So, you’re about to graduate. You have the knowledge, the skills, the confidence, the drive and perhaps you even have experience working in the field. But do you have a professional résumé ready to submit to employers?

You just might be the perfect person for the job, but if you cannot demonstrate this point through your résumé then your chances of landing that dream job could be significantly impaired.

“Putting together your résumé in a dignified way is extremely important,” said senior interior design major Danielle Low. “It’s the first impression you make to a potential employer.”

Even if you’re not a graduating senior, it’s never too early to prepare your résumé. In fact, the sooner you start putting a résumé together, the better. That way it will be easier to add to or polish up when you are finally ready to start career hunting. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Do:

Be honest.

One of the worst things you can do on your résumé is lie. That should go without saying, but there are always going to be those who think it’s OK to tell “white lies” or to bend the truth just a little bit so that they have the advantage over other potential applicants. For example, saying on your résumé that you are an experienced event planner when the only thing you have really ever planned was a toga party at your apartment might get you in trouble somewhere down the line when your employer has you plan a major company event.

Be brief.

“A good resume is brief, concise, and easy to read,” said associate director at the career center Analia Mendez. “Don’t go over two pages on your résumé.”

A résumé is your opportunity to brag about yourself, but let your accomplishments speak for themselves. Employers will be able to tell when you simply kept writing for the sole purpose of filling space, so keep it simple.

Present your most important information first.

Knowledge, skills, and experience should be a few of the first things mentioned on your résumé aside from personal information, such as your name, phone number, e-mail, et cetera. A clearly stated objective will likely be the first thing you want to include on your résumé so your employer knows exactly what your intentions are and doesn’t have to guess what you’re applying for.

Include extracurricular activities and affiliations.

Whether they are student or professional organizations, making note of what extracurricular activities and groups you have been a part of can give you an upper hand in the application process.

“Students tend to forget that these (activities) can make a big difference in marketing a whole package,” Mendez said.

Include foreign languages spoken.

No matter what kind of career path you choose, it is almost inevitable that you will find yourself in a situation where you need to speak to someone who does not speak English. Obviously, employers would like to know that you are capable of handling such situations. So, whether you know Spanish, French, Chinese or sign language, make sure to include it on your résumé.

Do Not:

Put references on your résumé

Also, don’t write “references available upon request” on your résumé. This phrase is outdated.

“The best thing to do is to create a document called ‘Professional References’ on a separate page,” Julie Collier, career counselor and co-op coordinator of engineering and computer science at the career center, said. “Keep the page in your portfolio and only give it to employers if they request it.”

Include your GPA if it is 3.0 or below

If your GPA is 3.0 or lower, simply note that you graduated with your degree. This, on its own, is impressive, but if you graduated with a cumulative GPA of 4.0 then that is even more impressive and should be included in your résumé. A 4.0 will definitely set you apart from other potential employees, but a 3.0 probably won’t. For this reason, it’s better to just omit it.

Include your outdated, immature e-mail address

“When you are doing a job search, it’s important to create an e-mail address that is more professional and less ‘cutesy,'” Collier said.

So if you still have the same e-mail address that you had in 7th grade, you should seriously consider changing it before you start looking for a job. Putting an e-mail address such as “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” at the top of your résumé is equivalent to writing “I’m highly unprofessional” at the top of your résumé.

Have spelling/grammar errors in your résumé

Use spell check! Then read over it yourself and have someone you trust look over it as well. Take it to the career center and ask the staff to check it out too. Spelling and grammar errors can sneak past spell check, and possibly go unnoticed by you. So, if you accidentally say your concentration is in “pubic relations” instead of “public relations” and both you and spell check fail to catch the mistake, the employer that’s going to hire you is Ron Jeremy.

Use colored paper

Stick to white or off-white paper. This isn’t an arts and crafts project. You may want to attract your employer’s attention with bright neon green or pink paper, but this will attract all the wrong attention. Just remember, keep it simple.