A RESUME TO GET YOU NOTICED

This section will help you to write the most powerful resume your experience will allow. It will cover the basics and some important tricks of the trade that can mean the difference between an effective resume and ending up in the trash can.

Pharmaceutical recruiters and companies want to see a standard resume format. They have to look at hundreds of resumes and they have a very low tolerance for anything out of the ordinary, especially if it makes the resume difficult to read. Understand that you want to show how individualistic you are, but we recommend that you pick a different time to do it. Your effort to stand out might get you thrown out.

THE BASICS

• Type and font: Resumes need to be 12 point and neutral font. Stay with Times New Roman or Courier.
• Paper: Use a high-quality, white or light cream paper. A 40- to 70-pound paper is perfect. Do not get fancy with marbled or shaded paper.
• Style: Never use italics, as they are hard to read. Use capitalization and bold to highlight items.
• Length: One page and one page only. There is nothing so important in your career that would require two pages.
• No personal pronouns or abbreviations: For you math majors, pronouns are words like “I”, ”he”, ”she”, ”you.”
• Never fold a resume: If you mail a resume, use an 8½ by 11-inch envelope.

THE SEVEN RESUME RULES

1. Perfection: Nothing less than perfection is acceptable on a resume. This document is your absolutely best foot forward. Your big chance to prove you can be a professional. Any error in the document is a massive strike against you. Check for spelling errors at least a thousand times and have it proofread. Be consistent with your verb tenses and avoid grammatical errors.

2. Visually appealing: Your document needs to reflect the effort that you put into it. It should be easy to read and well designed. A simple test: Turn your resume upside-down and see what you think.

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