Résumé Guidelines

Placement Office

March, 2018
FAST Placement Office
CONTENTS

I. Introduction – The FAST-NU Résumé

II. Format

III. Sections

IV. Style
Accomplishment Statements
Quantifiers
Verbs
Positioning Content to One Page

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I. Introduction - The FAST-NU Résumé
This guideline is developed to facilitate the students of FAST-NU, to standardize their resumes, to ensure
consistent quality, superior branding, and ease of reading for the recruiter.

The job market today requires that you market yourself effectively to prospective employers. Your résumé
is a critical marketing tool designed to sell your strengths to a targeted reader.

The purpose of this extensive and elaborate guide is to describe the specific requirements of the format and
to assist you in developing relevant content for your résumé.

Standardization also helps Placement Office to facilitate the process of creating and sending Graduate
Directory to employers which presents profiles of all graduating students or students otherwise interested
in taking up internships in a standardized format.

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II. FORMAT
Chronological Format:
It is recommended that chronological format for your résumé because it emphasizes continuity, academic
growth, and is easy to follow. Educational and business experience (if any) should be listed in reverse
chronological order (most recent first).

Length:
Your résumé should fit into one page.

Less is more: a shorter, simpler, clearer document communicates best and conveys your message with
confidence.

Paper:
Use 8 ½” x 11” (or A4) white, cream, or light grey in color, higher quality paper. All printing should be in
black color only.

Margins:
Left: 0.75"
Right: 0.5"
Indent: 1.75" from edge of page (1" from margin; 2 tabs from margin)
Top (range): 1.0"
Bottom (range): 1.0"

Bullets:
Bullets should only be listed vertically. They should be small and indented from the margin (refer to sections
V-VII for clarification). Do not use sub-bullets. You do not need a bullet for a single item under a heading.

Abbreviations:
In general, do not use abbreviations.

Spell out months and addresses: January, rather than Jan.; Street and Road, rather than St. and Rd.

Spell out degrees (Master of Business Administration, rather than MBA; Bachelor of Business
Administration, rather than BBA).

Abbreviate or use acronyms only if they are more appropriate than using the full name.

Font:
Times New Roman, 10 point, Black color, throughout résumé

Typography:
Use plain type (i.e. no bold, italics, or all-capitals) unless specified below.
Use italics only for newspapers, magazines and words in languages other than English.

Lines, Boxes, Tables, Headers or Footers:

Do not use any of these on your résumé, except the table given on the top.

Capitalization:
Capitalize a word if it is a proper name: i.e. the name of a major, a title, or a department, etc. (Examples:
“Bachelor of Science,” “Finance Intern”)

Subject Headings:
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Use capital letters.

Subjects should be in bold and placed along the left margin.

Use only the following headings: EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, PROJECTS and OTHER DATA, in this
order.

Nothing else should be included on the subject heading rows. Leave a blank line between sections.

It is not recommended to use an objective statement. Omitting it gives you the greatest flexibility during
your job search process.

Dates:
Place along left margin in plain text years attended or worked, in reverse chronological order.

Use only years (no months). Present all years fully: 2001-2002, rather than 2001-02.

For internships or other seasonal work, the following are acceptable: Summer 2004, Fall 2006, or Spring
2007.

When necessary or appropriate, further explanation of employment periods may be included in parentheses
– in italics – after the job title: e.g.: (part-time during academic year).

Locations:
Place locations of universities and companies flush with the right margin. The location should be bold in
lower and upper case. Please note that this does not apply to your current address at the top of the résumé
or in the body. For international locations, spell out both the city and country.

Position Titles:
Italicize in lower and upper case. Place in EXPERIENCE directly under the company name. If you worked
in various capacities for the same company, add to each title in parenthesis and italics the dates you worked
in that capacity. Use the format: (20XX-20XX).

Punctuation:
Bullets do not need periods at the end unless they are multiple-sentence bullets.

It is important to be consistent with punctuation within each section and throughout the entire résumé.

Numbers:
Spell out numbers ten and under; use figures for 11 and over.

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III. SECTIONS
1. CONTACT INFORMATION:
A balanced heading at the top of your résumé should include your complete formal name, street address,
city, phone number, and email address as well as the university contact details.

Your name should be in 10 point font, all capitals, and in bold. It always comes first—centered at the top
of your résumé. Your address, in plain text, should be centered under the name.

Use your current address. List one telephone number. Be sure it is a number where you can be reached or
where a message can be left. Make it easy for prospective employers to contact you. List one email address
and make sure your email address is not a hyperlink (underlined). The University address will be the same
for all the students.

2. EDUCATION:
Present education in reverse chronological order. Begin with the school name, in all capitals and in bold.
Under it, list the degree, date of graduation (in Month 20XX format) in plain font. Under that, indicate your
areas of concentration, undergraduate major(s), honors, activities, experiential programs, and awards. Use
three to five lines for each educational experience, more if the information is notable. Paragraphs should be
four to six lines at most. You may use bullets, paragraphs, or a combination of both.

Start with NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COMPUTER & EMERGING SCIENCES, then on the next line
FAST SCHOOL OF BUSINESS. All text should be in plain type. Use italics for words in other languages,
newspapers, and magazines. Leave a blank line between educational institutions.

EDUCATION
2006-Present NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COMPUTER & EMERGING SCIENCES (FAST-NU) Lahore
FAST SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Candidate for Master of Business Administration, May 2008
President, Best Practices Society
Major in Finance

2002-2006 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COMPUTER & EMERGING SCIENCES (FAST-NU) Lahore

COMPUTER SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
B. Sc. (Computer Science)
Graduated with honors based on academic performance
Class Representative

2000-2002 ABC SCHOOL Lahore

GCE Advanced Level
Three A’s in English, Mathematics & Physics
President Adventure Club

Include educational programs only if you obtained a degree. Otherwise, you may mention them under Other
Data. Include significant honors, scholarships, awards, selections, and positions of leadership, club-related
or those which pertain to each school. Include any experiential programs under Projects.

3. EXPERIENCE:
Experience, if any, should be listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent
experience. The COMPANY NAME should be in all capitals, in bold, and indented at the recommended
space from the margin. On the same line, the dates of employment should be on the left margin and the
location on the right margin. When listing employers, city is sufficient (no addresses).

For internships and other seasonal work, use “Summer 20XX” or “Jul/Aug 20XX” format. Leave a blank
line between jobs or positions at the same company.

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Under the company name, list Your Title in italics in plain text (not bold). If you worked in various
capacities for the same company, add to each title in parentheses and italics the dates you worked in that
capacity, e.g. 20XX-20XX. If a position you held had no specific title, or if your title does not accurately
represent what you did, re-write your title to better describe your activities. Be sure to accurately represent
your level in the organization.

Under the title you may use indented bullet points, paragraphs, or a combination thereof to list information
effectively in a crisp and concise format. Begin statements with action verbs—implemented, produced,
planned, supervised, managed, directed—that compel the reader to find out what you accomplished. Use
the past tense unless you are presenting a current job. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. For ideas on
what to include, see Section III, Content.

EXPERIENCE
Jul/Aug 2005 AROMA TRAVELS Karachi
Intern
 Developed new business processes resulting in 10% increase in customer response time
 Developed, as part of a team, three new tourist plans

Jul/Aug 2004 ABN AMRO Lahore

Intern
 Prepared a report on consumer banking department, which helped the management in developing some
useful insight into the performance of various consumer products.

Remember that this information should support your current career goals. You should have already
identified skill areas most important to the function you are now pursuing; organize your accomplishments
around these skills.

List full- and part-time experience. Volunteer work may also be listed if it is substantial. Mention specific
accomplishments under each experience. Accomplishments should be brief and precisely stated.

Follow the STAR pattern: Situation, Task/Action, and Result. State your role in taking action on a situation
and the results of your work. Start every bullet with a dynamic action verb. See Section IV, Style for
suggested action verbs and ways to quantify your results.

End each statement with the impact of your actions on the organization. This will demonstrate that you are
results-focused and a producer. List accomplishments which answer the question: “So what?” Whenever
possible, quantify your accomplishments. Use numbers, dollar values or percentages. Make sure you
mention if you presented your results to clients or senior management. Emphasize transferable skills. This
is especially important if you are a career changer. Accurately represent your experience (no embellishing).
Be specific rather than general, with quantified measurement.

PROJECTS:

Include only the relevant projects, along with the relevant details.

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PROJECTS
MITCHELLS
Financial Analysis of Mitchell’s Annual Reports (2002)
 Authorized a report on the above company and provided an in-depth analysis of some key performance
indicators. Main components of the project included the calculating WACC and the value of the company
through the dividend discount Model.

SNGPL & SSGC

Comparison of Financial statements of SNGPL and SSGCs (2002)
 As a part of corporate financial Analysis Project. Suggested any new treatments of financial data. Deffered
Tax is the main component that is used for window dressing. Main focus of the project was Deffered
Taxation and Cash flow statements.

FAT FREE YOUGURT

Launch Fat Free Yogurt in Pakistan - Marketing Research Report (2002)
 Conducted a market survey to launch Fat Free Frozen Yogurt in the Pakistani Market.

5. OTHER DATA:

Display information that does not fit into any other category in bullet or paragraph format. This section
should include at most a few lines. For ideas on what to include, see Section III, Content.

OTHER DATA
 Other interests include swimming, reading and riding

The key word here is relevance. Include information that clearly contributes to your work ability for your
current career goals. Make sure to mention relevant social or civic, volunteer, or sports activities that
demonstrate qualities such as leadership, teamwork, responsibility and initiative. Mention foreign language
skills only if they are higher than conversational level. Include only higher level software skills you have,
such as C++, Java, SAP, UNIX, etc. – it is not recommended to include Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.
Consider including one or two outside interests, especially if they demonstrate leadership, commitment,
tenacity, or excellence, especially those with long history. Often listing your interests creates an opportunity
for relating to the recruiter or for small talk at the beginning of the interview.

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IV. STYLE
Accomplishment Statements

Accomplishments should be brief and results-oriented. Use an action verb to begin each statement. East
statement should specify the result or impact your actions had on the organization’s success. The purpose
of the STAR model is to present your experience. Describe the Situation as a problem or opportunity
encountered. Briefly describe the Task completed. Describe the Actions taken including planning,
preparation and resources involved. Then describe the Results obtained. Be as specific and quantitative as
possible. This may seem like a lot of content for each bullet. Strive to pack maximum meaning into as few
words as possible. It may take several iterations to get to the desired result.

Avoid using words and phrases such as “Responsible for,” “Helped” or “Assisted” in your
accomplishments. Choose action verbs with more impact such as “Managed” or “Collaborated.” Ideal verbs
are those that convey both action and results e.g.: reduced, gained, advanced, expanded, saved, improved,
and increased. Your goal is to distinguish yourself by citing accomplishments and measurements of impact
for those who explore your background and experience. Describe the results obtained – be as specific as
possible. Be as specific as possible. Avoid being too general laying claims, i.e. “reducing costs,” or
“improving profits,” without including a quantified measurement.

Examples of Accomplishment Areas:

Improved: quality, productivity
Reduced: costs, time
Planned: designed program or training process to improve, reduce, change
Decreased: turnover, failure, breakdown, shrinkage, overtime

Examples of Accomplishment Statements:

Trained new employees in customer service, secretarial and telephone procedures, generating generated a
30% reduction in complaints
Designed and implemented new promotional point of sale displays which arrested share loss and increased
market share by 25% in one year

Avoid the “data dump.” Remember, less is better. Select only the experiences that are relevant to the
function and industry that you wish to be a part of in the future. It is your responsibility to provide the
connection between your past experience, your present skills, and your future career for the reader. Keep
your résumé simple, concise and visually appealing. Avoid overcrowding on the page. Margins and space
between headings and items make the résumé more readable.

Personal information such as salary, age, marital status, health, weight, or height should not be included in
the résumé.

Omit “I,” “me,” and “my.” Limit the use of “the,” “a,” “an.” Bullets or paragraphs on the résumé should be
abridged, business-like, crisp fragments, rather than complete sentences, Use strategically selected key
words and buzzwords pertaining to the industry and position you are seeking. They will catch the eye of a
recruiter and improve the “scan-ability” of your résumé.

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Quantifiers

In your STAR bullets or paragraphs, quantify your results. The best way to quantify is by using percentages
and/or numbers. Some examples are: “Increased revenues by Rs. 1,000,000 in one-year period,” “Sold 300
credit cards in five months,” “Recruited 50 new members,” “Completed six major research projects,” and
“Reduced costs by 25%.” If it is not possible to use absolute numbers or percentages, provide a feeling for
the scope of your accomplishment, as in: “Established first marketing plan to be used by company,”
“Revolutionized quality monitoring process by…” and “Maintained successful customer relationships with
bank’s top clients.” Be careful to limit the use of modifiers such as: “successfully”, “effectively,” or “single-
handedly.”

Examples of Areas To Quantify:

sales customer satisfaction
profits sales quota
costs rankings
market share numbers of people managed
savings number of clients served
efficiency potential for saving

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Verbs

To help you develop a compelling description of your experience, we are including lists of action verbs. When using these
aids, remember that your résumé should be an original reflection of your unique experience and history.

Verbs for Planning Skills:

Conceived Formulated Projected

Created Initiated Reorganized
Designed Innovated Revised
Developed Instituted Scheduled
Devised Invented Solved
Engineered Justified Systemized
Established Laid out Tailored
Estimated Organized Transformed
Experimented Originated
Formed Planned

Verbs for Skills in Directing Employees:

Administered Determined Ordered

Approved Directed Prescribed
Authorized Guided Regulated
Conducted Headed Specified
Controlled Instructed Supervised
Decided Led Trained
Delegated Managed

Verbs for Skills in Assuming Responsibility:

Accepted Described Maintained

Achieved Developed Made
Adopted Doubled Overcome
Arranged Established Performed
Assembled Evaluated Prepared
Assumed Experienced Received
Attended Gathered Reduced
Audited Halted Reviewed
Built Handled Simplified
Checked Improved Sold
Classified Implemented Transacted
Collected Initiated Tripled
Compiled Installed Used
Constructed Integrated Utilized

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Verbs for Ability to Provide Effective Service:

Carried out Explained Provided

Committed Facilitated Purchased
Delivered Furnished Rewrote
Demonstrated Generated Sent
Earned Inspected Serviced
Exchanged Installed Submitted
Expanded Issued Transmitted
Expedited Procured Wrote

Verbs for Interpersonal Skills:

Advised Coordinated Negotiated

Aided Counseled Participated
Apprised Helped Promoted
Clarified Informed Recommended
Conferred Inspired Represented
Consulted Interpreted Resolved
Contributed Interviewed Suggested
Cooperated Mediated Unified

Verbs for Investigative and Analytical Skills:

Analyzed Evaluated Reviewed

Assessed Familiarized Searched
Calculated Investigated Studied
Computed Observed Verified
Correlated Proved
Discovered Researched

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Positioning Content on One Page

"What if my text won't fit on one page?"

Suggestions for getting more space:

Minimize top and bottom margins to 0.5" and use a single blank line between sections.
Use the "paragraph" rather than "bullet" format in EDUCATION and OTHER DATA sections.
Remove experiences or phrases within experiences that do not relate to the types of jobs you will be seeking.
Remove activities or honors that are not recent or do not represent applicable skills or interests.

"What if I don't have enough information to fill one page?"

Suggestions for taking up more space:

Maximize top and bottom margins to 1.0."

Use the "bullet" rather than "paragraph" format in EDUCATION and OTHER DATA sections.
Be sure to include any positions or experiences that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, and other skills that will be useful
in future positions.
Include outside activities, interests, hobbies, or other honors.

Tips for 2nd year MBA’s – Updating Your Résumé to Include Your Internship
Keeping everything on one page may be a challenge. Organizing your résumé to give you space for the internship requires
you to think about your experience strategically to determine what to include and what to eliminate.

Choose bullets from your past experience, education, and extracurricular activities that continue to support your post-MBA
job search goal. Your internship should be shown just like other positions. If you are already at one full page, you will need
to remove older items to make room for the internship. Include your internship with a couple of results-oriented bullets that
represent the contributions you have made. There is no magic number of bullets for any one section; two bullets for your
internship is a place to start. If you have enough room and more results to present, you can include them.

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