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8.1 Building Your Résumé
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Before applying for a job, you will need to create a résumé. What is a résumé? In its simplest
terms, it is a summary of your professional background, talents, skills, job experience, edu-
cation, and accomplishments. In academic fields or for some jobs in countries outside the
United States, a curriculum vitae (CV) is required instead. A CV may be thought of as an
expanded résumé that provides more detail about your educational achievements, academic
qualifications, and professional accomplishments. When you apply for a job, most employers
require that you complete a job application, either online or on a printed form. Many others
also ask that you submit a résumé or a CV so they can learn more about your interests, skills,
past work experiences, and career objectives. The résumé or CV should generally be accom-
panied by a cover letter, which is a summary of your career objectives that explains what you
can bring to the organization or company and why the potential employer should invite you
for an interview. We will discuss how to write an effective cover letter later in this module.

You can prepare your own résumé using the guidelines and examples in this module. How-
ever, if you would like more advice on how to structure your résumé, be sure to visit Ashford
University Career Services, which we explore further in Section 8.3.

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