One of the most important job search tools is the resume because it’s the vehicle by which a job seeker can communicate information that employers would want to know regarding the person’s qualifications for a job. It’s helpful to think of the resume as a "personal advertisement" – a tool for marketing a person’s abilities to employers.
The most important point about resumes is this: a resume is not designed to get a job, it’s to land an interview. It is very unlikely that an employer would hire a person based solely on information contained in their resume. The resume is therefore best used with one goal in mind—to capture the interest of the reader sufficiently to invite the job seeker to come in for an interview.
Resume Formats
There are two widely used formats for a resume, as well as formats that combine features of each. Following is a description of each format, suggestions for what information should be included, and recommendations for the appropriate use of each version.
Chronological Resume
A chronological resume lists the job seeker’s work experience in the order in which it happened beginning with the most recent job. If the person’s work history has been steady -- with no big gaps -- this is the usually the best format to use. This format does not work as well for job seekers who:
- Have gaps in their work history
- Have changed careers in the past, or planning to change careers
- Lack formal paid work experience.
Employers tend to prefer the chronological resume because the format lists prior positions beginning with the most current. Employers perceive this style as fact-based and easily skimmed.
Functional Resume
A functional resume rearranges employment history into sections that highlight areas of skill and accomplishment versus progressive work history. This is usually the best format to use if:
- a job seeker has significant gaps in their work history, or no clear progression (variety of different positions not clearly linked to a single career path).
- a person is pursuing a career change
- a person is just entering the workforce
- a person’s job titles don’t clearly reflect the level of skills used
Some employers dislike functional resumes if they find it difficult to match up skills with actual job titles, level of responsibility and dates of experience. You can minimize this objection by including the company name in the "bullet" describing each accomplishment.
For people with disabilities who may want to take advantage of the benefits of a functional resume, they must make it easy for employers to visualize the applicant’s overall work history and link accomplishment statements to it. It’s best NEVER to omit at least a bare-bones chronological listing of work experience in the functional resume.
The functional resume might be thought of as a "problem-solving" format; it gives a person the latitude to "make sense" of their work history and match up skills and accomplishments that might not be obvious to the employer in a traditional chronological format.
What should go on a resume?
The most important point to remember is that a resume is not a life history; it should contain just the important highlights of a person’s qualifications for a specific career or job. Here are the basic elements of a resume and suggestions for how to handle each component, based on what employers typically like to see on resumes.
Personal Vital Statistics
The most important information on the resume should be located right at the top: the job seeker’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address (if applicable). Tip: don’t MYSTIFY the reader about your gender. If it isn’t readily apparent by your name whether you are a male or female, consider adding "Mr." or "Ms." in front of your name to be helpful. Many employers will appreciate not having to guess.
Statement of Career Objective
Perhaps the most common mistake of resume writers is leaving out their JOB OBJECTIVE! Many employers will make a decision whether to discard a resume or read further just based on the objective statement, so it’s vital to have a strong objective statement, that captures the reader’s attention! The best approach is to state in one or two sentences:
- what type of job the person is seeking
- why the person is qualified for that job
If a person has several different job objectives they’re pursuing at the same time, they should write a different resume for each target job. A targeted resume is MUCH stronger than a generic resume.
It’s best to avoid vague or "canned" statements, for example:
"Seeking a position with a progressive computer software company that will provide me an opportunity for advancement."
A better way to state it would be:
"Seeking a computer software sales position utilizing my education in computer programming, and my 5 years of proven expertise as a top-producer in selling business software applications to Fortune 500 companies".
Education
How this information is presented depends on the job seeker’s level of education, the length of time that’s passed since it was completed, and how it’s relevant to the target job. If a person has just graduated, they should put the education right under the objective; otherwise it can be placed after work history, toward the end of the resume.
List dates that each degree or certificate was received, but not dates attended. Many people take a little longer than average to complete education programs, for a variety of reasons. The length of time it took to complete a program may raise questions in the employer’s mind about the person’s capabilities, so it’s usually best to just list completion dates, and not dates of enrollment.
Include:
- College degrees and certificates (drop high school diplomas after a college degree has been completed)
- Formal training received from professional training organizations
- Related course work not leading to a specific degree/certificate
- If degree was earned in a different country, indicate U.S. equivalent, for example: "Degree equivalent to U.S. Bachelor’s Degree in Economics; Tehran, Iran".
- If degree/credentials haven’t yet been awarded, state when completion is expected, for example: "Masters Degree anticipated in June, 2002".
Work Experience
Work experience should not be just about past jobs a person held – it should focus on how the applicant performed in past jobs -- which is a predictor of how they might perform in a future job. A few things to keep in mind:
- The fastest way to improve a resume: remove everything that starts with "responsibilities included…" and replace it with on-the-job ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
- Recap any experiences that are relevant to target job, whether it was paid or unpaid. The goal is to illustrate how a person’s skills can be transferred and applied to the position for which they are applying.
- Employers are impressed with "PAR" statements. PAR stands for Problem-Action-Results. In other words, first state the problem that existed in your workplace, then you describe what YOU did about it, and finally you point out the beneficial results.
- If a person has no "real" paid mainstream jobs – just self-employment or odd jobs – the best approach is to create accurate, fair job-titles. For example:
- A&S Hauling & Cleaning (self-employed)
- Household Repairman (self-employed)
- If the person has worked for only one employer for 20 or 30 years – just list each different position held there, so that the job progression within the company is more obvious.
- For job seekers who are over 50 or 60 and want to avoid age discrimination, it’s not necessary to present an ENTIRE work history! Simply label part of the resume as "Recent Work History" or "Relevant Work History" and then only describe the last 10 or 15 years of experience.
- Students can make their resume look neater by listing seasonal jobs very simply, for example: "Spring 1998" versus "June 1998 to September 1998".
- If a job title doesn’t reflect actual level of responsibility, either replace it with a more appropriate job title (say "Office Manager" instead of "Administrative Assistant") or use employer’s title for the position and yours together: "Administrative Assistant" (Office Manager).
Military Experience
Military experience may, or may not be relevant, but it is often viewed favorably by employers. When listing military experience, include:
- Service dates, rank, assignments, date/type of discharge. (Note: If discharge was other than honorable, it’s best not to include mention of military experience at all).
- List any training programs completed, or skills acquired that are relevant to target job.
Skills & Abilities
It may be worthwhile to dedicate a special section to skills and abilities to highlight relevant skills that would be valuable to the employer, but which aren’t readily apparent from other information on the resume. For example:
- Fluency in any languages
- Competence in operating special tools/machinery
- Proficiency in computer software/programs
Athletics
Participation in athletic competition may reflect valuable skills and traits so may be included to round out the picture of a person’s total qualifications. Listing athletics may also remove an employer’s fear about a person’s visible disability – if he or she can compete in sports then perhaps they can also take on the physical demands of the job. On the other hand, if the athletic experience was gained as part of a disability-related organization (such as Special Olympics), then it’s possible that mention of it may alert the reader to the job seeker’s disability, and may screen out the person based on prejudice or misinformation.
Community Activities
A person’s community activities may reflect positive attributes that an employer will consider valuable. For example, holding a leadership position in a well-known civic group could show that a person is willing to help other people, and has proven abilities in valuable skills such as fund-raising, teambuilding, and communications.
