To Do Now

To Do Later

Put your resume in Kellogg

format
Note that you will
eventually need to cut
down to one page, but we
will help you do that in the
fall
Add results bullets for all jobs
Add action verbs for all
bullets

September Attend resume

writing workshop
October Tailor your resume
for your Plan A
industry/function
October Have your resume
reviewed by the CMC
October Attend resumania
events with company reps for
feedback

Why a standard format?

The Kellogg format allows on-campus recruiters
to focus on your resumes content rather than
stylistic differences
We get consistently positive feedback from
employers on our format

Employer testimonial:
The Kellogg format is ideal. It is a concise onepage snapshot of a Kellogg students previous
achievements, which allows us to review resumes
thoughtfully and efficiently.
-McKinsey & Company

Length
Resumes may be no longer than ONE PAGE (8 x 11)
Tables
DO NOT use tables on your resume
Tables cause difficulty both with the Kellogg resume database and company
application websites.
Margins
Margins can not be smaller than .4 inches on all sides
Tabs and Alignment
Locations should be right-aligned
Bullets should be left-aligned and should not spread to the right margin
Font
Size: 10 or 11 point Times New Roman. Do not make your name larger than the
rest of your resume
Caps and Bold: The following should be in BOLD CAPS. Do not use bold in other
places on your resume
Your name;
Section Headings
School Names
Company Names
Italics: Job titles should be in italics. Publications may be italicized if
appropriate
Lines/Underline: There should be no lines or underlining on your resume,
except if you are listing selected transaction experience in your experience
section

Education Section
Put Kellogg School of
Management on one line,
and Northwestern
University on the next
MMM Students: you MUST
also list the McCormick
School and both degrees
Do not abbreviate Master
of Business Administration,
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor
of Science, etc.
Include the month and year
you received or expect to
receive your degree

Other Data Section

Capitalize the first letter of
languages spoken, if
included
You may want to include
any certifications you have
obtained
Be specific in this section
do not just say enjoy
traveling and cooking
instead say something like,
enjoy adventure travel or
recently traveled to
Ecuador and Indonesia
and enjoy cooking
Northern Italian cuisine

Header
Your header should contain three lines
Your name
All CAPS & Bold
Your address
Street, City, State & Zip
Your phone number and email address
Use your Kellogg email address
Include only one phone number

Footer
Include the date of your most recent update in
the lower right corner
Recruiters may receive multiple versions of your
resume help them determine which one is most
current.
The date should be Month/Day/Year

Experience Section
Dates should be flush with the left margin
Company names should be in CAPS and bold
Job titles should be in italics
Specific dates for different positions within the same company should be listed after the
job title the dates in the left margin for that company should reflect your entire term
of employment at that company
Dont include internships completed in undergrad as part of this section. They should be
included under Education as one bullet

Objective Statements
DO NOT include an objective on your resume

Use chronological format

List education and business experience in REVERSE chronological order
(most recent first)
The Education section should be at the top of your resume

Dates
Write out all years fully
2005-2009 NOT 05-09
Do not include months
Internship dates should be identified by season, e.g. Summer 2009

Locations
Abbreviate all states for locations of employer and school, e.g. IL not
Illinois
Spell out names of foreign countries
Spell out addresses

Numbers
Write out number one through nine.
Use numerals starting with 10

Personal Information
Do not include personal information on your resume (e.g. marital
status, children, etc)

Your bullets should not read like a job description. They should feature
skills, actions and results. Consider following this formula:

Quantify: Designed and implemented new volunteer

model in Tanzania, expanding volunteer base by 30%

Increased (sales, profits, margins, value)
Decreased (costs, inefficiencies, errors)

Scope: Managed $82M divestiture of division with

over $30M in revenue and 100 employees.

Define size (team, budget, business)
Number impacted (people, businesses)

Qualify: Presented final recommendation to CFO,

recommendation ultimately implemented by client.

Presented to (senior management, client)
Delivered (on time, early, under budget)
Implemented recommendation
A company first
Adopted across business units

accelerated
accomplished
achieved
acquired
adapted
addressed
administered
advanced
allocated
analyzed
anticipated
applied
appointed
approved
arranged
assisted
assigned
attained
audited
augmented
brought
broadened
built
calculated
centralized
clarified
collaborated
combined
completed
conceived
concluded
condensed
conducted
consolidated
constructed
consulted
contracted
contributed
controlled
converted
coordinated
corrected
created
cut
decentralized
decreased
defined
delivered
demonstrated
designated
designed
determined

developed
devised
discovered
discharged
distributed
documented
doubled
earned
edited
eliminated
employed
enforced
established
estimated
evaluated
examined
exceeded
exercised
expanded
extended
financed
forecasted
formed
formulated
founded
fulfilled
generated
guided
halved
handled
helped
headed
hired
identified
implemented
improved
increased
influenced
initiated
inspected
installed
instituted
instructed
integrated
interviewed
introduced
invented
investigated
launched
liquidated
located

made
maintained
managed
marketed
mediated
minimized
mobilized
modernized
modified
monitored
motivated
negotiated
obtained
operated
ordered
organized
originated
overcame
overhauled
oversaw
participated
performed
pinpointed
planned
prepared
presented
prevented
processed
produced
programmed
projected
promoted
proposed
proved
published
realized
recommended
reconciled
recruited
reduced
re-established
regulated
reinforced
reorganized
reported
represented
researched
reshaped
resolved
restored
reviewed
revised

revived
saved
scheduled
secured
selected
served
set up
settled
shaped
showed
simplified
sold
solved
sponsored
staffed
standardized
started
stimulated
streamlined
strengthened
stretched
structured
studied
suggested
summarized
supervised
supported
surpassed
surveyed
sustained
tailored
taught
terminated
tested
traded
transacted
transferred
transformed
translated
trimmed
tripled
uncovered
undertook
unified
used
utilized
verified
widened
withdrew
won
worked
wrote

ability
aptitude, capability
adopt
use, utilize, employ , apply,
mobilize, exert , restore
revive, specialize in

continue
keep up, remain, resume
persevere, persist, adhere to
cooperate
Collaborate, contribute to,
support

develop
originate, create, derive, cause,
effect, generate, bring about
result in, give rise to, design,
authority
devise, make, build, construct,
command, charter, domain,
synthesize, form, prepare,
scope, field, control, jurisdiction, organize, sponsor, prompt
commission, province ,circle,
earn
in charge of
merit, exceed, excel, surpass ,
better, top, progress, advance
authorize
entitle, delegate, empower ,
qualify, invest , endow
effective
forceful, potent, valid, strong,
vigorous, productive, influential,
business
dynamic
undertaking , pursuit, venture,
affair, concern, interest , matter,
negotiations, transactions
emphasis
stress, accentuate, feature
carry out
discharge, execute, pursue,
implement
fulfill, perform, practice, exercise, execute, enforce
undertake, transact, assume,
accomplish, achieve
job
attain
situation, position, post,
status, footing, appointment,
company
capacity, occupation, calling,
concern, enterprise,
profession, career
establishment, institution,
corporation, firm, organization
assist
dispatch, expedite, cooperate,
maintain, promote

manage
handle, deal with, represent,
operate, oversee, designate,
engineer, execute, supervise,
conduct , engage in, regulate,
check , direct, administer, take
charge
participate
Share, collaborate, coordinate,
synchronize, combine, pool ,
take part in, contribute
point out
Indicate, exhibit, display, reveal,
demonstrate, show, credit with,
assign to
promote
evaluate, raise
responsible
liable, accountable, answerable,
account for, plan, design, project,
proposal, scheme, outline, map,
model, program, result, obtain,
secure, method, means, system,
policy, procedure