You will want to highlight different information for each type of resume. It is often helpful to have a master resume. This resume would have all of your experience and activities. You can create a tailored resume by picking and choosing information that is the most relevant to the job.  

In order to tailor your resume, be aware of the skills and responsibilities the position you are applying for may need. Many times you can find a list of preferred or required qualities on the employment advertisement, on the company website, or by asking a professional in the field. 

Once you know what skills are important to emphasize, look through your master resume and pick the corresponding activities. 

When organizing your tailored resume, the most relevant material should be listed towards the top of your document. As a student, your education will usually be listed first. 

If you are applying to an internship, coursework, school projects, past internships and job experiences will likely be the relevant information that you should emphasize. 

For many on-campus jobs, students who are involved and can serve as an ambassador for the department at UMBC, get hired first. 

For office jobs, communication and teamwork skills as well as a being self-motivated are skills that are in demand. 

Each type of graduate and professional school will look for different qualities. However, some common skills to highlight are your talents as a student or your ability to multitask and handle a large workload. 

Keep in mind that some activities can highlight many different transferrable skill sets. For example, participation in a student organization can show skills such as leadership, teamwork, or involvement. Customize your headings and description statements in order to emphasize the important information. 

Read the application carefully in order to find hints about what qualities the recruiter is looking for. Use specific buzzwords. If the application says, “looking for strong intercommunication skills,” use the key word intercommunication in your resume (if this is a strength of yours) and be detailed about your ability. If you are not proficient in a specific requested skill, focus on the other skills you do have. 

Show part of your personality on your resume. Your resume is more than just a list of your qualifications. It is an advertisement about yourself and why you would make a good candidate for the position. 

Finally, when posting your resumes to UMBCworks, you may save as many versions of your resume there as you like. And only the first one you post has to be approved by the Career Center. 

Career Peers, like myself, critique resumes in the Career Center during drop-in from 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Be sure to drop in to have your resume reviewed.