Suggestions
for
Resumes

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These comments are only opinions. Remember, it is YOUR resume representing YOU. Thus, you should make the final decisions about the content and style of your own resume.

Click here to see a very general outline of the basic components of a standard resume in the life sciences
Click here to read some general comments about resumes

You can also get excellent advice about resumes from the RIT Office of Co-op & Career Services.

Your resume is probably the ONLY source of information about you, your skills and your education that an employer will see before making a decision about moving to the next step (interviewing or making an offer of employment). Thus, you must make sure that you craft a resume that does, indeed, provide all of the relevant information organized in such a way that the person reading it easily finds everything needed to make a decision. Also, the structure, layout and organization of your resume says a LOT about your ability to organize and to make decisions about priorities. It is YOU on paper.

Also, consider "matching" your resume to the position you are seeking. Storing your resume in computer memory and then adding, deleting, and restructuring can result in a resume that is well-suited to the employer/position. However, you'll probably find that one, well-written version will suffice for almost any position you will be seeking. So, don't get carried away with trying to make minor adjustments for each different position.

Some general comments about resumes follow:

1. Use fonts, font size, bolding, and italics to organize and highlight information. You want to make it very easy for anyone reading the resume to quickly find exactly what they are seeking. However, don't get too "cute" with your choices of fonts. Also, be consistent with section headings.

2. You need to remember that a LOT of employers now use scanners to "read" resumes and enter the contents into a data base. They then search the data base and computer-match their needs with those resumes that contain the words, terms or phrases desired. You must ensure that your resume's appearance and layout will be readable by modern scanners.

3. Make sure that you have no spelling errors. Since it is assumed that you have the time to review your own resume, even one spelling error can be a reason to reject it. Employers don't want to even consider potential employees who don't take the time to pay attention to details.

4. Name centered at the top, large letters, bolded.

5. Addresses (home and school) with phone numbers and email address should always be provided. Otherwise the employer has no way to contact you. Don't assume that a letter of application or a mailing envelope will always stay with the resume. This is especially true if your resume is circulated among several persons for review.

6. Listing your high school (in an Education section) is probably not relevant unless for some very special reason (e.g., unique high school honor). Employer will probably assume that you have graduated from high school if you are now in college.

7. Organize your courses (if you list them) into related clusters, or consider using subheadings that are one-word or two-word descriptions of the cluster (e.g., microbiology, tissue culture, chemistry, computer, genetics, etc.). Indicate which courses have labs.

8. Include any courses that will be completed by the time you would start a co-op or permanent position - you'll be done with them by the time you actually co-op or graduate.

9. Include relevant technical/lab expertise - this is what many (most) employers will be looking for in the typical co-op and permanent positions for majors and grads from this Department. However, if you are seeking co-op or permanent employment that is not a lab or research position (e.g., a scientific business position, patient-care, veterinary practice), then you should list the knowledge and skills you believe are directly relevant to the position you desire.

10. Don't be too wordy with descriptions of your previous work experience or extracurricular activities. A few well-chosen words not only save the reader time, but are also displaying skillful use of the language.

11. List a few hobbies or extracurricular activities. They give breadth to your personality and also often serve as "icebreaker" topics at the start of an interview.

12. Use scientific/technical terms where appropriate. You are being judged as a potential scientist, so using the language properly is one way to indicate your grasp of the sciences. Also, persons reading resumes are often looking for key words related to the employment positions they are trying to fill.

13. Don't assume that everyone who may read your resume will automatically understand what a technical term or a course name means without some explanation. For example, "Hybridoma Techniques" will likely mean something to a person who is familiar with immunology or tissue culture, but not necessarily to someone who has a business background. You might need to actually list skills included in hybridoma techniques if they are relevant to the position.

14. Eliminate "routine" skills, e.g., pH meters, balances, etc. Use the space to list those skills that will show you to be the skillful employee the organization is seeking.

15. "Square up" the body of the resume text. Consider using full justification. Try to have even margins on the left and right side. Also, be consistent with the layout of each section, with indentations, with headings, etc. You are representing your ability to organize.

16. Try to keep your resume to one page, if possible. Consider spacing, font size and how much you actually have to include in your resume. Human Resource (Personnel) persons who read resumes have only a very brief amount of time to read each one. Having the important information on one page (or at least all of it on the first page) is quite critical to making sure your strong points are viewed.

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