It’s crunch time when it comes to job applications, and that means little things get overlooked. Time to double-check your resumes and cover letters for these problems, because I definitely made several in the past week. Learn from my mistakes.

1. Add relevant coursework! (Using titles people will understand, so no “Core III”, just call it “Sexuality of Citizenship in the U.S.”)
2. Say more than what you did. (We all know servers serve food. Talk about communication with customers, organization, multitasking, etc.)
3. Make sure your experience is in reverse chronological order. (Most recent up top!)
4. Check your verb tenses! (If the job is current, use the present tense. If it’s an old job, past tense. Previous training or project for a current position? Still past tense.)
5. Check ALL your numbers! (All of them. Several of my resumes say my current zip code is 91771, I only noticed last Sunday.)
6. Seniors: ADD YOUR THESIS (in the Education section). It’s really very cool that you wrote one. Take some credit.
7. Juniors: Yes, you can use your volunteer experience or club leadership experience on your resume. You’re not just making it longer either; these experiences helped make you the awesome candidate you are, so add them!
8. Sophomores: Time for your high school to go! Use that room for some of your accomplishments!
9. First Years: YOU HAVE A RESUME?! HERE’S A HUG.
10. Not sure where to start? Check out the resume book and get inspired by current seniors and recent alums!
11. Make it one page! (No science majors, not you.)
    1. Need more space? Make your margins between .5-.75”, make all paragraph breaks font size 5, don’t have one word taking up all of an entire                line.                                                                                                                 (^Like that. Don’t do that.^)(You’re missing ^ALL THIS SPACE^.)
    2. Need to fill space? Make you name BIGGER (you are the star of your resume!), add a skills section (computer, language, etc.), add awards (like Dean’s list or scholarships), and add relevant coursework!
12. Consider creating your own template rather than using Microsoft Word’s. It doesn’t use space efficiently.
13. Speaking of templates not to use, probably don’t use these.
14. Don’t use the same verbs under every position. (Check your Career Services Guide for “Action Words”!)
15. Lastly, feel free to tell your parents to blame me for this one: No. You don’t need an objective statement. I promise.