Step 3 Create and Maintain a Resume
A resume tells your professional story. It showcases your skills, experience and academic achievements to potential employers.
Starting early gives you practice and can identify areas for your professional development.
Resume Templates
Keeping your resume updated and polished will allow you to respond to opportunities the moment they arise. These CCR-approved templates provide a strong foundation for highlighting your skills and experience in ways that resonate with employers.
Resume Templates for Early Explorers
Resume Templates by Career Cluster
A Strong Resume
Start early to build confidence and learn what makes a resume effective. You’ll be better prepared when you’re ready to apply for internships, research positions and future full-time roles.
Employers looking for both experiences and skills on your resume.
Learn how to describe your experiences clearly and show how your skills benefit an organization – this increases your chances of landing an interview. Employers are looking for candidates who can demonstrate ability and experience in these eight categories:
Communication
- Writing clear and concise emails and reports
- Delivering engaging presentations
- Actively participating in team meetings or class discussions
- Effectively communicating actions and rationale, recognizing diverse perspectives and lived experiences
Critical Thinking
- Analyzing data to identify patterns and draw conclusions
- Developing solutions to complex problems
- Evaluating the effectiveness of different approaches
- Questioning assumptions and seeking evidence to support claims
Collaboration
- Collaborating with peers on group projects
- Participating in team-based activities
- Effectively resolving conflicts within a team
Career & Self-Development
- Attending workshops on new industry trends
- Actively seeking feedback on your performance
- Exploring various career paths through career conversations or job shadows
- Participating in research or experiential learning opportunities
Leadership
- Leading a team project
- Mentoring peers
- Taking initiative in a role or organizing an event
Professionalism
- Meeting deadlines
- Arriving on time and in appropriate attire
- Demonstrating a strong work ethic
- Consistently delivering high-quality work
- Acting with integrity, upholding ethical standards
- Taking responsibility for one’s actions
Technology
- Using various software applications
- Analyzing data with tools like spreadsheets
- Adapting to new technological advancements in a field
Equity & Inclusion
- Volunteering with organizations that support diverse communities
- Actively listening to understand different perspectives
- Advocating for belongingness in academic or work settings
Organization matters.
Follow these guidelines to create a resume that appeals to employers and works well with ATS systems.
- One page
- One typeface
- Margins: between .7″ and 1″
- Fonts: 10.5 – 12 pt, sans-serif styles like Calibri and Arial
- Use headings like Education, Experience, Community Leadership, and Skills
- Organize headings in order of importance and relevancy for the role
- Use white space to provide visual breaks between sections
- Be consistent with spacing, alignment, and punctuation
- Don’t use more than two types of emphasis – bold or italics
- Keep bullet points to one line or a nearly complete second line
- Save and share your resume as a PDF
We recommend utilizing APR formatting when writing your resume.
The most effective resumes use accomplishment-driven bullet points. The APR method helps you create these statements for any level of experience. The more you practice writing in APR format, the easier it will be to describe your experiences when it comes time to apply for an internship.
What is APR Formatting?
APR stand for Action + Project + Result. Describe an action you took (A) for a specific project (P) that generated impactful results (R).
Use these action words when writing your resume bullet points:
Career & Self-Development
Articulated, Attained, Adapted, Championed, Cultivated, Developed, Discovered, Engaged, Enhanced, Explored,
Facilitated, Impacted, Inspired, Mastered, Navigated, Practiced, Reflected, Spearheaded, Strategized, Transformed
Communication
Accommodated, Authored, Briefed, Collaborated, Consulted, Convinced, Drafted, Edited, Formulated, Guided, Influenced, Informed, Interpreted, Mentored, Moderated, Negotiated, Personalized, Persuaded, Publicized, Promoted, Requested, Translated, Wrote
Critical Thinking
Adapted, Allocated, Balanced, Created, Detected, Devised, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Examined, Forecasted, Formulated, Identified, Illustrated, Interpreted, Managed, Projected, Synthesized, Tested, Researched
Leadership
Advanced, Chaired, Championed, Decided, Coached, Delegated, Directed, Evaluated, Established, Initiated, Introduced, Led, Managed, Spearheaded, Strategized, Supervised, Oversaw, Recommended
Equity & Inclusion
Advocated, Arranged, Celebrated, Challenged, Cultivated, Developed, Empowered, Fostered, Improved, Launched, Leveraged, Organized, Persisted, Pioneered, Planned, Recognized, Reduced, Revised
Professionalism
Anticipated, Conducted, Contributed, Delivered, Developed, Guided, Implemented, Maintained, Managed, Motivated
Collaboration & Teamwork
Aided, Allocated, Approved, Awarded, Clarified, Coached, Contributed, Developed, Directed, Educated, Encouraged, Guided, Listened, Motivated Represented, Resolved, Supported, Trained, Volunteered
Technology
Accelerated, Advanced, Automated, Coded, Cultivated, Detected, Diagnosed, Eliminated, Expediated, Generated, Implemented, Improved, Innovated, Integrated, Launched, Linked, Maximized/Minimized, Modified, Optimized, Rewrote, Streamlined
Other Skills
Research Skills
Analyzed, Calculated, Collected, Conducted, Discovered, Documented, Ensured, Estimated, Experimented, Formulated, Investigated, Measured, Monitored, Organized, Performed, Studied, Surveyed, Tested
Design & Creative Skills
Brainstormed, Built,
Composed, Created, Curated,
Customized, Developed, Engineered, Initiated, Introduced, Modeled,
Modified, Produced, Revamped, Transformed
Don’t use the same resume for every application.
When you’re ready to apply for internships, tailor your resume to each role. Your resume should:
- Highlight relevant skills and experiences first
- Demonstrate your fit for the position
- Include keywords that reflect the job description
- Provide APR-style bullets to make you stand out as a candidate
Avoid these common resume pitfalls:
- Errors with spelling and grammar
- Missing contact information
- Inconsistent formatting that’s hard to skim
- Missing dynamic “action” words
- Not demonstrating results
Get helpful feedback on your resume in just a few minutes.
Log in with your NetID to get started. Upload your file, select a job title that closely matches the role you’re applying for and scan. Big Resume checks for:
- Readability – spelling, grammar, and overall clarity
- Credibility – the strength of your language and content
- ATS Fit – see how your resume will perform against AI scanning systems
- Format – formatting suggestions to follow ATS standards and employer preferences
Use Big Resume for Quick Feedback
Think of Big Resume as a digital coach for building a stronger, clearer story about you and your experiences. It works best after you’ve developed or updated your resume using our templates and resume checklist.
“Top college candidates can clearly and effectively articulate their skills and abilities on their resume.” – Disney College Program
Your story is your power.
Free Resume Resources for Wildcats
Big Resume
Get personalized, automated feedback on your resume in minutes. Log in with your NetID to upload and scan your resume.
1:1 Career Coaching
Get personalized feedback and suggestions for your resume, cover letter or online profiles from a CCR Career Educator.
Access to Microsoft 365
Students at the University of Arizona have free access to Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more. Access both the online versions and desktop applications here.
This article shares instructions for logging in to the university instance of Microsoft 365.
Your resume should grow with you.
Need help getting started or connecting your college experiences to your resume? Schedule an appointment with a Career Educator.
Center for Career Readiness formerly Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD).
