Preparing a Résumé A résumé is; ré·su·mé or re·su·mé or re·su·me n In the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand a summary of somebody’s educational and work experience, for the information of possible future employers. cur·ric·u·lum vi·tae n a summary of a person’s educational qualifications, skills, publications, and professional activities, prepared when applying for an academic or professional position. A résumé or CV is not; - an advertisement about you - your executive summary - a novel - an exercise in advanced graphic design layout Contrary to what some art college instructors teach, it is a clear disadvantage for a Candidate to create an illustrator, Photoshop or jpg document that not only can’t be updated, but one that actually is less legible and harder to print than a standard text only document. There are many resources to refer to on creating a résumé. However, in simple terms, a résumé functions as a technical document of where you have been and what you have done, in a brief and concise form. It is the primary tool used by managers in Human Resources, and Recruiters, to record and categorize you based on your years of experience, skills and other historical information. The most common and easy to read form will have your most recent experience listed first, then chronologically in reverse leading up to your education, and then special skills last. Keep it brief, bullet points are good. But ensure that it’s clear exactly WHAT you have been doing in the last few years. If there is a special skill, accomplishment or service that must be highlighted, create this as a separate document, executive summary or a special paragraph of explanation. Generally speaking, the most experienced and qualified candidates have a very short résumé, usually one page or less. It is not uncommon for us to receive a résumé of a recent graduate with two to three pages of accomplishments, usually including the award that they received on their sports team in grammar school – this kind of information is completely irrelevant, unless the candidate is applying for a position as a High School Gym teacher. [ Back to top ]