Resume Style GuideUse Spell CheckPrint your resume and read it. Ask someone else to read it too! Spell check will not catch all the errors, especially capitalization.

CapitalizationLowercase job titles except when used as a subtitle. Worked closely with the controller Controller, 2005-2007

Lowercase departments except when the department is part of the official and formal name. Planned and organized the functions of the accounting department Performed data entry for the University of Illinois Department of Medicine

Capitalize all proper nouns: a specific person, place or thing. Ordered money shipments from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Proficient in Microsoft Office and QuickBooks

Academic DegreesDo not include any high school information.

Use an apostrophe in associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, but there is no possessive in Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.

Capitalize academic degrees unless they use a possessive. Bachelor of Arts in Psychology He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology

A person has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, not a Bachelor of Arts of Psychology.

Lowercase the type of degree unless used in title of degree. Bachelor of Arts in Sociology A bachelor’s degree in sociology

NumbersSpell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above. Supervised the performance and review of three staff auditors Handled billing for more than 30 employees

Bullet points should not begin with a number. Managed 15 staff accountants; not 15 staff accountants underneath me

Correct Spelling of Commonly Misspelled Words PowerPoint Internet experience Sarbanes-Oxley onlineWordPerfect voice mail inbound pro forma board of directorsPeopleSoft e-mail outbound QuickBooks Web site

PunctuationBullet points should not have periods as they are not complete sentences.

Always place a comma after words in series, but not before “and” or “or.” Handled the planning, forecasting and budgeting

Always place a comma before nonessential items (“which” is always nonessential, “that” is always essential). Developed activity-based costing systems that provided better cost control Created budgets and forecasts, which included determining ways to reach these goals

Resume Style GuideVerb Usage All past positions must use verbs in the past tense. Faxed and mailed invoices

Present tense may only be used to describe positions presently being held. Order supplies, answer phones and complete general office tasks

All bullet points should begin with an action verb. Managed all employee timesheets; NOT Responsible for managing timesheets

Action WordsArrangedCollaboratedDevelopedInteractedMarketed Reconciled Resolved Adapted Created

Customized Designed EstablishedInitiatedIntegratedOriginatedSolvedAdministered Analyzed

Computed Prepared ContributedDemonstratedFacilitatedProvidedCoordinatedGenerated Improved

IncorporatedPlanned Supervised Obtained Conducted

FormatMost resumes consist of three sections: education, experience, skills/awards/certifications.

Do not include an objective, career summary, career profile or personal hobbies section.

For recent graduates (bachelor’s, master’s, MBA, etc.) and CPA recipients within one year, list education at the top, before experience. Also acceptable to list major(s), minor(s), GPA and honors for recent graduates and CPA recipients.

List month and date of graduation, but do not list the years attended. Use an apostrophe in associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree. Also acceptable is Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts or Master of Arts. Do not list remove high school.

NEVER use personal pronouns on a resume (i.e.: you, me or I).

Only use one job title for each time period.

Do not use abbreviations; spell out “accounts payable,” “human resources” and “data entry.”

Do not include generalizations. For example, proficiency in Internet, e-mail, word processing or 10-key.NEVER use any personal pronoun on a resume. For example, no “I” or “me.”

Do not list “and/or;” choose one.

Do not say “50+” but “over 50” or “more than 50.”

LayoutAll job responsibilities need to be presented in bullet form; do not use paragraph form.

Company name and job title should be bold and aligned to the far left. Dates should be aligned to the far right of the page.

Dates should include months, and spacing and format should be consistent. Do not abbreviate months. January 1998 - December 1999 or 01/1998 - 12/1999

Communication/People Skills Addressed Advertised Arbitrated Arranged Articulated Authored Clarified Collaborated Communicated Composed Condensed Conferred Consulted Contacted Conveyed Convinced Corresponded Debated Defined Developed Directed Discussed Drafted Edited Elicited Enlisted Explained Expressed Formulated Furnished Incorporated Influenced Interacted Interpreted Interviewed Involved Joined Judged Lectured Listened Marketed Mediated Moderated Negotiated Observed Outlined Participated Persuaded Presented Promoted Proposed Publicized Reconciled Recruited Referred Reinforced Reported Resolved Responded Solicited Specified Spoke Suggested Summarized Synthesized Translated Wrote

Creative Skills Acted Adapted Began Combined Composed Conceptualized Condensed Created Customized Designed Developed Directed Displayed Drew Entertained Established Fashioned Formulated Founded Illustrated Initiated Instituted Integrated Introduced Invented Modeled Modified Originated Performed Photographed Planned Revised Revitalized Shaped Solved

Data/Financial Skills Administered Adjusted Allocated Analyzed Appraised Assessed Audited Balanced Budgeted Calculated Computed Conserved Corrected Determined Developed Estimated Forecasted Managed Marketed Measured Netted Planned Prepared Programmed Projected Qualified Reconciled Reduced Researched Retrieved

Helping Skills Adapted Advocated Aided Answered Arranged Assessed Assisted Clarified Coached Collaborated Contributed Cooperated Counseled Demonstrated Diagnosed Educated Encouraged Ensured Expedited Facilitated Familiarized Furthered Guided Helped Insured Intervened Motivated Prevented Provided Referred Rehabilitated Represented Resolved Supplied Supported Volunteered Coordinated Converted Delegated Supported Decided

Spicing up Your Resume: Action Words!

Developed Directed Eliminated Emphasized Enforced Enhanced Established Executed Generated Handled Headed Hired Hosted Improved Incorporated Increased Initiated Inspected Instituted Led Managed Merged Motivated Navigated Organized Originated Overhauled Oversaw Planned Presided Prioritized Produced Recommended Reorganized Replaced Restored Reviewed Scheduled Secured Selected Streamlined Strengthened Supervised Terminated

Organizational Skills Approved Arranged Catalogued Categorized Charted Classified Coded Collected Compiled Corrected Corresponded Distributed Executed Filed Generated Incorporated Inspected Logged Maintained Monitored Obtained Operated Ordered Organized Prepared Processed Provided Purchased Recorded Registered Reserved Responded Reviewed Routed Scheduled Screened Submitted Supplied Standardized Systematized Updated Validated Verified

Research Skills Analyzed Clarified Collected Compared Conducted Critiqued Detected Determined Diagnosed Evaluated Examined Experimented Explored Extracted Formulated Gathered Inspected Interviewed Invented Investigated Located Measured Organized Researched Reviewed Searched Solved Summarized Surveyed Systematized Tested

Teaching Skills Adapted Advised Clarified Coached Communicated Conducted Coordinated Coordinated Developed Enabled Encouraged Evaluated Explained Facilitated Focused Guided Individualized Informed Instilled Instructed Motivated Persuaded Simulated Stimulated Taught Tested Trained Transmitted Tutored

Technical Skills Adapted Applied Assembled Built Calculated Computed Conserved Constructed Converted Debugged Designed Determined Developed Engineered Fabricated Fortified Installed Maintained Operated Overhauled Printed Simplified Rectified Programmed Regulated Replaced Repaired Remodeled Specialized Utilized Upgraded Restored

NameCurrent Street AddressCity, State, Zip Code

TelephoneProfessional Email Address

Education

Degree SchoolGraduation Date

Professional Experience

Company Name Total Dates of EmploymentPosition Title Sub-Dates of Employment• Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ • Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________

Position Title Sub-Dates of Employment• Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ • Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________

Company Name Dates of EmploymentPosition Title• Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ • Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ • Action verb ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional Skills and CertificationsList any software skills or certifications here.

ActivitiesList business or leadership group/club involvement here.

Helpful Tips:Font: Times New Roman or ArialSize: 10-12. No larger, no smaller.

Margins: Do not change.

Include all higher level degrees, starting with the highest. No high school. Note: If degree is several years old, Education should follow Professional Experience.

Start with most current experience and work backward.

Illustrate promotions or intra-company movement: Bold total time of employment at a company and non-bold sub-dates within each position.

Do not list soft skills (communication, task-oriented, etc.) here.

The Activities section is optional and should only be used to list related activities in which you’re actively involved. For example: Accounting Club, Vice President; National Society for Collegiate Scholars, Chapter Secretary; Jobs For Youth, Volunteer.

Sample Resume

Elevator Pitch Samples

StudentHi, my name is ______________, and I am a (Year in school) at (College/University). I am a __________ major with a focus in ________ and I am looking to get into __________ after graduation. During my ________ year, I interned at (Company Name) in their _________ department. In addition to my studies and internship, I am an active participant in (Club/Association/Group). From my coursework at (College/University) and time spent at (Company Name), I am excited to get my foot in the door at a company like (Company name(s)) and learn more about how I can contribute from day one.

Recent GraduateHi, my name is ______________, and I am a (Year in school) graduate of (College/University). I was a __________ major with a focus in ________ and I am looking to get into __________ with a growing Chicago company. During my ________ year, I interned at (Company Name) in their _________ department. In addition to my studies and internship, I was an active participant in (Club/Association/Group). From my coursework at (College/University) and time spent at (Company Name), I am excited to get my foot in the door at a company like (Company name(s)) and learn more about how I can contribute from day one.

1-5 Years of ExperienceHi, my name is __________, and I was most recently employed as a (Position Title) at (Company Name) where I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. + brief description of primary responsibilities.) Prior to that I was (Position Title) at (Company Name). In this role I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. & brief description of primary responsibilities.)

Ideally, I am looking for a (Position Title) opportunity with a company in the (Industry Name), specifically (Company Name). However, I am open to other opportunities that relate to my background, and look forward to getting my foot in the door at a company like (Company Name) to learn more about how I can add value from day one.

5-10 Years of ExperienceHi, my name is __________, and I was most recently employed as a (Position Title) at (Company Name). I started my career at (Company Names) as a (Position Title) where I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. & brief description of primary responsibilities.) From there I transitioned to (Company Name) as a (Position Title). In this role I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. & brief description of primary responsibilities.). That brings us to my most recent position at (Company Name).

Ideally, I am looking for a (Position Title) opportunity with a company in the (Industry Name), specifically (Company Name). However, I am open to other opportunities that relate to my background, and look forward to getting my foot in the door at a company like (Company Name) to learn more about how I can add value from day one.

10+ Years of ExperienceHi, my name is __________, and I was most recently employed as a (Position Title) at (Company Name). I started my career at (Company Names) as a (Position Title) where I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. & brief description of primary responsibilities.) From there I transitioned to (Company Name) as a (Position Title). In this role I (verb: managed, handled, directed, created, etc. & brief description of primary responsibilities). That brings us to my most recent position at (Company Name).

I am looking for a (Position Title) opportunity with a company in the (Industry Name), specifically (Company Name(s)). With my extensive experience in ___________, __________, and __________, I believe I would be a valuable addition to any __________ department.

Contact Information: Megan Gentille, Public Relations and Marketing

312.419.1700 ext. 1798 megan@thelasallenetwork.com

LaSalle Academy is an interactive career search training program provided by Chicago’s leading staffing and recruiting firm, LaSalle Network. Through our experience providing staffing solutions to over 1,000 businesses in Chicagoland, LaSalle Network knows what employers are looking for in their next hire.

Utilizing this knowledge and expertise, the mission of LaSalle Academy is to provide experienced professionals with the tools to achieve career advancement. Through targeted workshops, exploring different aspects of the career search, candidates will learn the skills necessary to stand out from the competition in today’s flooded marketplace.

How is LaSalle Academy different?

LaSalle Academy’s advice is based on over 11 years of experience on the front-lines of today’s marketplace. The program is free, practical and realistic, and job seekers will leave with tangible advice they can implement immediately into their career search.

Workshops and Services

Formatting Your Resume to Land the InterviewExplores questions like: What should I include on my resume? Should I use a resume template? What format is best? What do employers look for when reading a resume?

Interview Preparation and ExecutionExplores questions like how do I best prepare for an interview? How do I stand out from my competition during the interview? What questions should I ask? What questions will they ask me?

One-on-One Resume ConsultationReceive a personal consultation with a job search expert regarding ways to improve your resume and help you land the interview.

Mock InterviewPractice makes perfect! Engage in a mock interview to practice your presentation skills and build your confidence for your next real interview.