s you’re getting ready to leave college and enter the “real world,” read below for some tips on how to craft a professional resume, one fit for the corporate world you soon may find yourself in.

These tips come from Resume 101: A Student and Recent-Grad Guide to Crafting Resumes and Cover
Letters that Land Jobs, by Quentin J Schulze, PhD.

You always should be on the lookout for typos, but you’d be surprised to learn that many people misspell their own name! Don’t just use spellchecker. Put your resume down for at least a day and then look at it again – if you’re name is misspelled you’re likely to see it then.

Watch out for the cute nicknames. If your name is John, Jack is fine. “But don’t use ‘Natster’ for Nate or Nathaniel,” Schulze writes. “Even if you want all of your friends and coworkers to call you ‘Butch’ or ‘Sammy’ (for Samantha), use your formal, given name on your résumé.”

You may want to consider seriously using a middle initial. This can be especially helpful if your first and last names are somewhat common. In fact, Schulze recommends that you use your full middle name if, for example, your name is John Smith. “John James Smith” helps you stand out.

As for contact info, if you use a cell phone, that’s fine. Just be sure, according to Schulze, that you’re going to have that number for several years. Employers often keep resumes on file for a long time and you’ll want to be sure your contact info stays current.

The same goes for your e-mail address. Choose an address you consider your “permanent” address.
And ditch the cutsey addresses, the tonyjean1, the suzieq526. Aim to have your full name as an e-mail address. John.Q.Smith@, or Smith-John@. (Note: it’s far better to have your first-name, last-name as an e-mail address.)

Schulze also recommends you stay away from e-mail addresses with numbers: “(for example, ‘17648he’ and ‘sJgB2O’).”

Make sure any phone numbers include area codes.

And, speaking of the phone, get rid of any too-cute, profane or otherwise unprofessional voice-mail messages: “Yo, dude! I’m not here so you know what to do!”

If currently employed, even if it’s a college, part-time position, don’t use your employer’s e-mail address to receive job queries. Your employer may give you permission to do so, but using the company’s e-mail address (yourname@companyname.com) makes it appear as if you are looking for work while using your employer’s equipment or on your employer’s time. That’s very bad form.

If you’re a new grad looking for your first “real” job in Manhattan, consider bringing your resume to Winston Resources. We can help you get your “foot in the door” with some of NYC’s best companies. We look forward to hearing from you!