Resumes, Cover Letters & CVs
Career Services offers assistance in every aspect of writing, formatting and proofreading resumes, cover letters and curriculum vitae. Please email at careerservices@avu.education for assistance with your resume, cover letter, etc.
Resumes
Writing & Formatting
- Overall design should be neat, balanced, consistent, easy to read and logically organized.
- Typically, resumes are one page, but can be as long as two.
- Information categories should be listed in order of importance according based on the position.
- Specific experience under each category should be listed in reverse chronological order.
- Details under each specific experience should be listed starting with the most significant or relevant first.
- Focus on describing accomplishments or skills developed, rather than listing duties. Almost anyone can perform a duty, but not everyone accomplishes something or learns from an experience.
- Use active verbs to begin details under each specific experience. Use key words from the job description.
- Employers tend to prefer bulleted, concise, relevant and accurate details under experience. Short lines of text make it easier to pick out details.
- Avoid the use of personal pronouns.
- Margins should be consistent all the way around. One inch to approximately .5 inch margins are recommended.
- Use size 10-12 font with larger headings. Be conservative in font style. We suggest Arial, Times New Roman or Tahoma.
- Use graphics, bold, italics and underlined text judiciously. Don't let styling distract from content.
- Proofread multiple times. Career Services can help. Please email careerservices@americanvisionuniversity.org for assistance.
- Use resume paper when printing. If sending electronically, save as a PDF to retain formatting.
Information to Include
Do NOT Include
Cover Letters
Cover Letters vs. Letter of Qualifications
- Cover letters are typically one page and briefly elaborate qualifications for the job. It's an opportunity to add context and detail to resume information.
- A letter of qualification is similar to a cover letter, but addresses each item of qualification in the job description. It is often longer than one page.
Writing & Formatting
CVs
What is a CV?
- CVs are similar to a resume, but more detailed and not limited in length.
- CVs are commonly used in higher education and focus on academic pursuits. They are also used in applying for research positions in industry and as documentation in grant proposals.
- Internationally, the terms “resume” and “curriculum vitae” may be used interchangeably. Check with the organization to determine what is needed.
- Resumes/CVs for positions with organizations outside the U.S often have different requirements. Email us at careerservices@avu.education for more information.
Writing & Formatting
Items to Include