CONSORTIUM ORIENTATION

PROGRAM
RESUME WRITING GUIDE

NYU STERN SCHOOOL OF BUSINESS

Office of Career Development
44 West Fourth Street, Suite 5-100
New York, New York 10012
212-998-0623
http:// www.stern.nyu.edu/ocd

Introduction: The Stern Resume

The Office of Career Development has one required resume format. The purpose of this
handout is to describe the specific requirements of the format and to assist you in writing
relevant content.
Your resume
should highlight
key points
which relate to
your future
employment
objectives.

Your resume is an important marketing document designed to sell your background to a

targeted reader. It is an outline of your professional and educational background; it
should highlight relevant key points which relate to your future employment objectives.
Your resume should be tailored strategically to present those accomplishments, skills,
and experiences that relate specifically to the position you seek.
You should consider the interview while composing your resume. How well you
present these experiences in the resume is a measure of how well you will articulate
these experiences in the employment interview.

AVOID THE DATA DUMP TRAP.

Write yourRemember, more is not better. Select only your experiences that are relevant to the
resume for thefunction and industry you are looking to be a part of in the future. It is not the reader's
reader,
supplying thejob to try to make sense of your resume: you are responsible for making the
informationconnection of your past experience with your future goals. It is also important to
he/she will findremember that the more you know about your audience, the easier it is to spell out your
importantbackground in ways that catch the attention of that audience.
to know.

THE BEST RESUME WILL NOT GET YOU A JOB.

A resume will only get you an interview. A well-constructed resume increases your
chances of an interview in which you can facilitate a productive discussion of your
experiences; however, a poorly constructed resume will be used to screen you out of the
interviewing process.

FORMAT: BASIC RULES

GENERAL FORMATTING NOTES

CONTACT INFORMATION
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

GENERAL FORMATTING NOTES

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LENGTH:
One page ONLY.
PAPER:
8 1/2 X 11 white, cream, or light gray high quality (25% rag contents) paper, black ink.
If your field of interest is conservative, e.g., banking or management consulting, consider
using white paper. In this age of fax transmission, resumes on white paper send the
best.
MARGINS:
The left margin must be 1".
The top, bottom, and right margins should be greater than or equal to .5. Please ensure
that your margins fit these measurements.
BULLETS:
Bullets may only be listed vertically.
ABBREVIATIONS:
In general, do not abbreviate, with the exception of state names for which you should
use postal abbreviation, e.g., CA for California. Abbreviate or use an acronym only if it is
more appropriate than the full name, e.g., "IBM" not "International Business Machines.
TYPOGRAPHY:
Font is Times New Roman. In this guide, when a word is indicated as plain type it
should not have any special formatting applied to it, i.e., no bolding or Italicizing, nor
should it be written in all capital letters. Italics are used for newspapers, magazines, and
words in foreign languages, e.g., magna cum laude.
SALARY AND OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION:
No salary or truly personal information including: health, height, weight, marital status,
photos (differs for international resumes; ask a career counselor for specifics if you are
job hunting overseas) should be included on the resume.
WRITING STYLE:
Omit pronouns (i.e. I, me, my, our) and dont overuse the, a, and an.
Formatting and writing styles should remain consistent throughout.

ITEM ONE: CONTACT INFORMATION

JANE DOE
210 Mulberry Street, Apt. 2B
New York, NY, 10026
Tel: 212-555-1212
E-mail: [email protected]

YOUR NAME is in all capital letters, bold type, centered, and one point larger
than the rest of your text.
Your address and phone number are in plain type and are centered. You may
only list one phone number.
NOTE: You may not use OCDs address as yours under any circumstances.
Use your Stern email address. Your e-mail is in plain type and is centered.
Please make sure your e-mail is not underlined.

ITEM TWO: EDUCATION

Education:

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

New York, NY
Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Master of Business Administration, May 2017
Specializations in Finance and Management
Participant/Fellow/Scholarship Recipient (choose ONE), Consortium for Graduate
Study in Management

The word Education is in plain type and is left justified.

The university name NEW YORK UNIVERSITY is in all capital letters and in
bold type.
The location New York, NY is in plain type and is right justified.
The school name Leonard N. Stern School of Business is under the
university name in bold type.
The degree and date of graduation Master of Business Administration, May
2017 is listed underneath the school name in plain type.
The Specializations in Finance and Management is listed underneath the
degree reference and is in plain type.
Choose one: Participant/Fellow/Scholarship Recipient, Consortium for Graduate
Study in Management

ITEM THREE: EXPERIENCE

Experience:
2013-2015

GLENDALE BURKE & ASSOCIATES, LLC

New York, NY
Project Manager
Strategized with senior partners about viability of e-commerce consulting practice, including
billing projections, industry penetration and modes of compensation.
Prepared weekly briefings for team members on status of ongoing projects, new business
development initiatives and billings-to-date.
Collaborated closely with clients' Chief Technology Officers to map out internet/e-commerce
strategies.
Assisted Kenwood AutoParts, Inc., a $15 million annual revenue used parts retailer, to devise
an online strategy to move inventory procurement online, saving over $3 million annually.

The word Experience is on the same line as the company (which was your most
recent job) is in plain type and is left justified.
Dates are on the same line as company name, are in plain type and are left
justified; however, there are two exceptions:
- The date of your most recent job will be on the same line as your position title
directly underneath the word Experience.
- If youve had more than one job at the same company, the date(s) must be on
the same line as your position title.
NOTE: The required format does not use months, only years.
The most recent company, GLENDALE BURKE & ASSOCIATES, LLC, is
written on the same line as the word Experience in all capital letters and in bold
type.
Location of firm, New York, NY, is in plain type and right justified, and the state
is abbreviated. For international locales, the city and country must be fully
written out in plain type, e.g., Caracas, Venezuela.
The position title Project Manager is written underneath the company name in
bold type.
The description of your experience at the firm is presented in bullet point format.

ITEM FOUR: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Additional:

Member, American Association of Management Consultants

Fluent in Spanish

The word Additional is on the same line as the first bullet point is in plain
type and is left justified. To do this, click on Insert, choose Symbol and
click on the bullet symbol.
Other relevant information in this category is presented in bullet point format.

CONTENT: BASIC ELEMENTS

CONTACT INFORMATION
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ELEMENT ONE: CONTACT INFORMATION

YOUR NAME, centered on the page in bold type, capital letters, needs to be equal or greater
in stature to any other word on your resume. If you choose to enlarge your name it may only
be one point larger than the body of the resume.
Address and telephone information should be centered directly underneath your name, in plain
type. You may not use OCDs address as your own under any circumstances. You must include
your personal address for the Consortium resume book, as you have not yet been assigned a
Stern email address.

ELEMENT TWO: EDUCATION

Present graduate and undergraduate institutions in reverse chronological order, that is, most
recently attended school first. Additional relevant course work or work seminars (non-degree)
should follow your degree programs.
Include
academic honors,
scholarships and
positions of
leadership.

Include academic honors, scholarships and positions of leadership. You may not include your
GMAT; you should however be prepared to answer questions about both in an interview.
Only list undergraduate college clubs or activities if you are a recent graduate and they
emphasize leadership roles.

ELEMENT THREE: EXPERIENCE

Before you start writing, it is critical to remember that all of the information presented in this
section should support your new job objective.
Use the reverse chronological format.
For each position you have had, you will need to include company name, city, state (postal

all the
information in this abbreviation),dates of employment and position title.
section should
support your new
Titles may differ in particular organizations and may not represent what you did. If this is the
job objective.

case, you should consider rewriting your title to describe what you did; be careful not to
misrepresent your level in the organization.

Dates must be expressed in terms of years 2010-2013 and is much easier to read than May
2009-September 2010. An advantage of the year format is that it hides some employment gaps
without looking questionable.
You will then need to identify the skill areas most important to the function you are now pursuing
and organize your resume around these skills. What specific things have you accomplished in the
last few years that illustrate your skills and abilities?

Begin each
statement with
an action verb.

Opportunity
Action
Result

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Accomplishments should be brief and precisely stated. Begin each statement with a strong
action verb; the statement should specify the result or impact upon the organization and illustrate
your contributions to the company/organization.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENT: Opportunity, Action, Result. Describe the

OPPORTUNITY as a problem encountered. Describe the ACTION taken, including analysis of
the opportunity, the planning and preparation, and the resources involved. Use action words and
avoid words like participated in or monitored. Describe the RESULTS obtained. Be sure to
state if you presented your results to clients or senior management. Be specific and as
quantitative as possible.
Your goal is to distinguish yourself by citing accomplishments and measurements of impact to
those who explore your background and experience. Avoid being too general, e.g., laying claims,
reducing costs, improving profits, increasing efficiency without a quantified measurement.

Quantify, when
possible, by
percentages and
numbers.

Quantify when possible by percentages or numbers. If not possible, provide feeling for size
and/or scope of accomplishment, e.g., first, revolutionized, etc. Focus on increases in sales,
volumes, quality, profits, team productivity, technical/new program or product innovations, cost
cutting and efficiency.
Highlight transferable skills: this is essential for everyone, particularly career changers!
Dont exaggerate or misrepresent your background, i.e., scholarships, club membership.
Examples of some areas in which you can expand upon your accomplishments:
Improved quality, productivity, teamwork

Increased sales, profits.

Reduced costs.

Planned/designed a program/training process to improve, reduce or change.

Decreased turnover, failures, breakdown, shrinkage, overtime, etc.

Examples of General Accomplishment Statements:

Trained new employees in customer service, secretarial and telephone procedures that
generated a 30% reduction in complaints.
Initiated advanced assembly procedures to increase production 10% by reducing turnaround time from 5 to 4 days.
Studied 30 bids and contracts from outside service companies totaling more than
$30,000,000 annually.
Analyzed statistical reports to pinpoint overrun errors, saving $500,000 annually in raw
materials.
Identified market share decline in cola beverage products.

Designed and implemented new promotional point of sale displays that arrested share
loss and one year later increased market share 6 points.

ELEMENT FOUR: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You may use this space to highlight proficiency in foreign languages, hobbies, activities that relate
to your career interests, or to account for time gaps on your resume.
You may want to include associations and affiliations if they relate to the position you seek, or if
they show evidence of leadership or community involvement.

THE RIGHT WORD

IN THE RIGHT PLACE

10

THE RIGHT WORD IN THE RIGHT PLACE

The importance of transferable skills and measurable results in your accomplishment
statement has already been addressed. Think of the statements as flags waving at the
top of a fortress. Make sure you have a foundation for each statement that starts each
phrase. Without fail, that word must be a strong, active-voice verb. Look over the
following lists of suggested verbs, and use them in your resume.

Action verbs that address your planning skills include:

Conceived
Created
Designed
Developed
Devised
Engineered
Established
Estimated
Experimented
Formed

Formulated
Initiated
Innovated
Instituted
Invented
Justified
Laid out
Organized
Originated
Planned

Projected
Reorganized
Revised
Scheduled
Solved
Systemized
Tailored
Transformed

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Action verbs that address your skills in directing employees include:

Administered
Approved
Authorized
Conducted
Controlled
Decided
Delegated

Determined
Directed
Guided
Headed
Instructed
Led
Managed

Ordered
Prescribed
Regulated
Specified
Supervised
Trained

Action verbs that suggest that you have skills in assuming responsibility include:
Accepted
Achieved
Adopted
Arranged
Assembled
Assumed
Attended
Audited
Built
Checked

Classified
Collected
Compiled
Constructed
Described
Developed
Doubled
Established
Evaluated
Experienced

Gathered
Halted
Handled
Improved
Implemented
Initiated
Installed
Integrated
Maintained
Made

Action verbs that suggests that you have skills in assuming responsibility include
(contd):
Operated
Overcome
Performed
Prepared
Produced

Received
Reduced
Reviewed
Simplified
Sold

Transacted
Tripled
Used
Utilized

Action verbs that embody an ability to provide effective service include:

Carried out
Committed

Explained
Facilitated

Provided
Purchased

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Delivered
Demonstrated
Earned
Exchanged
Expanded
Expedited

Furnished
Generated
Inspected
Installed
Issued
Procured

Rewrote
Sent
Serviced
Submitted
Transmitted
Wrote

Interactive skills with people are suggested by the use of these action verbs in your
accomplishment statement:
Advised
Aided
Apprised
Clarified
Conferred
Consulted
Contributed
Cooperated

Coordinated
Counseled
Helped
Informed
Inspired
Interpreted
Interviewed
Mediated

Negotiated
Participated
Promoted
Recommended
Represented
Resolved
Suggested
Unified

Finally, your investigative skills merge with the use of these action verbs:
Analyzed
Assessed
Calculated
Computed
Correlated
Discovered

Evaluated
Familiarized
Investigated
Observed
Proved
Researched

Reviewed
Searched
Studied
Verified

STERN RESUME FORMAT

Use your Stern email

Plain type, left justified

SAMPLE RESUME
JANE DOE
210 Mulberry Street, Apt. 2B
New York, NY 10026
Tel: 212-555-1212

Name: capital letters, bold type

Address, phone
number, e-mail:
plain type, centered

13

E-mail: [email protected]
Education:

Company name: all

capital letters, bold
Experience:
2013-2015

Job title: bold type

2011-2013

Years: plain type,

left justified
No months

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

New York, NY
Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Master of Business Administration, May 2017
School name
Specializations in Finance and Global Business
listed under NYU
Participant/Fellow/Scholarship Recipient (Choose ONE), Consortium for
in bold type
Graduate Study in Management
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering, May 2010
Awarded Jeremy S. Barnum Scholarship for academic excellence

Ithaca, NY

GLENDALE BURKE & ASSOCIATES, LLC

New York, NY
Project Manager
Strategized with senior partners about viability of e-commerce consulting practice,
including billing projections, industry penetration and modes of compensation.
City and state:
Prepared weekly briefings for team members on status of ongoing projects, new
plain type, right
business development initiatives and billings-to-date.
justified
Collaborated closely with clients Chief Technology Officers to map out internet/
Abbreviate
state
e-commerce strategies.
Assisted Kenwood AutoParts, Inc., a $15 million annual revenue used parts retailer,
to devise an online strategy to move inventory procurement online, saving over $3
million annually.
Senior Consultant
Documented best practices, including proper roles, technology, processes, costs and
metrics to create a knowledge database on online retailing.
Instructed fellow consultants and clients in applied methodology and state-of-the-art
coding language.
Created matrix for analyzing profitability of clients and services offered, resulting in
increased coverage of clients and 45% increase in client satisfaction.
Led a $200,000 project to complete technical analysis of clients order-processing
system to determine functional deficiencies and repair defects.

2010-2011

GRANT THORNTON, LLP

Pittsburgh, PA
Systems Consultant
Developed a turnkey web module to enable small business clients to move online.
Designed an application to enhance the interface between accounts payable and the
purchasing department of a regional food processor, improving efficiency by 30%.
Wrote manuals that enabled clients to become familiar with new applications.

Additional:

Member, American Association of Management Consultants

Fluent in Spanish

The word Additional should

be on the same line as the first
bullet point in plain. To get
this aligned properly, tab out
to where the bullet begins and
insert the symbol for a bullet
for this line only.

Font: 10 or 12 point, Times New Roman

Top, Right & Bottom Margin: >= .5
Left Margin: >= 1
Left and Right Justified
One Page Only

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Bullet point
format.
No paragraphs