Resumes are organized in terms of category headings such as Objective, Education, Experience, Activities, Affiliations, Honors, Interests, and References. Many of these headings are optional. Choose categories that are appropriate for representing your background and qualifications. Important category headings include:

Career Objective
This is the central element on which the content of the resume is based. Because job titles vary from company to company, think of what you want to do (function), at what level (entry, trainee, middle management, etc.) and in what setting (financial institution, aerospace industry, etc.). A good objective is a bit paradoxical: it must be specific yet open-ended. If you are considering more than one occupational field, prepare a separate resume for each. If you are having difficulty writing a career objective, drop by Career Resources and talk with a Career Advisor. The difficulty may stem from a basic uncertainty as to your career focus.

Education
List education in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent education and working backwards. A high GPA (e.g., 3.0 or above) and other academic achievements may be included. You may also choose to list courses that especially qualify you for your career, not overlooking courses that are almost universally appropriate (e.g., writing skills, speaking ability, foreign languages, computer skills, etc.).

Experience
The key to the experience section is to think broadly. This section will include not only paid employment that you have had, but also other types of experience where you used related skills. For instance, you may want to list that you were captain of the intramural volleyball team or that you volunteered as a trainer in Special Olympics. The "skeleton" of the experience section includes the "position title" (in some cases this may be "Social Subcommittee Chairperson" or "Club President"), "company" name (again in some cases your "company" may be your fraternity or volunteer setting), city, state and dates for each entry. This core information should be on your resume, regardless of the format you use for this section.

There is no ideal format for the experience section, but two common styles are acceptable to most employing organizations: chronological and functional. A chronological format lists past employment in reverse chronological order by dates, with the most recent experience listed first. With a functional format, experience is summarized in skill categories rather than by chronological order. It consists of a selection from your total experience of only those skills which relate to the job you are seeking. A functional format will require an additional section entitled Employment History, where you show the reader where you have worked and in what positions. A third possible format is a combination format. List your experience in reverse chronological order. If you include brief job descriptions, stress the connections between those jobs and the one for which you are applying. For examples of each of these formats, see the six copies of resumes listed in this Manual.

Skills
You have acquired many skills through your education and life experiences that you can mention to prospective employers. You would list your skills under each position in a chronological format and in your skills categories in a functional format. If you are one of the many students who did not happen to take job-specific courses at UCSB, you may not be aware of all your skills and may be unclear as to which ones relate to employment. A Career Advisor can help you.

References. If your references are so well known that the mention of their names would be a magic key, think about listing their names on your resume. In most cases, a good strategy is to use the phrase "references available upon request" at the end of your resume. This gives you the flexibility of altering your list according to appropriateness for each job for which you are applying. Possible references are former supervisors, UCSB faculty, and others who are qualified to comment on your work habits, achievements, personal qualifications, etc. Line up your references in advance and clue them in on your career objective so they will know which of your sterling qualities to emphasize. Keep your references posted on your progress and send thanks. People who help deserve to be appreciated.

The resume should be aesthetically appealing and easy to read. It should contain no typographical errors or misspelled words. Standard-sized (eight and one half by eleven inch), high-quality bond paper is most widely accepted. The preferred length is one page, but there are always exceptions, particularly when applying for a specific job where you know more detailed information is desired.