Boise State University Career Guide - 2025 - Flipbook - Page 26
RESUMES
A resume is NOT:
a professional biography
A resume IS:
a marketing tool used to sell yourself
to a potential employer
The best resume is
the one that most
closely matches the
job description.
Think about each resume you write as an advertisement that showcases how your skills, experiences, and
qualifcations match what an employer is looking for in the job they are hiring for. Therefore, you need to
customize your resume for each position you apply to. The good news is Career Services is here to help! Here are a
few tips to help you get started writing efective resumes.
Reflect on Your Experience
Experience is not limited to what you’ve been paid for! Consider all of the following when crafting resumes:
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Internships
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Student organizations or clubs
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Full-time, part-time, and summer jobs
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Major-specifc experiences like clinicals or student teaching
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Volunteer experiences
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Undergraduate research
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Service Learning projects
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Class projects and assignments
Tips for Customizing Resumes
Referred to as “targeting” your resume to the job you’re applying for, here are some tips for showing the employer
how you’re qualifed for their job.
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Highlighting Your Qualifications: Use a format that highlights your most important experiences. Consider a
chronological hybrid format that groups diferent types of experiences together into a “Relevant Experience”
category and shifts less important experiences to an “Additional Experience” category.
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Placement of Information: Be strategic with where you place information on your resume and what you
visually emphasize, considering what is most important for the job you’re applying for.
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Using Keywords: To better connect your experience to their expectations, describe your experiences using the
employer’s language in the job description.
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Addressing Tasks in the Job Description: Look at each task in the job description and assess when, where,
and how you’ve done that thing or something similiar. Write a statement about what you did, what skills you
used, and what the outcome was under the experience in which you did it.
Use Your Resources
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Resume Virtual Workshop: Take this online, interactive workshop at any time.
Resume Handout: Get an overview of the basics.
Resume Samples: We have 40+ resume samples that are targeted to diferent majors and student
organizations. Easily download each to your Google Drive and customize it to your experience.
Make an Appointment with Career Services: Make an appointment for in-person, video, or email assistance.
