The resume is an important part of your application. It is kind of like aCliff’s Note’s guide to your application—it lists all of your accomplishmentsand activities on a single page. The way in which you design, word, andorganize your resume can dramatically impact its effectiveness. Since most ofyou have never made a resume before, I’ve decided to put together a list ofmajor dos and don’ts to help you with the resume-making process.
DON’T be gimmicky. This means no video resumes, no perfumed resumes, noglittery resumes, you get the idea. Yes, in Legally Blonde, Elle Woods’poolside video resume got her into Harvard Law. Unfortunately, in the realworld, a video resume will, best case scenario, give the poor overworkedadmissions officers a chuckle and lower your chances of getting accepted, andworst case scenario, get leaked on YouTube and make you infamous. Stick to thebasics—they are the standard for a reason.
DO use action words when you describe what you did in each job or activity.These words make you seem proactive and like you have leadership qualities.They also make it seem like you actually were doing something in youractivities and that you’re not just a token member. Some examples of actionwords you can use are: managed, edited, spearheaded, organized, andcoached.
DON’T make the resume too long. The resume should ideally fit onto one page,or two if you absolutely need more room. Please, do yourself and the admissionsofficers a favor, and leave out your starring role as Queen Esther in the JCCPurim play when you were in third grade. Leave out your dodgeball trophies fromsixth grade. A good rule of thumb is to only include things from ninth gradeand beyond. Of course, there are occasional exceptions. If you founded a globalcharity in eighth grade that you spent your high school years leading, you caninclude that. In general, though, do not include pre-ninth gradeaccomplishments.
DO give specific examples. This will give admissions officers a clearer ideaof what you did in the position, and it will show that you are a can-do personwith concrete accomplishments. For example, if you served as the communityservice chair of your youth group, put in a bullet point about how youorganized the dance-a-thon for cancer research and raised 2,000 dollars. Themore specifics and concrete details, the better!
DON’T use full sentences or paragraphs in the resume to describe what eachposition meant to you. That’s not what the resume is for; it’s what the essaysare for. The resume should tell what you have accomplished during your highschool years. It should list awards, honors, activities, jobs, education andtravel programs, and what each of these entailed. Any reflections or analysisshould be saved for your essays.