Résumé Guidelines and
Templates
Standard Résumé Template
This template is recommended for the MBA/MS populations with less than 10 years of work
experience. This should be one page. Full-time students can place education first, students who are
working can place education after experience.
Experienced Résumé Template
This template is recommended for the MBA/MS populations with more than 10 years of work
experience. This can be one to two pages.
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Résumé Advice from the CMC Team
These recommended templates serve as guidelines to best highlight your accomplishments no matter where you are
in your career. At this point in your academic and professional experiences, employers are seeking to understand
your impact versus day-to-day responsibilities.
Some quick tips to consider:
• Be honest; make your résumé your own
• Résumé mechanics: 10-12 size font; 1-2 pages (experience and industry based- less than 10 years of
experience should be 1 page), 0.5-1.0 inch margins, font styles – Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond,
Calibri
• Target your résumé to the function/industry that is your focus (this includes goals of future promotions
within current organization)
• Take the time to update your résumé on a regular basis – by doing this you will remember your
accomplishments throughout the year
• Use strong action verbs to begin the accomplishment statement (aka bullet points)
• Utilize the STAR method to demonstrate accomplishments – this is a structured and useful format to
develop concrete, factual and impressive accomplishment statements
STAR = Situation, Task, Action, Result
S- Define the problem or situation
T - Define your objective or task
A - Describe the steps you took to achieve your objective
R - Measure your effectiveness and results
• If you don’t have work experience yet, include internships and academic projects
• Utilize the ASK Mentor Program and Vault for industry-specific résumé tips
How to Create Accomplishment Statements
The STAR Model is simply a structured format for identifying and organizing details related to your professional
accomplishments. It is a useful tool for developing concrete, factual, and impressive accomplishment statements. Here are
five steps to help you create powerful accomplishment statements:
I. Description of “STAR” and how to use it
II. Accomplishment statements: Guidelines and Samples
III. Measuring your effectiveness and results
IV. Examples of strong accomplishment statements with results
V. Accomplishments and résumés: List of action words
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I. “STAR” stands for Situation, Task, Actions/Achievements and Results:
S= DEFINE THE PROBLEM or SITUATION
• What was the situation?
• What problems or challenges did I face?
• Where did this situation/problem/issue occur?
T= DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVE OR TASK
• What needed to be done?
• How did I need to become involved?
• Was I asked to be involved?
• Did I manage the situation?
A= DESCRIBE THE STEPS YOU TOOK TO ACHIEVE YOUR OBJECTIVE
• What did I do specifically?
• When part of a team, what was my role?
• What area did I put my energy into?
R= MEASURE YOUR EFFECTIVENESS & RESULTS
• What were the outcomes?
• What were the unintended outcomes?
• What did I learn?
• What would I do differently next time?
To address each step, answer the four questions below. This will help you draft a rough accomplishment
statement:
1. Describe the work-related problem, situation or issue you encountered, what needed to be done, and how
you were involved?
2. Clearly define your task with regard to how you needed to be involved to address this problem or situation.
3. List all the specific actions that you took (or actions that you initiated or directed) to deal with the problem or
situation. Use action verbs (see a list at the end of this article).
4. Specifically describe the positive results of your efforts. Quantify and be as concrete as possible.
II. Accomplishment Statements: Guidelines and
Samples
You have accomplished something on the job when you:
Save time
Improve efficiency
Generate more profits
Improve accuracy
Improve performance
Earn an award
Deal with a crisis
Turn around a bad business situation
Reduce costs
Expand product or service to customers
Create a new service or function
Solve problems
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III. Measuring Your Effectiveness & Results (Step #4)
You will need to show evidence of your value. In today’s market, potential employers want
demonstrated evidence that the candidates they consider can solve problems and produce effective
outcomes in their work. In your work search, be prepared to offer evidence of your value.
Specifically:
• Focus on achievements, results, or accomplishments that directly relate to your targets.
• Quantify and specify (How did you do it and what was your part?).
• Answer the question “So what?”
Some examples of sources of evidence:
• Problems you identified and solved, and the results
• Procedures or systems you improved or enhanced
• Organizational resources or funds you saved
• Productivity enhancements you made
• Decisions you made or insights you had that improved performance
• Publications you wrote or contributed to
• Systems you automated or improved
• Reports or research you prepared that improved management decision making
• Training you gave to others and the results
• Suggestions you made for programs or projects that were adopted
• Input you gave for goals, objectives, or work programs that were implemented
• Assignments successfully carried out as “additional duties” or “acting” roles you performed
How to create an action-results statement:
• Begin with an action word or verb
• Describe what you did for whom
• State outcomes or results
Some examples:
• Trained 50 staff on new work station procedures, resulting in increased productivity and
improved morale.
• Managed $1.7 million budget for project to study the impact of cholera in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Launched a successful weekly French language publication, increasing readership by 30% and
advertising revenues by 20% in the first three years.
Examples of Strong Accomplishment Statements with Results
Read each of these accomplishment statements in order to get an idea of the kinds of statements
you will want to develop for your own résumé. Note that a good accomplishment statement is
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concise and uses effective action verbs. To the extent possible, it is quantified with numbers,
percentages, and time periods.
• In a six-month period, drastically reduced inventory by 25%.
• Significantly improved customer service by expanding private fleet capacity by 20%. This was
achieved while reducing prior year costs by 8%, ($40,000).
• Earned Distinguished Achievement Award by launching a productivity improvement strategy while
generated $900,000 savings in 1 year.
• In a one-year period, administered more than 25 conferences and special programs with total
attendance exceeding 2,500. Consistently met all deadlines and budget targets.
• Developed a computerized database on in-house training that significantly reduced (from three days
to four hours) response time required to address divisional informational requests.
• Reduced billing processing time in 18 months, decreasing it from six to two days.
• Implemented new management database that resulted in more efficient customer service for over an
over $4 million book of business, increasing customer retention by 12% in the first year.
• Established/managed company’s first national quality control training program that resulted in an 8%
reduction in manufacturing costs.
• Implemented just-in-time ordering procedures that reduced production supply inventory by
$200,000.
• Hired and trained three systems analysts who, in less than four months, successfully reduced a major
program development backing.
• Negotiated national account agreement with major office supply distributor that resulted in a cost
savings of $136,000.
IV. Accomplishments & Résumés: Action Words
Résumés, cover letters and interviews are enhanced when job seekers use strong action words. They
convey clear images, and when used to describe accomplishments or achievements, action words
suggest success- a key element in the job search.
Management/Leadership Skills
chaired
consolidated
converted
coordinated
enhanced
established
managed
motivated
organized
planned
presided
scheduled
selected
supervised
Communication/People Skills
contracted
delegated
executed
originated
prioritized
streamlined
controlled
directed
generated
overhauled
produced
strengthened
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addressed
interviewed
authored
marketed
corresponded
recruited
directed
resolved
elicited
advertised
clarified
joined
mediated
referred
solicited
arbitrated
collaborated
defined
drafted
expressed
Research Skills
moderated
reinforced
suggested
articulated
communicated
described
edited
negotiated
reported
summarized
analyzed
examined
formulated
measured
presented
solved
Technical Skills
collected
experimented
identified
researched
studied
compared
explored
inspected
reviewed
summarized
conducted
extracted
interpreted
searched
surveyed
adapted
converted
operated
Financial/Data Skills
applied
overhauled
standardized
assembled
designed
constructed
developed
programmed
upgraded
audited
computed
marketed
streamlined
forecasted
Helping Skills cooperated
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designed
entertained
directed
established
displayed
assisted
contributed
facilitated
motivated
clarified
counseled
guided
prevented
coached
demonstrated
helped
provided
managed
Creative Skills
directed
displayed
established
designed
prepared
developed
projected
created
customized
Organizational/Detail Skills
implemented
screened
responded
standardized
collected
maintained
reviewed
prepared
systematized
updated
compiled
distributed
validated
monitored
routed
scheduled
submitted
supplied
Your Name Here
Street Address, Apartment Number City, IL Zip Code
Phone Number E-mail Address (make sure this is professionally titled, i.e. firstnamelastname@gmail.com)
CAREER SUMMARY
The Career Summary is a brief synopsis of your background and experience to date; this is essentially an opportunity to highlight your
strengths/characteristics that make you uniquely qualified. Remember to be specific and tailor this section to the position, company and/or industry
to which you are applying. Key parts to address include your background, area of expertise, and
your intention (i.e. objective statement) for the
future.
This should be included only if you have professional work experience.
EDUCATION
DePaul University, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, Chicago, IL Month/ Year (of expected graduation)
Master of Business Administration, Concentration
• Honors, Graduate Assistantships
• Relevant Coursework/Projects (describe scope of project, including goal/objective, tools/strategies employed, outcome)
Undergraduate University, City, Abbreviate State (include Country as appropriate) Year
Degree, Major
• Honors, Student Organizations, etc.
CERTIFICATIONS
List any licenses or certifications you have obtained, including the year they were earned
EXPERIENCE
Company Name, City, State (okay to abbreviate; include Country as appropriate) Month Year – Month Year
Position Title
Achievements…..3 - 6 points… In addition to describing what you do, make sure to include the results/outcomes of your work, (and the
specific role you played in achieving this result; in other words, how did you add value to your role and/or company, what are some improvements
that resulted from your work)
Company Name, City, State Month Year – Month Year
Position Title
Achievements…..3 - 4 points
Company Name, City, State Month Year – Month Year
Position Title
Achievements…..2 - 4 points
Company Name, City, State Month Year – Month Year
Position Title
Achievements…..2 - 4 points
*Internships/work experience you completed as an undergraduate can be included if it is relevant to what you are seeking.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(Title this section as it pertains to the information you include, i.e. Community Involvement, Professional Affiliations, etc.)
Examples here include Professional Affiliations, (i.e. MBA Association, Graduate Women in Business, Social Enterprise
Collaboration, etc), Technical or Special Skills, Community Involvement/Volunteering, Language Proficiencies
Standard Template
Your Name
1234 Clark Street yourname@gmail.com
Chicago, IL 60657 312.123.4567
CAREER SUMMARY
Provide a 2 – 4 sentence history that talks about your main accomplishments, skills, experience and primary knowledge base.
This paragraph can also include brief information on your soft skills, but it needs to be written effectively and provide an
overview about the whole of your experience, not just your most recent job.
Core Competencies (this can include technical and interpersonal skills):
•
Project
Management
•
Financial Analysis
•
New Product & Market Development
•
Asset Manager
•
Market Research
•
Revenue & Profit Management
•
Marketing Communications
•
Relationship Manager
EXPERIENCE
Company Name Employment Dates
Job Title
Can include a description of the company here or you can actually provide an overview of your role in this 2 – 3 sentence
structure.
Selected Accomplishments:
• Include accomplishments that you achieved
• Try to use quantitative figures that are focused on your actions and results
• Usually recommend including the most significant accomplishments first
Company Name Employment Dates
Job Title
Can include a description of the company here or you can actually provide an overview of your role in this 2 – 3 sentence
structure.
Selected Accomplishments:
• Include accomplishments that you achieved
• Try to use quantitative figures that are focused on your actions and results
• Usually recommend including the most significant accomplishments first
Company Name Employment Dates
Job Title
Can include a description of the company here or you can actually provide an overview of your role in this 2 – 3 sentence
structure.
Selected Accomplishments:
• Include accomplishments that you achieved
• Try to use quantitative figures that are focused on your actions and results
• Usually recommend including the most significant accomplishments first
Company Name Employment Dates
Job Title
Can include a description of the company here or you can actually provide an overview of your role in this 2 – 3 sentence
structure.
Experienced Template
Selected Accomplishments:
• Include accomplishments that you achieved
• Try to use quantitative figures that are focused on your actions and results
• Usually recommend including the most significant accomplishments first
EDUCATION
DePaul University, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, Chicago, IL Month/ Year (of expected graduation)
Master of Business Administration, Concentration
• Honors, Graduate Assistantships
• Relevant Coursework/Projects (describe scope of project, including goal/objective, tools/strategies employed, outcome)
Undergraduate University, City, Abbreviate State (include Country as appropriate) Year
Degree, Major
• Honors, Student Organizations, etc.
CERTIFICATIONS
• List any licenses or certifications you have obtained, including the year they were earned
Professional Development:
• This section can basically be titled whatever you would like with relevant information on conferences you have
attended, training, etc.
Additional Information:
• Sections like this would be optional and could include things like additional certifications, personal achievements,
volunteerism, etc.
*Please note- you should commit to full pages and never leave a half-page. If you do not have enough information for two pages,
consolidate it one. Résumés should not exceed two pages unless you are including publications or conference presentations
