What to Include on a Co-op Resume

Format

• Make sure margins and indents are a consistent width.
• Choose a font of 11 or 12 points, so your readers don’t have to squint.
• Underscoring and (parentheses) can make the resume look cluttered, so use them sparingly.
• Begin each phrase with a verb.
• Indent each descriptive phrase and insert a simple bullet symbol.

Contact Information

• Place your name prominently at the top of both pages.
• List your local and permanent mailing addresses and phone numbers.
• You are required to include your Laurier e-mail address.
• Employers don’t need to see your student ID number.

Skills

• Focus on tangible skills such as languages, technical skills and software proficiency.
• You may also include certificates such as WHMIS. 
• If you want to include a soft skill such as communication or leadership, show how you gained or demonstrated  the skill. 
• Include the name of each school, program, and diploma, along with locations and dates. 
•  Be consistent; if you use bold font for company names, then do the same for school names.

Education

• Include institution name(s) and program(s), along with locations and dates. 
•  Be consistent; if you use bold font for company names, do the same for school names. 

Awards

• List academic awards, and describe them when necessary. Example: “Received Incentive Scholarship for achieving an A- average in first year. 
•  If you are not including a section on academic awards, you may list awards in the education section. 
    

Employment

• Emphasize your most relevant jobs by putting them in a separate section, perhaps called "Related Experience." 
• Include a job title, company name, location, and dates of employment for each position.
• List your job titles first if they are impressive; otherwise start with company names and then job titles. 
• Start each phrase with a verb to sound skilled and energetic. 
• Use at least one descriptive point for each job, but provide several points to describe your most impressive jobs.

Volunteer Experience 

• You may dedicate an entire section to volunteer work. 
• If you are including only one volunteer position, place it with “Employment” or “Activities.” 

Activities

• Divide this section into “University,” “High School,“ and “Community” or “Other.”
• Describe your role in each club, team, or committee. 
• List any athletic awards here; the awards section is for academic awards.