If you’ve been looking up how to write a resume template, then you may find some use in the Cornell Resume Template guide.
The Cornell Resume Template guide provides guidelines and frameworks on how to write a good resume that’ll actually get you interviews.
In a nutshell, the Cornell Resume Template guide is broken down by:
- Preparation
- Elements of a Resume
- Resume Format
- Guidelines
- Sample
The frameworks of the Cornell Resume Template align with ones we present when we talk about resumes or write about resumes for our clients.
Below, we’ll be going over each of the sections so that you will be best prepared to write an award winning resume.
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What is the Cornell Resume Template?
Specific frameworks that the Cornell Resume Template include best practices for personal info, objective, education, coursework, skills, etc.
The Cornell Resume Template is a resume template written in guidelines provided by Cornell University. The frameworks include using action words, transferrable skills, quantifying results and accomplishments, and more.
Cornell Resume Template Example
Below, you’ll see an example of the Cornell Resume Template done in a Microsoft Word Doc.
See our homepage for a free download of our Cornell Resume Template: ULTMECHE Homepage
Education
The Educational section of the Cornell Resume Template will consist of:
- University Name – Cornell University
- Degree title – Bachelor of Engineering
- Major – Computer Science
- Minor – Mathematics and Psychology (if relevant)
- City, ST – Ithaca, NY
- Graduation Month and Year
- Include GPA if above 3.0
- Include academic honors such as Dean’s List
- Relevant coursework (if lacking material to fill up resume)
Example:
- Cornell University
- Major is Computer Science
- GPA: 3.58/4.0
- Ithaca, NY
- Relevant Coursework: Software Engineering, Operating Systems, Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence
Click to buy the premium version of our Cornell Resume Template to 10X Job Interviews and Offers.
Experience
The Experience section of the resume should be titled one of the following:
- Work Experience
- Relevant Experience
- Professional Experience
This is where the majority of the value comes from in your resume as your work or professional experience is much more important than anything academic. Use bullet point format when filling out the experience section of your resume.
Important resume bulletpoint writing frameworks include:
- Quantifying results and accomplishments
- Include keywords from the job description
- Clear and concise bullets
- Avoid first person (I, me, my)
- Include macroeconomic applications where possible
Example:
- Employer name – Some Engineering Company
- Position title – Mechanical Engineering Intern
- Location of Employer – Ithaca, NY
- Dates of Employment – JUN 2019 – SEP 2021
Bulletpoints:
- Coordinated hydraulic testing of pumps to verify performance parameters such as total dynamic head, volumetric flow rate, and efficiency; directed post-test work instructions, increasing efficiency by 1-3%
- Created pump quotation software using Excel VBA to configure and price vertical circulating water pumps; reducing the lead time of pump quotations by 80%
- Analyzed $10M of pricing data from domestic or overseas suppliers and determined supply chain decision making for pump components such as discharge heads, columns, casings, impellers, shafting, and bearings
- Designed $3M in pumps from concept to production with CAD software such as Creo / ProEngineer
Make sure to include action words in your resume.
See: 69 Action Words on Resume
Activities
List specific skills relevant to your career goals in the activities section of your resume.
Activities should include:
- Foreign language
- Computer expertise
- Professional memberships
- Affiliations
- Extracurricular activities
- Interests
- Hobbies
Specifically, we recommend the activities section of the resume to consist of:
- Membership or organization name
- Position in membership or organization
- Location of membership
- Dates in the membership or organization
Example 1:
- Membership or organization name – Formula SAE
- Position in membership or organization – Chassis Design
- Location of membership – Ithaca, NY
- Dates in the membership or organization – SEP 2018 – Present
Bulletpoints:
- Founded the first ever engineering membership to design, build, and fabricate automotives for 500 students
- Organized and advertised 10+ quarterly networking events with 300+ participants in 3 universities in New York.
Example 2:
- Membership or organization name – Engineering Honor Society
- Position in membership or organization – Committee Member
- Location of membership – Ithaca, NY
- Dates in the membership or organization – JAN 2017 – Present
Click to buy the premium version of our Cornell Resume Template to 10X Job Interviews and Offers.
Bulletpoints:
- Acted as general member of engineering honor society regarding top 10% in GPA; attended networking events, performed community service, and collaborate with other top performing engineering students
- Participated in 10+ quarterly networking events with 300+ participants in 3 cities in New York
University Projects
Adding University Projects it the best way for students with no experience to get entry level jobs or internships.
The University Projects section of the resume will consist of:
- Project name
- Date of project completion
- Bulletpoints consisting of action words, technical skills, and quantitative results and accomplishments
Example 1:
- Project name – Tennis Racket
- Date of project completion – Feb 2020
Bulletpoints:
- Designed a $200 tennis racket into 3D CAD using SolidWorks through reverse engineering
- Performed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on racket using operating conditions; resulted in an 98.7% accurate representation of the force being dissipated throughout the racket
Example 2:
- Project name – Traffic Signal
- Date of project completion – Jan 2019
Bulletpoints:
- Designed and implemented optimal traffic stop light based on traffic data utilizing MATLAB
- Used various programming techniques to achieve completion of the project such as if/when statements and for/while loops to support city-wide intersection of 10,000+ vehicles daily
Check out: 7 Things to Put on Resume With No Work Experience
Additional
The additional section will be written in the bottom of the Cornell Resume Template
The additional section of your resume will consist of:
- Technical Skills
- Programming Skills
- Languages
- Certification & Training
- Awards
Technical Skills
It’s very important to specify the correct technical skills on your resume.
Technical skills on your resume will consist of those such as:
- Calculation methods
- Software
- Coding Languages and frameworks
Programming Skills
If your industry requires programming such as software engineering, data science, cloud computing, etc. then you’ll need to specify those as a line underneath the additional section.
Recruiters and hiring managers will quickly be scanning this to make sure you have knowledge in the programming frameworks they require.
Examples of programming skills and languages to put on your resume include:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Python
- React
- Node
- Epic
Languages
If the job that you’re applying for will require professional competency in any language, make sure to specify it in the additional section.
Certifications & Training
List any and all certifications & training that you’ve obtained throughout the course of your career to help with your job search.
Determine whether or not the certifications are relevant and add them in the “Certification & Training” section of your resume.
Click to buy the premium version of our Cornell Resume Template to 10X Job Interviews and Offers.
Awards
Awards will be consisting of the accomplishments you’ve had throughout your career.
The awards section of your resume will consist of relevant accomplishments such as:
- Dean’s Lists
- Scholarships
- Employee Spot Awards
- Industry Competitions
- Hackathon Awards
- Volunteering Awards
Cornell Resume Template Frameworks
The Cornell Resume Template works because it utilizes three fundamental frameworks in resume writing:
- Action words
- Transferable Skills
- Quantitative Results and Accomplishments
Action Words
Action words will be phrases you put in your resume that demonstrate your on the job competence.
Examples of action verbs commonly used in the industry include (LINK)
- Accomplished
- Achieved
- Assembed
- Built
- Calculated
- Conforimed
- Designed
- Invented
- Produced
- Strengthened
- Transformed
Recruiters and hiring managers will be comparing these to the job description and ensure that you have the appropriate experience in these sections.
Click to buy the premium version of our Cornell Resume Template to 10X Job Interviews and Offers.
Transferrable Skills
Transferrable skills include those that were in your previous work that could be useful in the job you are currently seeking.
It’s on you to make the connection and to tell them how your experiences relate to that of which the employer require in some way.
- Administering programs
- Budgeting expenses
- Designing products
- Estimating costs
- Negotiation contracts
- Operating equipment
- Supervising others
- Troubleshooting equipment
- Writing clear reports & documentation
Quantitative Results and Accomplishments
Quantitative results and accomplishments will be how you showcase your business impact.
Companies are very metric driven.
To determine success in a company, there are factors such as metrics and key performance indicators that are tracked.
As a result, you need to be putting quantitative results and accomplishments in your resume to showcase your business impact.
Check out: Companies LOVE When You Know How To Say You Save Money On Resume!
Why you should use the Cornell Resume Template
The Cornell Resume Template is the best resume template to use when applying for jobs.
It’s clear and concise, broken up into sections such as education, experience, skills, and ATS compliant.
This is exactly the format that recruiters and hiring managers are looking for job seekers.
Should I put a summary on the Cornell Resume Template?
Although many career coaches and website will suggest to add a summary on a resume, we do not.
Through our experience and our clients, we find that a professional summary or a professional profile on a resume is redundant.
Recruiters spend about 6-7 seconds on each resume.
They’re not going to spend the entire time reading the summary.
Instead they’re going to do a quick scan of the following:
- Where a candidate went to school
- What major a candidate studied in college
- Previous employers of a job seeking candidate
- Technical skills of the job seeking candidate
- Quantitative results and accomplishments to review metrics and KPIs
Click to buy the premium version of our Cornell Resume Template to 10X Job Interviews and Offers.
Closing Thoughts on the Cornell Resume Template
There’s a lot of controversy over which resume template is the best format to use, but we recommend the Cornell Resume Template.
It’s a very clear and concise, professional, and business metric oriented which is perfect for recruiters and hiring managers to evaluate the potential for the job seeking candidate.
The format works, especially for high paying jobs in industries such as engineering, finance, healthcare, business, tech, etc.
Positions such as engineering, design, product, management, finance, can all use this format.
About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.