Resumes | Career Development Center | SIU

Getting started on making your resume can be confusing so we will break it down into three simple steps.

Step 1: Build an "Organic Resume"

"Organic Resumes" are a complete document that grows with you and includes everything you have done on it (work experience, education, RSOs, volunteering, skills, etc.).  Note that this version of your resume can be long and should be added to periodically throughout the year whether you are looking for a job or not.  The purpose of this resume is to make sure you remember all changes that were made in your life instead of trying to remember everything you did in the last four years.

Step 2:Find the Job

This sounds a bit obvious, but to build a great resume, you need to find a job description you are interested in.  Understanding the needs of an employer will help you to demonstrate your value as a quality candidate.

Step 3: Tailor the Resume

Employers are going to tell you exactly what they are looking for in potential employees in the job description.  If you take your time and read carefully, you can tailor your resume to show the skills and experiences that match what the employer is looking for in their top person.  

Here are some tools to help you get started building your perfect resume.

• Resume Guide
• Basic Resume
• Resume Formatting Checklist
• Action Verbs

Now that you have gotten started, you are ready to adapt your resume to your personal experience.  Some of you have a lot of work experience at the same job, some of you have had a lot of jobs at different companies, and some of you have not entered the workforce yet.  It is important to understand how to leverage your experience in order to send a positive message to employers.  

Here are some examples of different resume styles that can help you get started.

• Chronological Resume
• Skills Resume
• Portfolio Resume
• Creative Resume

Different Industries want different things to appear on your resume.  Below you will find several resumes that can help you to build your resume for several industries.

• Accounting-entry-level
• Agricultural Sciences
• Agriculture
• Airport Ops
• Animal Science
• Anthropology (CV)
• Art Education
• Automotive Technology
• Aviation Pilot (Major Airline)
• Aviation Pilot (Regional)
• Aviation Technology
• Biological Sciences
• Biology (CV)
• Business
• Civil Engineering
• Dental Hygiene
• English (CV)
• Engineering (CV)
• Environmental Sciences (CV)
• Engineering PhD
• Journalism
• Master of Business Administration
• Radio, Television, and Digital Media
• Secondary Education
• Therapist PTA