2. INTRODUCTION
• While your résumé may be ready for an employer, there are
likely some additions or revisions that will make your résumé
especially helpful to the Project RISE team.
• Your “RISE-ready” résumé may be more detailed and in depth
than a résumé you’d typically use for a job or internship.
• Of course, if your Project RISE résumé is something you’d like to
use in the future for any personal or professional reasons, you are
free to do so!
• It will be most helpful to have your résumé in front of you as
you go through this tutorial, so you can make additions and
edits as you go. 2
3. PROJECT RISE
• Project RISE is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and
wants to learn from strong students like you!
• We know that STEM fields are hugely important to our society and we
want to learn from your experiences to improve practices within these
disciplines
• Making your résumé RISE-ready gives you the opportunity to reflect
on your skills and experience and present it in a meaningful and
effective manner
• By creating a RISE-ready résumé, you are maintaining your eligibility
to participate in Project RISE
• A RISE-ready résumé is required before each interview – without one you
will not be invited to take place in the paid interviews
• By participating in the upcoming interviews, you’ll provide meaningful
contributions to the experiences of future STEM students and
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professionals
4. FORMATTING YOUR RÉSUMÉ
• Your résumé should tell a chronological story of your relevant
experiences.
• Jobs and education are listed in reverse chronological order – list
the most recent experience first.
• Do not exceed 1-2 pages
• Before entering the workforce you may be able to fit your résumé
onto 1 page, but don’t short-change yourself. Don’t cut
significant information abut your qualifications, skills, and
accomplishments just to keep your résumé to 1 page.
• If you go onto a 2nd page, fill at least ½ of that page.
• Type your name, “page two of two,” and your phone number in the
top right corner of this page
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5. HEADING
• All necessary contact information should appear at the top of
your résumé and should generally be centered
• Your name should appear in a larger font size
• Sample heading:
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6. OBJECTIVE
• The objective statement may vary with each résumé you create.
It should target a specific job, employer, and/or industry for
which you are applying.
• For Project RISE, we would like this statement to reflect your
most immediate post-graduation career plans/goals.
• We simply want to get a sense of the shape your career path will
be taking
• The statement should be employer or industry centered rather
than self-centered. What kind of work are you looking to get
involved with in the near future?
• See the next slide for some examples. 6
7. EXAMPLE OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS
• To obtain a position in a research laboratory where I can be
part of a team making a contribution to improving human
health and welfare.
• To gain a Mechanical Engineer I position, bringing my technical
skills, strong attention to detail, and personal attributes of
enthusiasm and willingness to learn into the organization
• To obtain a paid internship with an entrepreneurial
biotechnology company that provides opportunity to use both
my scientific knowledge and customer service skills
• To be admitted for graduate study in a Chemistry Department
that combines laboratory research and computer simulation. 7
8. EDUCATION
• List all post-high school degrees in reverse chronological order (i.e., most
recent degree first)
• Include your ODU Bachelor’s degree(s) with the expected date
• Include the dates attended, major(s)/minor(s), and location information for
each school you list
• Include your GPA and major GPA
• You may add relevant coursework to this section. Do so only if courses are
related to your major and/or career objectives and if they exceed the
requirements of your major. Don’t list any introductory level courses or
courses that were required of students in your major.
• This is an ideal section to list any supervised/honors research, independent
study, special topics, senior project, special seminar, or advanced design
courses you’ve taken.
• See the following slides for example education sections.
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11. WORK EXPERIENCE
• In your résumé , choose only the jobs/experiences that are relevant
to your field/career objectives OR that have allowed you to
develop/demonstrate important skills (e.g., oral and written
communication, mentorship, etc.)
• Be sure to include unpaid positions as well. This is the place to highlight
any research or teaching experience, internships, or practicums.
• For each position, focus on the skills and tasks you developed.
• Write in short, concise statements using action verbs and adjectives
to describe each skill/task.
• Cite specific responsibilities and accomplishments for each position.
Statements may be written in bullet or paragraph style.
• Avoid phrases such as “responsible for” and “duties include”
• See examples on the following slides. 11
14. EXTRACURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT
• Here you should include outside the classroom opportunities that gave you
hands-on experience and helped you develop networking contacts.
• Each position/experience should be listed separately. Be sure to include
your title, name and location of organization, and dates.
• Include any STEM and non-STEM organizations (e.g., SGA, Greek life) in
which you’ve participated
• Again, use action verbs to describe your most complex and professional
duties.
• Describe what you learned and what skills you practiced and developed.
• Include any achievements, contributions, and positive outcomes for each
position/experience.
• See examples on the following slides. 14
17. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS &
AFFILIATIONS
• Please include any professional organizations or societies you are a
member of (e.g., American Association for the Advancement of
Science, Association for Women in Science, National Society of Black
Engineers).
• Unlike the previous section, these experiences are not based on campus;
the organizations listed here should be regional or national AND related
to your intended profession.
• Include only STEM-related organizations.
• Include the name of the organization and dates of membership. If
you have an active role (e.g., committee chair, officer, etc.), also list
that role and describe your responsibilities and involvement.
• See the next slides for an example section. 17
20. SKILLS
• Include skills in which you have developed proficiency.
• You can group these skills into categories (e.g., technical skills,
languages, coding languages)
• Do not limit your résumé to STEM-specific skills, include any
skills that are likely to demonstrate your career readiness (e.g.,
public speaking, leadership, conflict management)
• Be as specific as possible. For example, if you list any
languages also include your level of fluency. If you include
software skills, include the specific programs/tasks with which
you are proficient.
• 20
See examples on the following slides.
23. ADDITIONAL SECTIONS
• You may have experiences beyond the content that’s been
reviewed so far. If so, we want to know about them (and
employers will too!)
• Use the possible sections and examples on the next few slides
to help brainstorm additional qualifications and experiences
you may like to include on your résumé.
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24. ADDITIONAL SECTIONS
• Awards, Honors, & Achievements: Include these if they are
relevant to your field of study or your career development.
Briefly describe the award (i.e., what is was for).
• Publications or Research: List any manuscripts, posters, or
other products of your research that have been published,
presented, or submitted to a journal/conference. Similarly, you
may have a section that includes any patents you’ve received or
submitted.
• Competitions: List any STEM or professional competitions in
which you’ve competed. If you earned an award or title,
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consider including this information in an “Awards” section.
28. WRITING TIPS
• Make your writing clear and straightforward.
• Avoid personal pronouns (I, my, etc.) except when necessary.
• Use short phrases in bullet points wherever possible.
• Use past tense for past experiences and present tense for
current experiences
• Proofread your résumé carefully; it should be free of typos and
grammatical errors
• Look at our sample résumés for further guidance as ensure
your résumé is RISE-ready
• SAMPLE RÉSUMÉ 1 AND SAMPLE RÉSUMÉ 2 28
29. WRAPPING UP
• Once your résumé is RISE-ready, click on the “Submit Résumé”
tab in Blackboard. After you’ve submitted:
• Your completed résumé will be reviewed by our research team to
ensure that it matches our project needs
• You will be contacted with any questions we have regarding your
résumé
• You will also receive an email asking you to complete a brief
survey providing us with some background information and to
schedule your first interview
• You will be asked to participate in a small-group interview lasting
no more than 90 minutes
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