spends much longer). Make sure that a recruiter sees the experiences you want them to see by really focusing on your relevant experiences, not listing out everything you have done. Unless you have many years of experience, you should be able to fit your most relevant experience onto one page.
2. Use action verbs. Action verbs are words like “achieved” or “enhanced”. Instead of saying “I worked on x project” be more specific and use an action verb: “I developed the strategy for x project…”
3. List your technical skills. Listing your technical skills helps a recruiter understand which role you would be best for. Sometimes available jobs aren’t posted and listing your technical qualifications will make it more likely that your resume will be considered for one. Other times, a recruiter won’t even know they want a skill you have until they see it!
4. Describe what you accomplished. Under each role, describe what you accomplished, not just what you did. Tell us about the activities you performed and their outcomes. This shows that you are results-driven.
5. You don’t need an objective or summary statement. If you don’t have enough room to have your entire resume on one page, the first thing to go should be the objective statement.
6. Don’t include a picture. At GFA, we do a blind resume review by removing all personal identifying information for a fair and equitable selection process. You can help facilitate this process by not including a picture.
7. Consult your university’s Office of Career Services. Many schools offer career advisors to help you write cover letters and build a resume. Don’t forget to use them to their fullest extent while you have access to this resource!