Sandia Resume Writing Best Practices
At Sandia, recruiters manually review resumes on each job posting instead of using a resume screening software
program. By following the best practices outlined below, this ensures that recruiters can accurately determine your
qualifications for the position.
Starting your Resume
• Attention to detail is important. Review the job posting and update your resume, professional profile
and/or cover letter to specifically address the job title you are applying to, as well as any other areas
needed to align with that particular posting’s requirements.
• Incorporate keywords and phrases to highlight your relevant skills and experiences.
Tip! Focus on the “Qualifications We Require” and “Qualifications We Desire” sections of the job posting,
and ensure your resume contains the qualifications that are applicable to you.
Recommended Sections to Include
• Professional profile or summary of key skills
o Include your most marketable qualifications, highlighting important skills, at the top of your resume.
• Work experience
o Include your relevant work, leadership experience, projects, research, and achievements.
o If you’ve held multiple jobs at the same company list your experience by job title and respective date.
o Highlight any teamwork, communication, and leadership (project or management) skills.
Tip! No need to condense your resume to 1-2 pages. Recruiters want to see all relevant experience,
even if it wasn’t your most recent experience (including research experience, post-graduate work,
internships, etc.).
Tip! Include both month and year next to each job title.
• Publications or Research, if applicable
o If the job is research-based, include a section on your resume listing out research (published articles,
publications, conference presentations, etc.).
• Education, Credentials, and/or Certificates
o List all completed and in-progress degrees. Intern applicants should also list cumulative GPA.
Tip! Include both month and year of the conferred degree or expected completion date of the degree.
o Highlight any specialized training certificates or credentials you have received.
• Additional Skills
o Include your technical skills (tools, programs, coding languages, etc.).
Finishing your Resume
• Proofread everything! You want your resume to use consistent tense/grammar and be free of typos or
grammatical mistakes.
• Use action verbs when listing or describing your experience; examples are available online.
Tip! Content is more important than fancy formatting.
Tip! Consider converting your draft resume into a PDF version to use when applying.
Tip! If you are a Sandian searching for a new Sandia job, remember to apply using the internal website.