Resume Guide: General Advice
School of Design

The materials here address the search for a professional, rather than an academic, position. A brief handout with samples of professional resumes is available at Career Services, from the Graduate Student Assistant. If you are a Ph.D. candidate, see The Academic Job Search Handbook for a discussion of CV.'s for academic jobs. It's available in the Career Service library, and you may purchase your own copy for $5 from the Graduate Student Assistant at Care. Please don't hesitate to contact the Penn Design counselors at Career Services (Click Here). if you need any assistance preparing written documents, would like a critique of what you have written, would like to do a practice interview, or want to discuss career related issues. We will be delighted to meet with you.

Navigate this page:

• General considerations
• How to write a resume in a reasonable amount of time
• Graphic considerations
• Special considerations for scannable resumes
• Length
  

General Considerations

An effective resume (and, in the case of design professionals, a design sheet) can win you an interview. Most employers glance at resumes only briefly before deciding which to study further. Use this time to your best advantage by being concise, creating a strong visual impression, and emphasizing the most relevant information by putting it first and devoting the most space to it. Whatever your field, many of the same principles apply. They are addressed first here, followed by separate discussions of resumes for (click to select):

• Design
• Historic Preservation
• Policy, Planning & Administration
• Fine Arts
• Design generic resume template
• Resume and design sheet examples
  

How To Write a Resume in a Reasonable Amount of Time

Begin by listing everything which might be relevant. Organize the list. Bring a typed rough draft to a Career Services counselor for a critique. Don't worry if it is too long. We can help you condense and highlight important information. Do a final check after your revisions, give your resume to a friend for 15 seconds (the amount of time an employer might scan it), take it away, and ask your friend what he or she noticed. If what you hoped to stress stood out, you're done. If not, reformat and highlight until the main points you make stand out.

Quit! By the time you are agonizing about whether to say "collaborated with" or "worked with," you are probably done. Once your resume is very good, it's more important to contact employers than to keep revising. As you interview, you may continue to revise as you see how employers respond to what you have written. The end product of the process should be a resume you are comfortable with and proud of. The suggestions below are merely guidelines. Use them flexibly, and design a resume which you feel reflects you and your capabilities.

Graphic Considerations

How distinctive should your resume look? Impressively so, if you are applying for a job in any area in which the production of visual materials is a part of the job. In other areas, know your audience. A presentation which might seem dynamic to a design firm could seem too flamboyant for a government agency. A Career Services counselor can advise you on what is appropriate for your goals. Use a laser printer and fonts which give a typeset appearance; don't use courier. Usually 10 or 11 point type is best for the content. Headings and your name may be slightly larger if you wish. To avoid clutter, use, at most, two fonts. A sans serif font, such as helvetica, for headings, and a serif font, such as Times, for content, is a common choice. Below is an example of one type hierarchy.

• 13 point univers bold 11 point univers bold 11 point univers italic
• 11 point univers

All copies should be printed on good quality laid paper. White or any conservative tint is acceptable. Gray can be attractive on your original, but will look smudged when it is xeroxed and doesn't scan well. If you have a design sheet, use the same paper for it as for the resume. You may want to buy extra matching paper and envelopes for your job-hunting correspondence.

Special Considerations for Scannable Resumes

Many companies are scanning resumes and maintaining their own databases of applicants. Others are using on-line databanks which store scannable information about job seekers. Because computers scan in your resume in as an image, not as text, there are some guidelines you should follow to ensure that your resume scans well.

Keep name, address, and phone numbers on separate lines so they don't merge.

If you are use two pages, be sure your name is at the top of the second page. Don't staple the pages together.

Don't use italics, underlining, boxes, shading, graphics, hollow bullets or other design features. Bold usually scans properly.

Always send a cover letter if you are responding to an announcement of an opening.

Use key words to describe your assets, because that is how the databases will be searched. Degrees, names of schools, licenses or certificates, honors/awards, dates (2006-2008) for time periods instead of text ("two years"), abilities and training can all be key words.

Try to use terms used within the industry that you are considering. The more key words chosen by an employer that you match, the better your chances will be for consideration.

Length

For most professional positions except teaching, a one-page resume is often best. Academic settings, other not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies are the most tolerant of length. In most businesses, one page is strongly preferred. If you use more than one page, put the most important information first, put your name on both pages, and don't staple the pages together.