EVIDENCE

There isn't really a section on a resume called evidence. By evidence, we mean all the mandatory information you must include on your resume: chronological work history with dates, education, affiliations, list of software mastered, etc. All this stuff is best placed in the second half of the resume. Put the hot stuff in the beginning, and all this less exciting information afterward. It gives the employer the details about where you worked, how long, your education, etc. This is the standard stuff that any resume book can help you with, so we will not cover it here in detail. We divided the resume into a "hot" assertions section, and a more staid "evidence" section for the sake of communicating that a great resume is not information but advertising. A great resume has no evidence section. It is all one big assertions section. In other words, every single word is crafted to have the desired effect, to get them to pick up the phone and call you. It is all one big ad disguised as a history of your working life. The decisions you make on what information to emphasize and what to de-emphasize should be based on considering every word of your resume to be an important part of the assertions section. The evidence includes some or all of the following sections:

EXPERIENCE

List jobs in reverse chronological order. Don't go into detail on the jobs early in your career; focus on the most recent and/or relevant jobs. (Summarize a number of the earliest jobs in one line or very short paragraph, or list only the bare facts with no position description.) Decide which is, overall, more impressive: your job titles or the names of the firms you worked for; then consistently begin with the more impressive of the two, perhaps using boldface type.

You may want to describe the firm in a phrase in parentheses if this will impress the reader. Put dates in italics at the end of the job, to de-emphasize them; don't include months, unless the job was held less than a year. Include military service, internships, and major volunteer roles if desired; because the section is labeled "Experience." It does not mean that you were paid.

Other headings: "Professional History", "Professional Experience", not "Employment" or "Work History", both which sound more lower-level.

EDUCATION

List education in reverse chronological order, degrees or licenses first, followed by certificates and advanced training. Set degrees apart so they are easily seen. Put in boldface whatever will be most impressive. Don't include any details about college except major and awards, unless you are still in college or just recently graduated. Include grade point average only if over 3.4. List selected course work if this will help convince the reader of your qualifications for the targeted job.

Do include advanced training, but be selective with the information, summarizing the information and including only what will be impressive for the reader.

No degree received yet? If you are working on an uncompleted degree, include the degree and in afterwards, parentheses the expected date of completion (expected 200x).

If you didn't finish college, start with a phrase describing the field studied, then the school, then the dates (the fact that there was no degree may be missed).

Other headings might be "Education and Training", "Education and Licenses", "Legal Education / Undergraduate Education" (for attorneys).

AWARDS

If the only awards received were in school, put these under the Education section. Mention what the award was for if you can (or just "for outstanding accomplishment" or "outstanding performance"). This section is almost a must, if you have received awards. If you have received commendations or praise from some very senior source, you could call this section, "Awards and Commendations." In that case, go ahead and quote the source.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Include only those that are current and will be relevant and impressive. Include leadership roles if appropriate. This is a good section to include to get across your status as a member of a minority targeted for special consideration by employers, if there is an association membership to show it and this would be helpful in hiring and otherwise unclear on the resume.

This section can be combined with "Civic / Community Leadership" as "Professional and Community Memberships".

CIVIC / COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

This is good to include if the leadership roles or accomplishments are related to the job target and can show skills acquired, for example: a loan officer hoping to become a financial investment counselor who was Financial Manager of a community organization charged with investing its funds. Any Board of Directors membership or "chairmanship" would be good to include. Be careful with political affiliations, as they could be a plus or minus with an employer or company.

PUBLICATIONS

Include only if published. Summarize if there are many.

COMMENTS FROM SUPERVISORS

Include only if very exceptional. Heavily edit for key phrases.

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