A tiny 10 page PDF in which

I take the actual resume that got

me my first internship at
Nickelodeon in 2015, and fix it step by
step- with tips along the way!
 MAAIKE’S RESUME GUIDE!

This is the resume that got me my

internship at Nickelodeon.

It’s okay, but we can DEFINITELY fix this

up!!

A few things to note:

Recruiters spend, on average, SIX
SECONDS per Resume.

Recruiters often print out resumes in

greyscale. Make sure your colors aren’t
too light to read!

I am so not an expert or a graphic

designer. This is just the info that’s
carried me throughout my career.

If you see a black box, that’s where a

phone number would be, haha.
Alright, so our first fix is making the
most important info bigger.
Removing a few unnecessary things
(they don’t need to know I like
skateboarding and fishing! What the
heck!)

While customer service and retail

jobs are important to show on a
resume if you’re looking for
internships, I had three different
examples, so I can cut the least
relevant (the grocery store!)

If you’re worried that you have no

experience, add any volunteer work,
student organizations, or
films/projects you’ve worked on.
Galleries, charities. And if you can’t
think of any- time to get involved in
your community! That’s a great way
to stand out!
 Yay! This is already looking cleaner.
The Recruiter will be able to focus on
what they need to.

You’ll notice the sections I have are:

Projects - Short films, student work
Experience - Customer service, retail
Education - College only, don’t need HS
Personal Skills - This is a little
debated, I’ve been told you don’t
necessarily need this section. I’ve kept
it on my own, it’s up to you!
Programs - Software proficiency…
DON’T DO THAT THING WHERE YOU RATE
/HOW/ PROFICIENT YOU ARE! Like ⅗
stars or something. Just list the
program!
Additional Activities - Galleries, charity
events, cool awards, articles about you,
extracirriculars, etc
 If you’re applying for an internship,
PUT EDUCATION FIRST. They need to
know you’re a current student and
graduating year in order to see if you
qualify.

If you’re NOT going for internships,

put it last! Your experience/projects
means more than your education!

DO. NOT. PUT. YOUR. GPA.

I’ve been told unless it’s a 4.0 (yes,

even if it’s a 3.9) it’s just not
impressive. Period. Don’t do yourself
the disservice!
Here I’ve changed the font, added
some bolded words and different
sizes for line visual hierarchy. I’ve
made the margins far less
claustrophobic!

I’ve drawn more attention to my

name (the most important part!)

I’ve removed all the color so that I

know it looks good without.
 Instead of putting the job title on a
separate line, I’ve added it all on one
line to consolidate space.

Sometimes Organizations or
activities have an unclear name; I’ve
clarified that Shrunkenheadman is
the Animation/Illustration club for
SJSU. Do this if your organization’s
purpose is not immediately
recognizable.

The underlined words are called

LEADING WORDS. This is, perhaps,
the most important part of this
guide. When I said recruiters spend 6
seconds per resume, I wasn’t
kidding. They look at the first word
after each bullet to get a feel for your
resume as a whole. Making these
words as powerful and impactful as
possible will make your resume
amazing!
 Compare this page to the previous
page. The green underlined words
were ones that were strong already,
the red underlined words could use
work.

Notice the changes.

Helps becomes MANAGES.

Answers becomes DIRECTED.

Brag about yourself too. Make sure to

slip in words like quickly and
efficiently if you can. Add in those
subtle brags about how good you are!

Check out this article if you need

help figuring out stronger words:
“185 Powerful Action Verbs That Will
Make Your Resume Awesome”
https://tinyurl.com/leadingwords
 Some finishing touches!
I’ve added a memorable icon, some
color, and I’ve hand written my name.
Handwritten is acceptable IF it’s very
readable. Otherwise it’s okay to use a
font!

I removed my address (you don’t

need it!) but sometimes, especially if
you’re local to LA, it’s good to show
where you’re located.

Note how I use the same font

throughout, my size doesn’t wildly
vary, and everything feels concise
and uniform! That’s good!

If I could go back and do it again, this

is the resume I’d show Nickelodeon!!
This is my Resume today, it looks a little
different since I’m no longer applying for
internships!

I’ve removed the projects section and I’ve

gotten rid of a lot of the bullet points
descriptors since the job titles speak for
themselves and it’s beneficial for me to
use the room to list my experience. My
education is lower as it’s no longer the
first information hiring managers need
to see.

I’ve done a lot of cool things since

graduating that aren’t quite job
experience, so I list them under a
Recognition & Activities section. This
organization really works for me!

Thanks for reading, and good luck

friends!! :) <3 Maaike