Your resume isn't just a list of experiences — it's a strategic document designed to quickly show employers why you're a strong candidate. In a competitive job market, your resume format is can be just as important as what it says. A clean, intentional layout helps recruiters quickly find what they're looking for and increases your chances of moving forward in the hiring process.

1. Match Your Experience

The most common (and recommended) format is the reverse chronological resume, which lists your most recent experiences first. This format is easy to scan and works well for most students and new graduates. If you're changing fields or highlighting specific skills, a functional format may be appropriate, but just know that most recruiters aren't as familiar with this layout.

2. Prioritize Readability

Recruiters typically spend 5-7 seconds on an initial resume scan. Use consistent fonts, clear section headings, and a good balance between text white space. Avoid overcrowding the page — margins, spacing, and alignment all matter when it comes to readability. Research by ResumeGo has shown that recruiters would rather see a two-page resume with room to breathe vs. an overcrowded one-pager. Should you go with two pages, make sure it is a full two pages that go to the bottom of both sides.  

3. Use Sections Strategically

Organize your resume so the most relevant information appears near the top. Common sections include Education, Experience, and Skills. Depending on the role, you might highlight technical skills or relevant coursework before unrelated experience. Break up your experiences into Relevant Experience and Other or Additional Experience to bring your most aligned experiences to the top of the document.

4. Bullet with Purpose

Strong bullet statements are concise, action-oriented, and results-focused. Start each bullet with a strong action verb and emphasize accomplishments over responsibilities whenever possible. Feel free to check out the sample GenAI prompts in the Career Guide if you need help drafting or editing your statements. Anyone can read your job description, so focus on describing how you've created impact in your role. Bring up relevant skills and metrics whenever possible, remembering the formula ACTION VERB + DESCRIPTION + IMPACT.

5. Keep It ATS-Friendly

Many employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen resumes. Stick to standard section titles (such as including "Experience" to sections about relevant work and course projects), avoid graphics or text boxes, and submit your resume as a PDF unless otherwise instructed. Incorporate relevant skill-based keywords from job descriptions as much as possible. Simple formatting ensures your resume is readable by both software and humans.

Get Expert Feedback at Resume Rescue

Formatting your resume strategically can make all the difference — and we can help! Join us at Resume Rescue on February 10 from 12 PM to 4 PM where Career Center staff will review your resume, offer personalized feedback, and help you fine-tune your format for success.

A strong resume starts with smart formatting, so make sure yours is working for you, not against you. You got this. 

In a job market that feels inundated with candidates, you may feel completely overwhelmed trying to find ways to stand out among your competitors. This can be especially true if you’re starting out in your career and are trying to find ways to add experiences to your resume.

It feels like an endless cycle. You need experiences...to add experiences to your resume...but without experiences...it’s difficult to get experiences in the first place. Internship opportunities fill up quickly within a seemingly narrow window of time.

In other words, how in the world do you get the visibility you need to land that first internship?

Here’s the truth: pursuing and securing an internship can feel like chasing a purple unicorn.

But here’s a secret: there are actually other ways to acquire career-related experience.

Here are a few to help you get started:

• Course Projects – Students are often surprised to find that their course projects count as experience, but they most certainly do! By listing out the class and details of what you did to complete an assignment, as well as the impact of your work, this demonstrates a level of knowledge and expertise that could be considered just as valuable as an internship experience.
• On-Campus Employment – If you find yourself on campus often, getting a job with a campus department could be a viable option. You get bonus points if it’s relevant to your major or career of interest. For more information on how to snag an on-campus position, check out our post here.
• Volunteer – Helping out a local non-profit, community organization, or student organization is another great way to gain experience. You could even tie the work to something related to your major, for example, running social media if you're a Media & Communication Studies major. For even more tips, check out our post here.
• Professional Associations – By connecting with professionals in your industry of interest through professional associations, you’ll not only build your network but also open yourself up to potential opportunities through their organizations or even the association itself. This option does require networking, which can be a source of anxiety for students, but it helps exercise that muscle that will absolutely be needed for the actual job market.
• Micro-internships – Micro-internships are a final great option if you’re still searching for semester-long work and need more experience. Go to parkerdewey.com to find available projects. You can also look into theforage.com to gain experience through their job simulations. 

Want to know more ways you can stand out as a leading candidate outside of internships? Join us for a Keys to Success workshop on Monday, October 7 at 12 PM at The Commons 331 to learn how.  

Here at the Career Center, we meet with students whose work experiences run the gamut. If you are finding yourself lacking this area, here are some suggestions to build out your resume.

Entrepreneurship. Have a good idea and want to see what you can do with it? Consider starting a small business. By becoming an entrepreneur, you can demonstrate you’re motivated, passionate, innovative, and have good decision-making skills. You can also tie your business to your industry of interest as well. Need guidance in this area? The Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is another UMBC resource that you could turn to for mentorship and ideas.

Micro-internships. These are short-term professional assignments that allow you to work on a real project in a limited amount of time. Micro-internships are a great option if you’re still searching for semester-long work and need more experience. Go to parkerdewey.com to find available projects. You can also look into theforage.com to gain experience through their job simulations.

On-campus leadership. If you are already active with a student organization on campus you can add relevant experiences to your resume by stepping into a leadership role. You can even try to find something tied to your major depending on the organization’s needs. For example, if you’re a finance major you could be the treasurer of a student organization.

Research. As a research institution, UMBC is home to many research projects being conducted by faculty members across the university. If you are interested in learning more about research and obtaining research experience, you could inquire with faculty members to see if there’s an opening in their labs and/or research teams. If you’re especially interested in pursuing graduate school, conducting research with a faculty mentor is a great way to determine if you want to go down that path, while building experience for your resume.

Volunteer. Connect with a local non-profit or community organization that works for a cause you feel passionate about and see if they need volunteers. You can find out if they need help in your area of study to make it even more relevant for your resume. For example, if you’re a Media & Communication Studies major you could help with the organization’s social media. Another great way to get involved in service-learning and community engagement opportunities is through The Shriver Center.

As you can see, there are a number of different ways you can add work experiences to your resume outside of the more traditional internship positions. Want to hear more about how others do it? Join us at our Inside Scoop: Entrepreneurs Panel Discussion on April 15^th at University Center 312 from 12-1 PM.