Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Resume checklist

Use this quick guide before uploading your resume to the student job board. These are common best practices that we look for before approving uploaded resumes. Please note that these are general guidelines and resume practices do change depending on the industry and employer.

Guidelines for resume approval

These guidelines will improve your chances of getting interviews and job offers.

Do this:

• Include your name, phone number, and email address that uses your name for contact information
• List your Portland Community College education
• Begin with your most recent experience (paid or unpaid) first – reverse chronological
• Use bullet points over paragraphs when describing your experiences
• Review to make sure there are no typos or misspelled words
• Keep it to only one or two pages
• Keep the font easy to read (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, or Verdana)
• Use font size 10/12pt for the body and 14/16pt for the name and headers
• Stay away from templates, borders, lines and fancy formats including color

Do not include:

• G# / Social Security number / other identity information (except basic contact info)
• References / supervisor names and contact information
• The use of personal pronouns “I” and “my”
• Personal details that risk discrimination, for example:
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Height / Weight
  • Religion
  • Health status
  • Photo
• Unclear information (no clear section divisions, “mixed” content, inconsistent use of periods)
• References or the words “References available upon request” (unless requested by employer)

Need help writing resumes?

You can always get one-on-one help and job coaching by filling out the appointment request form.