collect your history

Topics on this Page

• What to collect
• Education information
• Experience Information
• Why this is important
• Frequently Asked Questions

What to collect

Before writing your resume, gather your educational and professional history. Make lists of all jobs held (paid and volunteer), schools attended, clubs joined, honors received, skills acquired, duties performed and any appropriate additional information.

These lists will form the basis of the content of your resume, and will help you identify your accomplishments.

Collect your education information

Your degree is important and something you should be proud of, whether you have completed it yet, or are working on it. But the skills you gained while completing your degree are what really shows the employer what makes you stand out.

 

Collect your experience information

Your experience is more than your paid employment. While that should be included, you gain experience from volunteer opportunities, Service Learning, internships, and more.

Why this is important

Pulling together as much information as you can before you even begin writing a resume will help you get past the idea that you have nothing to include on a resume. This gathering of information can be helpful to spark ideas. It's a great idea to ask family and friends as well, because they may remember things you forgot to include. A visit to Career Services can also help you identify things you may not think are important.

FAQs

Should I include all of my previous work history?
Just becasue you are gathering this information, doesn't mean you have to include it in a resume. So don't edit yourself. Include everything you can think of. You will make decisions about what to include late when you begin writing your resume.

What if I don't have any experiences?
While it is true that some students have more experiences than others, it can be easy to overlook, or discount, your own experiences.  You may have done things that you don’t consider to be worthwhile or relevant but they may be things that, with a little help from Career Services, can be the beginning of a good resume. 

College is a great place to start getting involved and gaining skills and experiences. Join a student organization, volunteer in the community, choose your 30 hours of service learning with intent, investigate the part-time jobs on the financial aid job board.  Are you good in a specific subject area?  Offer your assistance to classmates by tutoring those who need extra help; this might lead to a paid tutoring position on campus and give you the experience you need to apply to be a teacher’s assistant or academic apprentice. 

I'm a transfer student. Should I include the other instiutions I've attended?
It's not usually necessary to include information about instituations beyond your degree- granting institution. It takes up valuable space on your resume and doesn't usually add any valuable information. The only exception maybe if it is somehow relevant, i.e., you are applying for a job at that institution.