A Quick Resume Overview

Professional Development
Spring 2017

Margins
Margins should be at most 1 inch all around.
Students can adjust their margins to .5 inches to add
more content.

Margins

Header
First and Last name in large bold font.
The header could be the first impression of your
resume.

Header Descriptions and Example

Basic Header:(Keep as up to date as possible)
Your Name
City, State | Phone Number | Personal E-mail Address

Directly under Header:

Objective:
The objective section should be used only as a last resort if a student needs to fill space on their
resume. Your objective is a basic statement giving your reasoning for contacting them.

Education

Universities and Community Colleges

Degrees completed and in progress

Accounting GPA and Cumulative GPA
Graduation and CPA Eligibility Date

Education Example
Education:
California State University, Long Beach
Graduation Expected: May 2020
Bachelor of Science Business Administration, Option in Accountancy
Accounting GPA: 4.0 Cumulative GPA: 4.0
CPA 150 Credit Eligible: Date Eligible

(Transfers) Your Community College, City

Degrees completed or in progress
Transferable credits & Cumulative GPA

Dates Attended

If you know, include your expected time to complete your 150 credit CPA exam requirement. Dont include
high school.

Recent 30 Unit GPA (Optional)

Note: Some students choose to include their GPA of their most recent 30 units taken as well. This is not be in
place of the other two GPAs that must be present, rather it should be added along with them. The reasoning
here is to demonstrate how the student is improving over a recent period of time. This should only be done for
sophomore and junior year if applicable. The Recent 30 Unit GPA is not a requirement, and should only be
used as a leverage tool if your GPA is not where you would like it to be.

Education:
California State University, Long Beach
Graduation Expected: May 2020
Bachelor of Science Business Administration, Option in Accountancy
Accounting GPA: 4.0, Cumulative GPA: 4.0, Recent 30 Unit GPA: 4.0
CPA 150 Credit Eligible: Date Eligible

Content is critical.

Work Experience
This section should be
most unique to you

Content First, Format Second

How you set yourself apart.

What did you do?

Cut the filler.

Think about day to

day responsibilities,
interactions with
coworkers, and
tangible experience
you grew from.

Yes, you are a hard

and dedicated
individual, but listing
it several times does
not demonstrate your
point. Be concise, and
be sure to use up at
least one line.

Focus on the
experience.
Why should this
experience matter to
the company you are
applying for. A lot of
skills are applicable to
more than one type of
job. An example of a
multi-applicable skill is
interpersonal
communication.

Reflect on what
you learned.
What was the lesson
gained from your
experience? Form an idea
of what skill you gained
from each experience,
and describe when it is
reasonable. Chances are
you will be questioned to
some extent why the
experience you listed
matters.

More on Work Experience

Space equals importance.

Space equals importance, so put the

most critical information first and
spend more time and space talking
about the skills, experiences, and
results that are directly related to the
job you are applying for.
Dont

Quantify

Use

use this section as a

means to fill space.
Write and rewrite each
sentence to achieve
peak conciseness.

each experience if you

can. This gives the
reader a clear idea of
what you did at your
previous job.

strong action verbs. Every

duty and activity you
performed can be
uniquely represented
with a strong action verb.

Formatting your Work Experience

Selmas Chicago Pizzeria, Server, Bartender
June 2015 - August 2016
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA | 25-35 hours a week
Delivered exceptional service to hundreds of guests while simultaneously developing
my interpersonal communication skills.
Honed my skills of being able to sell current product and promotions.
Worked on a team every shift and would normally fall into the leadership role.

Leadership, Activities &

Organizations
Identify when and what organization you worked for.
List of responsibilities; similar to work experience, but possibly more
brief.
Keep these as recent as possible.

Extracurricular Activities Example

Event Coordinator for TRIP

December 2013 - May 2014
Worked with friends of mine to develop various marketing strategies for events we
held at location such as the Yost Theater and Queen Mary.
Learned how to network via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote TRIP
events.

An Honors, Awards, and

Certifications section is highly
regarded on a resume by
employers. This section is not
essential, but is valuable if it
applies to you.
A Skills section can be included to
highlight important characteristics
unique to you, and that can be
valuable to the company.
An Interests and Hobbies section
is used mainly to fill up space, but
also a talking point during an
interview.
Thats it! Your resume should be no longer than
one page; remember to focus on your most
valuable areas.