Prestigious Fellowships › Creating a Resume
Paper
Start your resume off right by choosing quality paper. Avoid paper with designs and do not add them yourself. Keep the paper color professional: white, off white, beige, light gray. Use bond paper.
Font
A resume is about information. Make it easy to find, easy to follow. Do not put your resume in a binder and do not staple it. Varying the font can actually confuse more than it clarifies. Select a font that is easy to read (Old English is not one of these). Bold or italicize headings. Choose a size that is readable but does not look like you are simply taking up space. A ten-font may be too small for most readers; fourteen is definitely too large and looks too elementary. You may want to make your name a slightly larger font. But avoid resume programs that make your name strikingly larger than your address. The font color should be black. Lines can sometimes be used selective and effectively on a resume and other dark colors may work well for these.
Headings
Use headings that help make the information more accessible. Be consistent in format and spacing.
Order of Information
Name and contact information is first. Be sure to include a reliable e-mail address. Most scholarship offices or employers rely heavily on e-mail. Be sure the address is appropriate. An e-mail address like iamsmarterthanyou@yahoo.com may be fun to share with friends, but it could actually hurt you in a scholarship competition. Employers may also be wary, so be sure to have an address that is not off putting to what may be a stuffier, older group. Be sure to include your intended major or fields of interest early in the resume.
Education should immediately follow your contact information. Resumes for scholarships do not usually include an objectives section. Include the date you anticipate graduating. Include your grade point average if it is above a 3.5 (otherwise make the reader look for it). If you are going to graduate with honors include that information. If you have written or are writing an honors thesis include that in this section as well. The following heading may vary depending on your strengths. If you have received several awards and/or scholarships then you should highlight these accomplishments by putting them early in the resume.
If you are applying for a scholarship, then work experience is less important unless you have work experience that directly relates to the concerns of the scholarship. If you have worked for a NGO and are applying for a scholarship connected to public service then this is critical information to include. If you have standard, unrelated student work experience (Taco Bell, etc), then you do not necessarily even need to include it on the resume at all.
Community service and campus activities are very important even if they seem unrelated because they show your energy and your commitment to working with others. A section titled hobbies is also good to include because it provides a fuller picture of who you are.
Formatting Information
Be consistent. List experiences by including the most recent first. Include dates when appropriate. Make sure the spacing of dates is consistent. Some abbreviations, organizations, or scholarship may require explanation. Do not assume the reader will know the importance of a particular group on your campus. Include any leadership positions in a prominent, consistent way. Feel free to explain responsibilities attached to those positions. If you do include explanations, be consistent in formatting. If you write in complete sentences for entry, then you must for all entries. If you end with a period for one, then you should for all of them.
A full, thick appearing one-page resume is more impressive than a two-page resume that has large and frequents spacing that seem to be included simply to get the resume to two pages. A full-two page resume is fine, and if it is full of your accomplishments and service efforts, it can be quite impressive, but try not to go over two pages. You will try the patience of your reader.
You may want to list three or more references even if the letters are included with the application. This provides a checklist for the reader. Do provide full contact information for each. If you are not including letters, then make clear references will be provided upon request. Be sure you have contacted anyone you list before sending out your resume.
Providing Accurate Information: Never exaggerate your accomplishments on a resume. Also do not imply that you have spent more time or more effort in a community project than you have. Saying that you have worked for the Red Cross, when you gave blood once, is not ethical and can cause trouble for you later during an interview. Do not provide materials (slides, photos, newspaper clippings) that is not requested.