A resume is not only important for providing reference material to a recommender, it is also of service to yourself – something to be looked over when thinking about topics and experiences in the pre-writing phase of a key essay like a personal statement.
There are two main types of resumes:
- A professional resume: This is usually a one-pager, the purpose of which is to land a particular job or internship. For information about writing a professional resume, see Career Services.
- A long resume: Most undergraduates are not as familiar with a long resume, which is usually two or more pages and can be considered to be somewhat like a faculty member’s curriculum vitae. This means it provides a complete listing of relevant academic achievements, qualifications, service, career experiences, and professional affiliations. In addition to breadth, it provides more depth than a typical professional resume. For key experiences or roles, it is common to have four or five sentences describing your activities, accomplishments, and learning experiences.
For your purposes, the long resume is a dynamic record that you add to as you gain experience and accumulate accomplishments. For the reader, it provides a thorough overview of your important career and academic accomplishments, and presents the experiences that make you well rounded.
In addition, the long resume can be used for many graduate and professional school applications (although some schools impose a two-page limit). It can also be used for some internship and grant applications of an academic nature. Please consult with the fellowships director to go over how to build your long resume, one that will guide you through a sometimes long preparation and application season.